Job contract document & number of revsions?

[Frosti Pinn]

hello -

i am about to take on work for a former employer - as a contractor. they are notorious for revisions til death. prior i was fully employed - but now i am a contractor and want to divert any potential disaster! ?

so - couple of questions.

what is suggested for the number of revisions? i was thinking 1 round for model feedback (built from cad) and then  2 rounds for materials and scene dressing.

charges for number of images?

does anyone have a 'contract' word document that i use and edit to fit my needs - or can suggest a template or elsewhere?

kind regards!

[Scott Schroeder]

Generally it is best if you write your own contract so you know what is in it. I would not necessarily trust a template from the web. It doesn't have to be endless pages, just make it short and to the point but detailed enough that it protects you incase of disasters. If you are not too sure, there are plenty of reasonably priced legal services on the web that will craft a decent contract for you.

Typically the number of revisions is limited to the number of milestone check-ins, and what can be revised is specific to that milestone. For example, the first milestone is usually camera selection and the client can review the camera, the geometry, and the intended lighting of the project. Sometimes you can split the lighting out to its own milestone, but with faster deadlines these usually get combined. After this, the next step is usually the rough draft and that's where they can comment on materials and the execution of the lighting. However, they can't comment on the cameras as that's already been approved or they can't change the mood. Say if you previously agreed upon a day shot and all of a sudden they want a dusk shot. If you agreed to a dusk shot and now that the building has all of the materials if the sun location needs to shift, then that's perfectly acceptable. Lastly, it's the final draft review and this is pretty much a formal check of how well the image was executed and people placement. They will not be changing major items here.

What is equally important as the number of changes is what you expect of them at the start of the project. Make sure they know you need a mood board right off the start. Make sure you know where they at least want to views from, they won't be setting the actual cameras but they should know where they want to view to be. What is the level of the model you are expecting to get? Are all design decisions complete or will you need to either change design or import a new model halfway through the process? Make sure they know you are expecting a clear document of materials and where they are to be applied. If this is an interior project, who is selecting furniture? 

[James Vella]

I generally keep it short and sweet. This is my template I have used for years with small jobs. @Scott Schroeder  mentioned some important topics - furniture/interior design, camera sign off (this can vary depending on client, since you know them well I would probably sign off on that early), lighting etc. As a side note these days I always have my interior designer do all the furniture layout/colors and build this into the cost since it really does go a long way if you design is not your forte. 

 

Proposal

• 2x Drafts for approval
• 1x Final high resolution image per view

Terms & Conditions

• Any structural change from the original CAD plans once work has commenced is considered a variation to the quote.
• Any change after 2x drafts provided is considered a variation to the quote.
• Any change after delivery of the high resolution image is provided is considered a variation to the quote.
• The client is responsible for any and all claims, costs, expenses including attorney's fees for any copyright infringement within the received images (this includes and is not limited to copyright, patents, trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications). 

 

Feel free to add some meat to this or adjust for your client, this is just the base point for my short contracts. Also negotiation is always key, maybe they don't agree to these terms and you can adjust from here but this way you have set some solid ground rules to avoid "revisions til death".