How long does it take to produce a TV commercial?

The length of the production process on a TV commercial depends on the kind of advertisement you hope to create. However, the process will generally take no less than six weeks, from brief to airing, which involves devising a script, casting the actors, shooting and editing the footage, then purchasing the airtime. Animated TV commercial production generally takes up to eight weeks from start to finish. However, if you’re using our services, the storyboarding, audio, and video footage can all take place in-house, making us a one-stop-shop for your commercial needs.

How much does a TV commercial cost to make?

Setting a budget for the overall cost of TV commercial production is one of the essential things to determine before starting work. With many disparate factors going into the making of a live-action advertisement, there can be a lot to keep under control. However, animated TV commercials from Frantic can allow you to keep your budget in one place, and including post-production, making it much easier to oversee the cost of your advertising. We can also deliver work at a flexible range of costs, from an affordable Adsmart commercial for £15,000 to a £100,000-plus, high-end, fully CG animated advertisement to showcase a brand new product.

// brand character design & animation studio

Your brand’s most
valuable asset.

A character that stands for something is one of the most valuable assets your brand can own. Concept, personality, animation, and rollout across every format. Built to last and impossible to mistake for anyone else’s.

Frantic about the character.

Coca-ColaRecycling initiative for the Paris Olympics

UK & Irish MushroomsGet a Vit Hit with mushrooms TV ad

DutypointA CGI bear with better hair than most humans

BBC Bitesize2D characters that make learning stick

The brief shapes the character. The character shapes the brand.

The process starts with understanding what your brand needs to say, who it’s saying it to, and what kind of character could carry that for the next ten years, not just the next campaign. Every decision made before a single frame is drawn.

Then the craft takes over. The timing of a glance, the weight of a movement, the personality in a single pose. Each one considered, refined, and built to make your audience feel something. Character animation lives or dies on details that most people will never consciously notice, and feel immediately if they’re wrong.

What your brand character makes possible.

An asset that compounds.

A well-built character gets more valuable the longer it runs. Your audience’s recognition builds, affinity deepens, and your brand gains something no media spend alone can buy.

Consistency across every format.

From broadcast TVC to social cutdown to in-store screen, your character behaves the same way everywhere, because the rules are designed from the start.

Storytelling that sells.

Characters create emotional connection at a speed and depth that product-led communication rarely achieves. Your audience remembers the character long after they’ve forgotten the offer.

Built to grow with you.

A strong character can be extended, evolved, and adapted as your brand changes, without losing the equity already built into it.

FAQs

How long does character development take?

The concept and design phase typically takes four to six weeks. Full animation production depends on your scope. A single campaign film is different from a full character bible with multiple executions. Timelines get agreed at brief stage.

Is the full process handled end to end?

Yes. Concept, design, animation, voiceover direction, and format delivery, all under one roof. To get started, we just need a brief, a budget, and as much brand context as possible. The clearer the picture of what your character needs to do and who it needs to connect with, the stronger the creative output.

We already have a character. Can this be developed further?

Absolutely. Plenty of briefs arrive with a character already in place. The work then is about extending the personality, building out the animation library, or updating and adapting it for your new formats and markets.