Re: Drafting Contracts

For editing jobs that we didn't shoot, one thing we sometimes like to do to save our sanity is specify the deliverable (completed video) date based on a certain number of days after we receive the elements (such as the script, animation, raw footage etc. We also include an example such as "...if all elements are received by 5:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on May 30, the video will be delivered to the client by 5:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on June 6."

Any delays in getting those pieces results in an understood and agreed upon day-for-day slip of the final product. That puts the responsibility on them for filling any holes in the editing timeline.

There is not much worse then clients expecting you to build animation or find stock footage (for free!) to cover a hole in the timeline at the last minute because they didn't plan well enough to cover the voice overs. If nothing else, it puts the stress back on the producer to get you what you need to build a good product.