Client wants my .drp?

[Glenn Sakatch]

Around here we call that our “intellectual property” Whether it be a colour session, or an edit session, there has always been a note at the bottom of the quote, stating that those files remain with my company. On the rare occasion i am asked about this, i explain, much like Sasha did…its like me going into a car dealership and asking for the blueprints and schematics to one of their vehicles. Sure i’ve bought one in the past, but i just realized i can build it myself for cheaper, so if you’ll please just hand it all over…

Typically i tell them those files are available, but at a cost above the original quote price. Usually close to paying quote price again. On 3 occasions, the request has been made, only once was the decision made to basically pay twice to acquire those files.

Now if a client tells me up front that they are going to require those files, then i can discuss it with them and adjust my quote accordingly.

Glenn

[Mike Most]

ProTools sessions are a required deliverable on many, if not most, studio level television productions. Color sessions are not, primarily because there are multiple systems being used and therefore no one “standard” project format.

Personally, I really don’t see a problem with giving a client a copy of the session. For one thing, they would need to have another system with the original footage available, and an operator savvy enough on the program to link that footage properly. They would also need to have any and all LUT’s that you might have used. If you believe in your own abilities, and they believed in you enough to have you do the job in the first place, you’re in a good position for working with them again in the future. Perhaps they want the session just to have a copy themselves in case you don’t happen to archive yours and they need to return. Perhaps it’s more sinister, as some people here seem to want to speculate on. But either way, a session file is just a session file. The work was done by a human being. If they want similar work done, they need to employ the human being again. And if they don’t, they don’t. There’s no sense in being antagonistic about it.

[Joseph Owens]

Perhaps the client is naïve enough to think that what they are getting is some kind of “secret sauce” that is going to be a magic wand they can wave over the rest of their revisions, or other projects… it just doesn’t work that way. The corrections within a grade are *always* dependent on the source material, and are usually absolutely unique to that clip. An exported project is ONLY valid for that particular timeline, that’s all there is to it. If the client wants a backup, great. Should I be keeping 10 years worth of grades on my system? Maybe, if its a great look that resulted from a creative session. That raises the question — does the original booking client, who ostensibly paid for that development, “own” that look? Or is it “mine” to sell to everybody else?

jPo

“I always pass on free advice — its never of any use to me” Oscar Wilde.