Hello,
I replied to your 2D artist thread yesterday about the Saint-King and Death-side concepts, so you may have seen my work already. This one is closer to what I actually specialise in.
Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/bjornvillain
Discord: eruyuen
I do hand-drawn frame-by-frame cel animation, and a medieval dark fantasy with a heavy metal soundtrack is the register I already draw in.
Workflow: Clip Studio Paint for animation and illustration, Blender for background and camera setup when a scene needs it. I deliver as MP4 plus every frame as a separate PNG, or in whatever format your pipeline needs.
On the test pieces. A 10 to 20 second cinematic is closer to a finished deliverable than a test, and it is a large commitment for both of us before we know the collaboration works. I would suggest something smaller first: a 3 second animated beat from the cinematic, one of the two characters, for $200. That shows you my timing, weight, line quality and whether the style matches what you want, without either of us gambling forty hours on it.
If that works, my rate for the full sequences is $40/hr, and I would scope and quote each one properly before starting.
One thing I would need to know for the cinematic. How much of those 10 to 20 seconds is full animation versus holds, partial animation, and camera movement? A fully animated 15 second sequence and a limited-animation one of the same length are very different amounts of work, and I do not want to quote you a number based on the wrong assumption.
I should also be straightforward about the combat sequence. My animation experience is cinematic and character work rather than game combat with hit timing and impact frames. I can do it, but it would be my first, and you should know that before deciding.
Available to start this week.
— Bjørn