7 Must-Haves for Every Videographer Contract Template

Want the best videographer contract template for your videography projects? I'm sharing the must-haves a solid contract must include to protect your business, ensure clear expectations with clients, and get paid without issues.

Turning your passion for videography into a business is exciting, but without the right protections in place, you risk disputes, unpaid work, and legal headaches.

As a lawyer myself who has created a videographer contract template for all types of videographers like you, I’m giving you all the essentials your videography contract template must include.

This blog post will help you:

• Understand the key terms every videography contract template must have, including crucial niche-specific disclaimers for any music, movie, event, commercial, real estate, or wedding videography contract template

• Ensure your rights and creativity are protected in your videography contract template doc

• Avoid common pitfalls that lead to payment issues and disputes by using a videography contract template free of fluff!

After learning all about everything you need for your videographer contract template, you’ll know exactly what to include in your contract so you can confidently take on videography projects without unnecessary risks!

This post is all about the must-haves every videography contract template must include to protect your energy, creativity, and money.

Best Videographer Contract Template

7 must-haves any simple videography contract template must include

Let’s get into the 7 must-haves for every videographer contract template!

1. Scope of Work

One of the most crucial must-haves for your videographer contract template is a comprehensive scope of work template in which you can describe exactly what you’ll do for your client.

Any simple videography contract template can refer to a brief, but you need a template in which you can give your client a crystal-clear description of what exactly is in your scope so that you’ll prevent any misunderstanding about what the client will receive.

Here’s the scope of work template that my videographer contract template includes:

• A description of the type of videography you’ll do for that specific client (e.g., event videography, commercial shoots, wedding films, documentaries)

• A reference to the brief for more specifics on the project itself and to incorporate it as part of the contract

• Specific deliverables (e.g., raw footage, edited videos, trailers)

• Location and duration of the shoot

• Maximum number of videos

• Maximum length of each video

• Format (e.g., 4K, HD, MP4, MOV)

• Editing details, such as color grading, effects, captions, or subtitles

• Maximum revision rounds and maximum number of drafts

Notice that I always state a maximum for certain items. That’s to ensure that you will not be in breach of your videography contract if a video is a bit shorter. I also set a maximum number of revisions so that you do not have to make that number of revisions to fulfill the contract.

2. What is out of scope

Just as important as a scope of work is a description of what is out of scope. The main purpose of specifying what is out of scope is to manage expectations. When clients know exactly what to expect from you and they get that from you, you’ll have happy customers.

On the flip side, if there’s no crystal-clear list of things that are out of scope, clients may assume that certain services and deliverables are included in the description of what is in your scope. That then leads to misalignment and misunderstandings, which will result in dissatisfied customers (even when they receive the exact same thing).

That is why my videographer contract template includes an out-of-scope clause which lists exactly what is not included in the scope. Here are a few examples from my out-of-scope clause:

• Using or including any existing copyrighted or trademarked material (like copyrighted music for which the client has no license)

• Copying any existing videographer’s, artist’s, or creator’s material or style (because the client chose you for your style, and you don’t want to infringe any copyrights)

• Providing text or written content not specifically described in the scope or brief (such as subtitles or captions for social media or YouTube)

• Any other services and deliverables not explicitly included in the scope or brief (This is a so-called ‘catch-all clause’ that ensures that whatever else you have not thought of as not being part of the services you provide (but are also not defined as being the services you provide) can also not be considered part of your services or deliverables.)

3. Process & timeline

Your videographer contract template must include a clear process and timeline for your videography projects.

Timelines keep projects on track and ensure you don’t face delayed payments or endless feedback cycles.

For the filming, your videographer contract template should outline the following process and timelines:

• You need to specify the date(s) and location(s) of filming.

• Specify who and what equipment or materials must be at that location(s) and who is responsible for arranging that and at what time those need to be ready (you’ll want that to be at least a few minutes before you need to start recording).

• If you’re filming at a private location, like at someone else’s property, you’ll also want to specify how many minutes prior to the recording the properties available and accessible.

• You’ll also want to specify the exact time of recording (the maximum length of the recording time should be defined in your scope).

For the creation of the videos after the recording, your videographer contract template should outline the following process and deadlines:

• You need to specify how many days after the recording the (first drafts of the) video(s) must be delivered to your client.

• Have you agreed on revision rounds? Then, specify how many days after receipt your client must provide feedback (if your client wishes to have revisions made).

• Specify the number of days after the feedback you must deliver the revised video(s).

• If multiple revision rounds are agreed upon, the contract should clarify that the aforementioned deadlines apply to subsequent revision rounds.

• Make sure you also state what the consequences are if your client misses a deadline. A videographer-friendly videographer contract template should explicitly state that if the client doesn’t provide feedback or their approval by the feedback deadline, the draft is considered approved by the client. Make sure to include that you do not provide any form of compensation for damages or otherwise if you miss a deadline to avoid disputes.

