Quick Link Our Dream Studio Budget Spreadsheet
Starting a VFX studio with friends around the world isn’t just about talent—it’s about working smart. Instead of investing millions upfront, we focus on creating an efficient, collaborative environment using scalable, cloud-based resources. This approach lets us access top-tier tools and talent without the traditional overhead, empowering creativity without financial strain.
After feedback on Building our VFX Dream Studio: Part 1, one challenge stood out: raising $2 million a year for a traditional setup felt overwhelming. So I shifted focus. What if we built our dream studio for a focused three-month project instead—efficient, streamlined, and financially realistic? That question became our starting point.
To support this vision, I’ve also included a Cloud Cost Worksheet Calculator above that outlines exactly what we need to get our dream studio’s first project off the ground—making it easier to plan, budget, and build with confidence
Our_Own-VFX-Dream-Studio-3-month-project-calculator_v2.xlsx
A key element is ensuring our dream studio cloud workstations, render power, and storage are included in each project bid—just like cameras or virtual production gear. This lets us pass costs through to clients while staying competitive. A $100K compute budget becomes manageable when it’s part of the production plan from day one.
To ensure creativity isn’t stalled by tech issues, our dream studio includes around-the-clock expert IT support. This guarantees smooth workflows and quick resolutions, no matter the time zone. Like a five-star concierge, our support needs to anticipate issues before they arise—so artists can stay focused on their craft.
Traditional studios burn serious energy—millions of watts and tons of cooling. Our cloud-first approach slashes that footprint by running on modern, efficient data centers. We’re building not just for creative excellence, but for a sustainable future, where innovation and responsibility go hand-in-hand.
When a new project kicks off, our dream team is ready to roll. For this three-month VFX-AI production involving 31 specialists across various disciplines, managing IT infrastructure efficiently is key to keeping everything running smoothly across multiple time zones. With artists and technicians spread globally, we rely on cloud-based solutions to stay agile, collaborative, and on budget.
To support this project, I’ve put together a downloadable detailed spreadsheet outlining each team member’s IT requirements. In the second column, you’ll find a list of all our dream studio collaborators and their roles. Monthly costs for their virtual workstations are tracked across the timeline, giving us a clear picture of how expenses evolve during production.
You’ll also find a breakdown of cloud storage needs and costs, which scale based on project phases and data volume. We’ve included projections for render farm usage, license servers, and bandwidth—demonstrating how our infrastructure flexes dynamically with production demands.
This structure lets us tailor resources per department while maintaining predictable costs. It’s a model that maximizes efficiency without compromising performance—no overbuying, no under-delivering.
At the bottom of the spreadsheet, you’ll see the total cost of running our dream studio in the cloud, compared directly to the traditional hardware ownership model. We include everything—power, cooling, and even the environmental impact. The numbers speak for themselves: with a green cloud solution, we get world-class performance and global collaboration, minus the carbon footprint.
Behind every high-end VFX project is a team of specialists, each contributing their expertise to the final product. The team’s composition and workflow are the backbone of any successful production. Here’s a breakdown of the team roles and computing costs.
The worksheet breaks down each month of production—May, June, and July. Below, you’ll see the cloud workstation cost for each team member per month, with the total rental cost for the entire project listed in Column G.
In Column H, you’ll find the workstation configuration assigned to each team member. Finally, in Column I, we’ve included the estimated cost to purchase the same workstation or hardware outrigh
• Rows 25 to 55 detail the costs for renting our high-speed networked cloud storage, bandwidth usage, and a license server.
• Starting at Row 59, we’ve listed the additional GPU render nodes required for the project.
• In Row 71, you’ll see the power costs we avoid by going green cloud.
• And lastly, in Row 85, we’ve calculated the carbon footprint we avoid by choosing a green data center—a small step with a big environmental impact.
Final Costs
On row 83 Coulm G you can see the total 93,000 project cloud rental cost including IT staff. And finally in column I you can see the cost 1 million dollar cost that it would take us for the a physical onsite hardware and power infrastructure to start our dream studio project.
This isn’t just a dream—it’s a new reality. With the right cloud infrastructure and a trusted global network of friends and collaborators, we’re proving that it’s possible to build a next-generation VFX studio that’s efficient, secure, sustainable, and creatively empowering.
Setting up our dream studio in the cloud isn’t simply a modern upgrade—it’s a strategic leap forward. With on-demand scalability, real-time global collaboration, and high-performance computing available instantly, the cloud removes the barriers that once held artists back. There’s no need for massive upfront hardware investments, long lead times, or rigid infrastructure. Instead, we gain the freedom to scale with each project, keep budgets predictable, and deliver stunning work without compromise.
By choosing the cloud, we also embrace a more sustainable future. With energy-efficient data centers replacing traditional power-hungry setups, we dramatically cut our carbon footprint—while still meeting the demands of high-end VFX-AI production.
If you’re thinking of building your own dream team, remember: the smartest studios aren’t the ones with the biggest buildings—they’re the ones with the best strategies. Let the cloud carry the weight, and let your team do what they do best: create.
This is how we turn a vision into reality—one project at a time, one artist at a time, from anywhere in the world.
Footnote: All cloud costs referenced, based on a green data center, were provided by CenterGrid and are valid as of April 4, 2025. CenterGrid is a world leader in VFX cloud IT infrastructure.
If you’re looking to build your own dream studio, I’d be happy to help. Book a meeting with me at the link below—and let your dream begin
Eric’s Quick Meeting Link
