Re: Project over runs by 75% ... how do I charge 75% more..

If you made a mistake, it was perhaps to storyboard and plan for a three-and-a-half minute script project without raising this issue clearly with your client. I'd guess you knew at that stage that things were headed out of scope.

Your client may be genuinely strapped for extra budget, may be playing hardball, or may just want to avoid going back to his/her boss to ask for the extra.

My experience is not the same as grinner's, in that I haven't found that raising such issues, early, politely and clearly, causes any long-term relationship damage with a non-grinder(copyright Ron)client.

The question for you, I guess, is whether or not it's too late to be firm. If you based your pricing clearly at least partly on on running time (which can be fair for an animation project) and you are now asked to deliver more than quoted, then you could reasonably revisit the price.

You could try calling your client and trying to get into a negotiation - you want to help, but you're at nearly double contracted running time: what percentage of the overage can he get you this time? Or alternately, which two minutes would he like you to render and deliver? And see what response you get. It'll tell you a lot about your client.

In fairness, though, he could point out that you should have signalled this issue much earlier, at the planning stage, so that you both could adjust running time or price ahead of your doing all the animating and project setting work anyway.

But if he takes grinner's suggested view, is not at all sympathetic (he knows he's trying to get more than he's paying for), and tells you to eat it "this time", not only does it tell you what kind of client you have, but it leaves you with the question of how to respond. Either deliver and be happy, or negotiate firmly (contracted length or additional costs, causing client distress at failing to get something extra for nothing) and be happy.