Returns explainer: 30-second avatar clip, 484.8 credits

A 30-second returns and exchanges explainer from Sume Avatar 1.0 costs 484.8 credits at plus (16.16 credits per second), 364.2 at standard (12.14), and 1,088.1 at max (36.27), without a product image. Christmas is Friday, December 25, 2026, so the weekend of December 26 and 27 is when return questions start. One clear video on the returns page answers many of them.

The script is where this goes wrong. A spokesperson who says "returns are free for 90 days" when your policy is 30 days creates a promise you have to keep. Write the script from the policy page, line by line, and keep the avatar to what is written.

Script and tier

Sume accepts 4 to 60 seconds, estimated from the script, so a 30-second explainer is a small job. The cost table uses the documented credits per second.

Request with inline captions

Inline captions burn into the final MP4, so the clip is readable with the sound off. They do not create a separate caption job. If the caption stage fails, the avatar job can still succeed with a clean video_url and captions.status=failed, so check that field. The language field auto is a setting from the Sume docs.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/avatar-1.0/talking-video \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: returns-explainer-2026-12" \
  -d '{
    "avatar_handle": "store_host",
    "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
    "quality": "plus",
    "script": "To return an item, bring it to any store with your receipt. To exchange it, ask at the counter. The full policy is on our returns page.",
    "captions": {"enabled": true, "style": "slam", "language": "auto"}
  }'

Keep it accurate

Put the number of days, the receipt rule and the refund method in the script only if your policy page says the same. Re-render when the policy changes; the old file keeps saying the old policy until you remove it.

Do not present the avatar as a staff member or a customer. A line like "I work at the returns desk" is an invented fact.

• Use 16:9 for a web page and 9:16 for social.
• Keep the script under about 30 seconds of speech so it stays in budget.
• Link the written policy next to the video.