Handing over AE projects….?

[Ron Gerber]

I heard a great analogy today when a similar situation came up:
“It’s a lot like taking your car to a mechanic and after he’s done fixing it telling him you also want his tools.”

[Grinner Hester]

They are not asking for his copy of AE. They are asking him for the project they purchased. This is an opportunity, not a delemma. make em happy. And again, let them know your consultation fee. Never have I sent a client a comp without them paying to have some dude call and pick my brain. This does not cannibalize, not if you do things they can’t. Their next project will be different. They’ll call you, assuiming they have no beef with you for not sending a disc they don’t know what to do with.

[Timothy J. allen]

I agree with Grinner on this one. They may not even have nefarious motives. I once requested some animation project files from a company we subcontracted with and they handed them over with a smile.

It’s been five years now, and we’ve never even touched the files – we don’t even have the software in house to open them. I knew we didn’t have the software to open it when I asked them for the files.

Meanwhile, we’ve continued to use their services fairly often, for both revisions and other jobs.

So, you may ask, why did we even ask for the files if they were just gonig to sit in a vault? Because, as a prime contractor on a job, we had an obiligation to manage the project and make sure it was wrapped up tight and archived well when it was done. If the other business closes up and we need to go back, we already have the files. Or maybe not… they may have just given us garbled data. 😉 The world may never know.

[Mark Burnstien]

Ok Fellas another twist in the tale….

That hurdle has been crossed I didn’t give them the project files and they accepted that.

Here’s problemo number two.

At the beginning of the project I had to quote for a two minute film. The script was never two minutes despite the director saying he would get around to editing it it always read at 3.30 I was told to continue with a story board which in order to get every image to read on the time line ended up being 3.30 Alll the way along the director said I know this is the wrong way to work – but I want to put the voice to your picture.

No I have purchase order* on with a 2 minute duration.

They have made a 3.5 minute film under their orders.

Now I have to deliver so I say I want to have a written promise that they will undertake to pay for the additional work.

The director is saying well the CEO is paying for it and the budget was set at..X and I am saying well I need X plus 75% for the additional time taken to create the additional minutes. The director is saying I will get you more money ….. wait for it …. on the next project.

Using your combined wisdom and tact and considerable wit – how do I tackle this one – bearing in mind I am supposed to be delivering the finished film tomorrow.

*I am in London

[Grinner Hester]

It sounds like you know what to do. If you want to work with them again, you’ll eat this one and bid better next time. If not, you’ll add so much to the invoice that you don’t get paid at all.
Be careful. Think it through. Take a good long weekend to have fun before making your decision.

[Chadwick Chennault]

I’ll throw this out: Rarely have I been paid off “next time.”

The only times I have been paid off “next time” has been when working with people I have an established and healthy working relationship.

However, Grinner makes a good point… at this point in the game, it’s too late to do much about it. The only leverage you have is holding on to the final product until they pay what you want. This is a pretty good way to ensure that you get paid nothing. Learn and grow.