Your time is valuable. It is only fair for a client to show their financial commitment to a video project if you are going to commit your time.
Animation and in genral any kind of video production is a long process, from concept frames and design to final animation. Establish how many revisions you will allow for each step of the process. No more style changes after you have started the animation.
Often, motion graphic designers and animators get rushed to finish projects on the clients deadline. Then you have to wait 60 – 90 days to get your final payment. Now it’s time for the client to meet your deadline for final payment, on your terms.
Just as deposits help protect you from doing a lot of work and not getting paid for it, a Kill Fee serves a similar purpose, only better! By implementing this, Clients are also responsible for the work you lost when you turned other clients away.
Sometimes your work as a video specialist (whether you are an editor, a designer, a producer, or a post production artist) is dependent upon when you receive assets from the client. What if they give you all the assets a day before the agreed upon deadline? Are you going to stay up all night working because the client was late with assets? Hell no! So let them know that in your contract.
When you will buy this Video Production Contract Template you’ll instantly receive the contract in Portable Document Format (.PDF), Rich Text Format (.RTF), Open Document (.ODT), and Microsoft Word Document (.DOCX) formats, making it easy to customize the contract to your specific needs. In case you apply your skills to other areas of the visual arts, then you may find useful our contracts for freelance photographers (on this page) and for graphic designers (on this one) or you may want to give a look to all our contracts here.
The Freelance Motion Graphics Contract really makes it clear to the client that there are many steps to a finished animation. From style frames and storyboards to finished animation…this contract protects your time and makes sure you get paid during each step of the project. Thanks again!
– Mark White
Using simple English is ok
Contracts don’t have to be written in legalese for them to be legal. Leave out the flowery jargon and use simple English to build your document. Your client will understand it, you will understand it, and everyone will be happier knowing what the contract is about before signing.
Terms and Conditions
Make sure to include all of the terms of your contract. Write down what each party is responsible for, along with due dates. Include pricing, timelines, and down payments. And don’t forget to include conditions! For example, if the client does not make payment in full, the graphic designer will keep full rights to the illustration created until the bill is paid. Make sure both parties are well aware of what happens going forward.
Include Conditions for Additional Work and Drafts
Make sure that you also include how many drafts the client is entitled to. Make sure to let them know that extra revisions will cost them extra.
