How to get a cost estimate before anything is generated
Say what the film is and add "estimate the whole thing before generating anything". Vizard Agent reads the current tool prices, plans the shot count and the grade of generation each shot needs, and reports what the finished film should cost before it spends anything.
What do you type into Vizard Agent?
Put the estimate instruction at the top and the skip list at the bottom. Vizard Agent reads the whole brief before starting, and the skip list is what turns a general request into a costed plan rather than a thorough one.
Prompt
What does Vizard Agent actually do?
Most of what a generated film costs is not the film. It is the auditioning, the alternate takes, the reference sheets and the review passes. So the first step is reading the current tool prices and their limits, before a single shot is planned. In the session behind this article it:
- Loaded the asset prices, the ledger and the workspace, read the generation tools' prices and limits, and gave the estimate before generating anything.
- Generated the stills, narration and sound effects and searched for music in one pass, then checked the character was locked on the opening, middle and hero stills.
- Shot all eight clips, searching for supporting stock in the same step, and reviewed frames from every shot.
- Assembled the sixty-one-second film, then fixed the title card, ducked the music and re-mixed so the narration sat above it.
- Spent the one premium shot on the reveal, kept the rest at standard grade, used the named voice without auditioning and ran no upscaling or enhancement passes.
When does this not work well?
An estimate is an estimate. Vizard Agent prices the plan it has, and what pushes a production past it is usually what nobody planned for: a shot that fails twice, a change of mind, a late fix. Skipping too much can backfire, because some passes exist to save work.
Common questions
Will the estimate be exact? No. Vizard Agent prices the plan, and re-shoots and changes move the total.
What if it cannot be done in budget? It stops and says so. Vizard Agent reports before spending rather than after.
Which steps are safe to skip? Auditions, alternate takes and enhancement passes. Vizard Agent will tell you which ones it thinks you need.