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Thanks Everyone…Client has agreed on meals and revised cost. New question
Again thanks for all of your advice. You guys are the best. Here’s another request from this same first time client.
They are requesting the following be added to the contract: “Please add to deliverables a copy of all source audio, video and related files on a drive to be provided by the client”
I have no problem delivering the raw audio and video files,and including that in the contract, but I feel that including anything else such as project files, graphics, music are my property. I’d be happy to provide those for an additonal fee(with the exception of music, since I can’t transfer license). The question is how much to charge them? Or how should that be worded to them?
I’ve seen posts on the that charge 30% of the project cost for project files. Any thoughts?
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7 Replies
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Project files are your “secret sauce” and should usually be proprietary, IMO. If they are asking for the project files along with all the raw materials, that to me signals this is the first and last time they plan on working with you.
If you don’t mind giving that away, so anyone else can replicate or take over your work, without spending the initial time and effort you did, you are giving away potential future business, so you should price the project files accordingly.
If it was me, I guess I would figure the cost of a couple of day’s editing time and tack that on as the cost of giving up the project files. But I’d also write in a discount offer, that if I keep the project files proprietary, I will discount your next edit session by x number of days. It’s all about retaining the next job from the client and up-selling the follow-on services. Make it cost more to leave you, than to stay with you.
As you say about the music or any stock footage or plug-ins used: you can’t give them that – they will have to re-purchase it from the same source as you. You have no say in that matter, usually.
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[Greg Ball] “Any thoughts?”
Ditch the client, ASAP. They are cheap know-it-alls and it will be difficult (if not impossible) to get your invoice paid in full.
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Thanks Mark. I agree. Yes I told them that I’d be happy to give them the raw footage, but not any Project Files, Graphics files, music or SFX or raw voice narration.
Richard, thanks for your advice, but I whole heartedly disagree. They seem like good clients based on my 25 years of experience. It’s just a matter of educating them.
We always require a substantial deposit up front that covers all of our costs, and the final payment is always due before they receive the final video.
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[Greg Ball] “that covers all of our costs”
-20% 🙂
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Nope Richard… FWIW We settled on -5% 🙂 Happy to do it for a new client and good project.
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You’ll easily recover that when you cancel your 6-month workers comp premium after the shoot.
Well done!
And Congrats on the new client! -
Networks typically ask for this. And when they do, they only mean the camera originals, master VO, on set audio….and the other files would be any stills used in the project, or graphics designed for the project. They DO NOT mean project file, unless they specifically ask for it. I’ve delivered shows to over a dozen networks, and only one asks for the project file…MSNBC. And that’s so they can add updates to the news story, or change the edit to incorporate new information. Other places would hire us to redo the show with the update, if one occurred (Unsolved Mysteries, for example).
Ask…always ask, never assume. What they are asking for, in my opinion, is rather common. They did, after all, pay for the project.
Shane
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