Castleforte

Castleforte is a Los Angeles-based creative studio led by Brian Castleforte, an animator and creative director with 25+ years across TV, motion graphics, and digital. The studio offers animated book covers as a standalone service alongside cinematic book trailers and social-media animations — Hollywood-grade motion work that sits at the premium end of the animated-cover market.

• Essential / AI ($400): AI-assisted animation, 5–10 second loop, MP4 + GIF delivery, platform-optimized versions, 2 revision rounds. Designed for authors who want professional motion at a controlled price.
• Deluxe ($650): Traditional motion-graphics animation (no AI), richer effects and layering, 5–10 second loop, MP4 + GIF, 2 revision rounds. The recommended tier for cover-reveal campaigns and paid ads.
• Add-on tier: Animated cover can be bundled with cinematic book trailers ($1,850–$4,800) when authors want both a 10-second loop and a 60–90 second narrative trailer.
• Best for: Authors with a marketing budget who want a named, verifiable animator rather than a faceless service. The studio's broader portfolio (TV, motion graphics) is a meaningful differentiator from book-cover-only studios that added animation as an afterthought.
• Source files: Required — animation is built on top of an existing finished cover (PSD/AI preferred).
• Limitations: Turnaround is not published on the service page; confirm timeline on the discovery call before booking around a launch date. The Essential/AI tier uses generative AI motion, which authors with a no-AI policy should avoid in favor of the Deluxe tier.