Frequently Asked Questions

Turnaround depends on your tier, see the estimated ranges at the bottom of the Pricing page. The clock starts once your intake form brief is fully submitted and locked in, not at the moment of payment.

Yes. Every custom video is created with AI tools. I generate puppet characters from your source material and animate them to lip-sync with your audio, all in the Hot Mess Dot Gov style.

These are not quick one-click videos. Getting the puppets, expressions, timing, and lip-sync right takes real time and multiple rounds of work, followed by editing everything together. That's why turnaround is measured in business days, not hours.

No. Submitting your brief is the point at which production begins, and from then on all sales are final with no free revisions. The only exception is a clear technical failure on my end (for example, a corrupted export or the wrong file delivered), see the Terms page for details. Because of this, take your time on the brief: the more specific you are about scene, timing, and who says what, the closer the first version will land to what you wanted.

Everything is built in the Hot Mess Dot Gov puppet style, custom AI puppets made from your photos and lip-synced to your audio. I don't recreate other studios' copyrighted puppet designs or characters.

Orders are currently open, there's no monthly cap. I take orders as capacity allows, and if demand ever exceeds what I can realistically deliver, I'll add a waitlist and post it here.

• Reference material for each character: photos, video, or both
• Audio for the puppets to lip-sync to, either its own clip or a video with the audio built in (uploaded or linked)
• A short scene/setting description
• A clear breakdown of which puppet says which lines (timestamps or a labeled transcript help a lot on multi-speaker orders)

Yes. On the intake form you confirm that you have the rights or necessary permission to use every photo, video, and audio clip you provide, and you take full responsibility for any copyright or likeness claims related to that material.

Yes, as long as you have their permission to use their photo and likeness. By placing the order you confirm that you have that permission.

See the full Content Guidelines section below. In short: no political content, no religious content or content that promotes/mocks/debates religion or personal beliefs, nothing explicit/hateful/illegal, no minors (anyone under 18), and nothing that could realistically cause someone real-world harm or trouble.

I reserve the right to decline any order that falls outside the content guidelines or that I'm not comfortable making.

Videos are delivered in vertical format (9:16), optimized for phones, TikTok, Reels, and Stories.

Hot Mess Dot Gov is a one-man studio, run by Jer, the founder. No employees, nothing outsourced. You work directly with me from start to finish.

I've been putting on puppet shows since childhood. The tools have changed. The puppets haven't. Over 100K people follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Trimming your source material beforehand helps me capture exactly the moments that matter most in your finished video. Here's how to trim files on the most common devices:

Trimming audio on iPhone (Voice Memos app)

1. Open the Voice Memos app
2. Tap the recording you want to trim
3. Tap the three-dot menu icon
4. Select "Edit Recording"
5. Tap the trim icon (looks like a rectangle with cropping edges) in the top right
6. Drag the yellow trim handles to select the section you want to keep
7. Tap "Trim" to keep only the selected portion, or "Delete" to remove the selected portion
8. Tap "Save" then "Done"

Trimming audio on Android

Android instructions vary slightly by device manufacturer, but here's the general process:

Samsung Voice Recorder

1. Open the Voice Recorder app
2. Tap the recording you want to trim
3. Tap the three-dot menu, then select "Edit"
4. Use the trim handles to select the portion you want to keep
5. Tap "Save" to save the trimmed version

Google Recorder (Pixel devices)

1. Open the Recorder app
2. Select your recording
3. Tap "Edit" (pencil icon)
4. Drag the trim markers to your desired start and end points
5. Tap "Save" to keep your changes

If your Android doesn't have a built-in trim feature: free apps like "Audio Editor" or "MP3 Cutter" from the Google Play Store can trim audio files easily.

Trimming video on iPhone (Photos app)

1. Open the Photos app and select your video
2. Tap "Edit" in the top right
3. Drag the yellow trim handles at the bottom to select your desired start and end points
4. Tap "Done"
5. Choose "Save Video" to overwrite the original, or "Save as New Clip" to keep both versions

Trimming video on Android

Google Photos (most Android devices)

1. Open Google Photos and select your video
2. Tap "Edit" (looks like sliders at the bottom)
3. Drag the handles at either end of the timeline to trim
4. Tap "Save Copy" to save the trimmed version

Samsung Gallery

1. Open Gallery and select your video
2. Tap the pencil "Edit" icon
3. Use the timeline trim handles to select your desired portion
4. Tap "Save"

Trimming on a computer

Free options that work on both Mac and Windows:

• Audacity for audio (audacityteam.org). Free, powerful, works on all platforms
• DaVinci Resolve for video (blackmagicdesign.com). Free professional video editor
• Online tools like Clideo.com or 123apps.com. Upload, trim in your browser, download

Mac-specific

• QuickTime Player (already installed). Open your file, choose Edit → Trim, drag the yellow handles
• iMovie (free from App Store). For more detailed video editing

Windows-specific

• Photos app (already installed). Open your video, click Edit → Trim
• Clipchamp (built into Windows 11). Basic video editing including trim

Preferred file formats

MP3, M4A, or WAV for audio. MP4 or MOV for video. If your file is in another format, most trimming apps can convert during export.

Still not sure?

If you're not sure how to trim your files or which tool to use, email hello@hotmessdotgov.com before ordering and I can help you figure out the best approach for your specific situation.