Pricing
Pay for the shotsyou keep.
Credits cover video, voiceover and images alike. Drafts are cheap so you can explore; final quality costs more, and you only render it for the shots that made the cut.
So a dollar is about 8.3 credits, at every pack size.
drafted twice, then finished once, with sound on every take and library music, 168 credits
about 900 characters, downloaded as MP3, 4 credits
at 2K, with the headline spelled right, 3 credits
Founding studios get founding prices.
Backlot is onboarding its first studios now. Create an account to build your cast and shoot your first drafts today; when paid plans open you'll be offered a founding rate that stays with your account.
Running a programme, like a training library, a campaign calendar or an agency roster? Tell us what you're making and we'll size a plan with you.
- Credits never expire: no monthly reset, nothing forfeited in a quiet month
- Drafts cost a fraction of finals, so exploring is cheap
- Annual billing discounted on every plan
- Enterprise: SSO, custom domain, invoicing and SLAs
Credits are bought in packs
Same $0.12 a credit at every size, and they never expire.
≈ 65 s of drafts or 50 s of finals
≈ 3 min of drafts or 2 min of finals
≈ 11 min of drafts or 8.5 min of finals
≈ 33 min of drafts or 25 min of finals
+ Claude and ChatGPT access
A quarter's worth of productions
+ Claude and ChatGPT access
The two largest packs also unlock assistant access: connect Claude or ChatGPT to your studio once and ask for productions, renders and stills in plain words. Once bought, it stays with the studio.
How credits work
Credits are the one unit across the whole studio. A second of draft video is 1.5 of them; final quality and audio-driven dialogue shots cost more because the models behind them cost more to run. Everything that supports a shot (the keyframe, the voice line, the shot plan) is included, and its sound effects are 1 credit per 5 seconds on top. Library music is free.
A typical 30-second explainer, drafted twice, then finished once, with sound on every take and library music, uses 168 credits: $20.16 at $0.12 each. A spoken minute of downloadable voiceover is 4 credits, $0.48, and a voice from the library costs nothing to use.
And they keep. Credits you buy are yours until you render with them: they don't reset at the end of the month and they aren't forfeited on a renewal date, so a quiet quarter costs you nothing. Most tools in this category hand you an allowance that dies every thirty days; we don't.
| What | Credits | In money |
|---|---|---|
| Draft video | 1.5 credits per second | $0.18 a second |
| Final-quality video | 2 credits per second | $0.24 a second |
| Dialogue (talking) shot | 3 credits per second | $0.36 a second |
| Sound effects on a take, in sync with the picture | 1 credit per 5 seconds | $0.12 per 5 seconds |
| Music composed to your brief | 5 credits a minute | $0.60 a minute |
| Listen-through (every line, each scene's sound and the music, before any video) | 1 credit per 10 seconds | $0.12 per 10 seconds |
| Character reference sheet | 10 credits | $1.20 |
| Still (image with legible text) | 2 credits at 1K · 3 at 2K | $0.24 · $0.36 |
| Voiceover you can download | 1 credit per 250 characters | $0.12 per 250 characters |
| Cloning a voice from a recording | 25 credits | $3.00 |
| Designing a voice from a description | 15 credits | $1.80 |
| Prompt assistant | 5 credits a draft | $0.60 |
| Director notes (edit a production in plain words) | 2 credits a note | $0.24 |
| Library music, your own music, stock voices, character try-outs, shot planning and scripts, casting, keyframes | Included | Free |
Pricing questions
Something we haven't answered? Talk to us.
- Do unused credits expire?
- No. Credits you buy stay on your balance until you spend them. There is no monthly reset and no renewal date that wipes them. They last as long as the account does, so closing your account is the only thing that ends them.
- What happens when I run out?
- Rendering pauses and you buy another pack whenever you're ready. Nothing you've already made is ever locked away.
- Is there a free way to try it?
- Yes. Every new studio starts with enough credits to build a character and render a short draft. No card required.
- Can I get an invoice or pay annually?
- Annual billing is discounted on every plan, and enterprise agreements can be invoiced.
- What does Direct it for me cost?
- Casting, the script and the plan are free. The listen-through, where you hear every line in its voice with each scene's sound and the music before any video exists, is 1 credit per 10 seconds ($0.36 for a 30-second piece). The video is made only when you press Make it, at the price on the button, and nothing beyond it is charged.
- What does sound cost?
- Every take gets sound effects in sync with its picture at 1 credit per 5 seconds ($0.12), and the price on the Generate button already includes it. Music from the house library is free, so is music you upload, and a track composed to your brief is 5 credits a minute ($0.60).
Start with a test, not a contract.
Create a studio, build one character and render a short draft. You'll see exactly what it cost before you decide how many credits your team needs.