Back in the day when I was first starting out, friends asked me to produce their wedding videos. I was happy to do it. After all, I went to high school with these people. They were good friends. I didn’t worry about contracts in those days. Life was carefree and full of gumdrops, and flowery meadows, and unicorns… and then, reality hit. I was filming a wedding for a good high school friend. She was getting married in Georgia, and my biggest mistake was forgetting to account for the time difference. Georgia is one hour ahead of Birmingham. Compund that problem with the fact that the directions we received were bad and we show up just as the wedding is starting. After I delivered the final video my friend called and asked for an additional discount because she expected more professionalism. I honestly was hurt, because she and I had been great friends in high school. By the time the situation had been resolved her attitude toward me was different.
We don’t live in a perfect world where a handshake seals the deal. Long gone are the days of “A man’s word is his bond.” Today, contracts have to be air-tight so that your backside is covered. And if you are a freelancer, or the owner of a small business, it’s especially important, because there are a lot of unethical people out there who don’t care that you’re trying to make a living. They’ll try to cut you down regardless.
I’ve learned through tough experience not to move a muscle until a contract is in place - not even if you’re doing production work for “good ‘ole Uncle Bob.” Here are a few simple, but important rules.
- Clearly define ALL expectations up front. Make sure you understand what your client wants and make sure the client understands what they will be receiving. And make sure ALL decision-makers are in on the discussion. Otherwise you could be facing a LOT of changes in post-production; changes that you didn’t budget for.
- Put EVERYTHING into a contract. Give your client time to review.
- Have both parties sign the contract. Make sure you and your client initial next to important revisions.
- Get your deposit.
- Then, get to work.
Don’t ever start any job with the promise of a contract. Five years ago, when I first started Parc Entertainment, I did some work for a non-profit group. A couple of years later the CEO started hinting at the fact that they would like to re-do the video to update some important information in the script. Fast-forward to last fall and I finally sent them a contract to review. Fast forward to last Friday. The CEO emails me and asks if I could schedule an interview with a particular individual for the following day. I responded and said that I could, but unfortunately did not have a contract in hand.
Now I trust this particular client. They have been good to me and I appreciate that relationship. I also know they are serious about proceeding with the video. Some of you may have clients with whom you feel comfortable and in whom you have the utmost confidence. But you and your clients must understand that this is business. The contract with my client (which I’m still waiting on) has a very specific clause about the number of shooting days I am alotting them. I am giving them one shooting day to capture any additional interviews and/or b-roll they might need. This is because I am primarily re-editing existing footage. I simply want them to use that day wisely. I didn’t want to proceed with the interview, then have them return and ask me to shoot more footage on an additional day, when I didn’t budget for it. That’s why it’s important to have a contract in hand before proceeding, regardless of the client, regardless of the job. It may seem harsh when you’re forcing dear-ole-dad to put his John Hancock on paper, but it will help protect you and your business.
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