Volta Studio's cost per episode calculator estimates what the video for one AI episode costs to generate, and a whole season. Set the episode length, how many shots a minute it cuts to, how many takes you generate per shot, the video model and the resolution, and it multiplies the model's live price in tokens across every take. The same price is shown before every generation in the app.
How the estimate is worked out.
Shots per episode is the length in minutes times the shots per minute. Each shot's screen time is the episode length divided by the shots, rounded up to a clip length the model can make. One take costs what the app charges for that model at that length, resolution and sound setting (with sound by default, which raises the price only on the models that charge more for it), in whole tokens, exactly as the app charges it. Takes per shot times shots gives the episode; episodes times the season length gives the season.
What it counts, and what it leaves out.
It counts the video takes, which are most of the spend on a series. It leaves out stills, keyframes, voices, music and the copilots, which cost far less per episode, and it assumes every take is kept or thrown away at the same rate. Writing, planning, breakdowns and shot lists cost nothing when you do them yourself; the AI help with them costs a few tokens an episode and is not counted here.
Why takes per shot matters most.
A take is one generation of one shot. Generating three and keeping the best one triples the cost of that shot, and on a long season the number of takes you need before one plays is the biggest lever on the budget, bigger than the model you choose.
Tokens and dollars.
Volta charges in tokens, and the calculator turns them into dollars at the list price of a token. Plan allowances and larger top-ups make a token cheaper than list, so the dollar figure is the most a plan member would pay, not the least.
Common questions
How much does an AI microdrama episode cost to make?
It depends on four things: how long the episode is, how many shots a minute it cuts to, how many takes you generate per shot, and the model. The calculator on this page multiplies them out with Volta's live prices. Writing, planning and the shot lists cost nothing, so the video takes are nearly all of it.
Is the calculator price what Volta actually charges?
It uses the same live prices the app charges with, so one take in the calculator costs what the same take costs in the studio. The app also shows the exact price before every generation, and a failed generation is refunded.
Why is the season cost so much larger than one episode?
Because a vertical series has many episodes, often fifty to a hundred, and every one of them needs its own takes. Cutting takes per shot, or planning shots so fewer need regenerating, moves the season total far more than switching models does.
Does the estimate include images, voice and music?
No. It covers the video takes, which are most of the spend. Keyframes, character images, voice lines and music each have their own price, shown before they run, and are usually a small share of an episode.