We use both direct VEO 3 with google tools to build a little working app for video generation using first and last frame, but also FreePik AI Suite, which has access to all video generators, including VEO 3+
If we look at what we have paid for using just these video tools compared to the time cost alone of doing this without AI, its negligible.
It is expensive if you don't know what you are doing, so the KEY to this is to fine tune the start and end frames using cheap image generative AIs, like chatGPT or Nano Banana, etc.
Galaxy.ai and our personal favorite freepik.com supplies everything you need, and I'm confident (will verify) you pay less per video through freepik than you do directly using your own Veo API due to tiered pricing, where we pay the higher price for tier 1 on our google API. We have generated enough useable animated videos to justify the costs 10 fold. It would have taken us roughly $7,500 in just TIME ALONE to make what we have made so far with VEO3.
Hopefuly, it just gets better and cheaper.