With these processes in place, your projects will flow without the client being able to hold you back, ghost you, or drag the project on forever.

4. Cancellation & postponement

What happens if your client cancels the entire project at the last minute? What if your client wants to postpone the project? What if bad weather or an emergency prevents you from filming?

Your videographer contract template should include:

• Postponement terms—that specify within how many days or hours prior to the filming date the client may postpone the scheduled filming date

• A clear cancellation policy that specifies how many days or hours prior to the filming date the client may cancel and receive a (partial) refund

• A force majeure clause that protects you from liability for events beyond your control (e.g., illness, natural disasters, accidents)

• Disclaimers that protect you in case you have to postpone the project because of equipment failure, uncooperative personnel of the client, uncooperative pets (if you’re filming animals), no-shows, or wardrobe malfunctions (if you’re filming people)

To learn more about the crucial disclaimers you need for your specific niche, find the entire list of videographer disclaimers in this blog post on the 21 Videographer Disclaimer Essentials for the Top 5 Videography Niches to Protect Videographers.

5. Copyright & usage rights

As for the intellectual property rights to your videos, you must answer two questions for each project:

• Who owns the video(s)? 

• How can you or the client use the videos?

There’s no one right answer to either of these questions. The answers depend on multiple factors, including:

• The type of project

• The client

• The compensation that you will receive

• The purpose of the video (what will it be used for?)

• What you want to do with the video

• Whether you’re okay with losing control over your work (for the price the client pays)

A proper videographer contract template should include all the ownership and license options for every situation in its intellectual property (IP) rights clause.

The IP rights should give you the options to specify:

• Who owns the copyright—will you retain ownership, or will the right be assigned to the client?

• License terms—if the client receives a license to use the video(s) (instead of ownership), the videographer contract template should give you options to specify:

  • For what purpose the video(s) may be used (e.g., for advertising, promotion, or only personal use?)

  • Where the video(s) may be published (e.g., on social media, YouTube, Netflix, etc.)

  • For how long the client may use the video(s) (one year? Forever?)

• Self-promotion rights—if the ownership rights to the video(s) are assigned to the client, then your contract should give you the license to use the video(s) on your social media and website to promote yourself!

6. Payment terms

Without clear payment terms, you risk delayed payments or never getting paid.

Your videographer contract template should include:

• The total project fee if you’re charging just one lump sum

• Royalties if you’re charging a recurring (monthly, quarterly, or annual) fee

• A payment schedule (e.g., deposit upfront, milestone payments, final payment upon delivery, advance royalty payments)

• Late payment fees—charge interest or penalties for overdue invoices

• Reimbursement for costs & expenses—who covers travel, equipment rental, or extra costs? Are the costs included in the fixed fee or paid separately? Even if the costs are included in the fixed fee, I would recommend having each expense broken down so that no disagreements may arise about the actual costs with your client. Your videographer contract template should also state what happens if you incur any additional expenses that are not part of the original agreement.

Depending on the ownership and use of the intellectual property rights stipulated in the contract, and that’s why your videographer contract template should have different pricing structures:

• If you are giving the client full ownership, then a simple fixed fee will suffice.

• If you remain the owner and are only giving your client usage rights, you may want the client to pay royalties (periodic payments).

7. Liability & indemnification

You want to ensure you get paid, but you also want to keep your hard-earned money. You need protection from potential legal claims, disputes, and financial losses. Your videographer contract template should include:

• Limitations of liability—reduce your financial risk if issues arise. Your videography contract should limit and exclude, as far as permitted under applicable law, your liability for any damages to your client. 

• Indemnification clauses—your client must hold you harmless for any damages and costs due to, for example, songs or audio used in the video (at your client's request) that infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties. Or, if persons are being filmed, an indemnity for infringements of their intellectual property rights and privacy or publicity rights.

• Disclaimer—clarify what you are not responsible or liable for (you are providing a service, not a guaranteed outcome). Your disclaimer section should also outline your client's responsibilities in case of any loss, damage, or injury caused during the project.

Check out the entire list of videographer disclaimers you need in this blog post on the 21 Videographer Disclaimer Essentials for the Top 5 Videography Niches to Protect Videographers.

The ULTIMATE videographer contract template free of fluff

If you don’t want to spend hours drafting your own contract, my videographer contract template includes everything you need, including all 7 must-haves and more—designed specifically for videographers like you.

My template is fully customisable to your specific niche. You can customise this template as a music, movie, event, commercial, real estate, or wedding videography contract template.

If you’re serious about protecting your business and getting paid without issues, then get my videographer contract template on this page of my contract shop.

More essentials for your videographer contract template doc

This blog post just outlines the most important must-haves for your videographer contract template. But there are more (niche-specific) essentials a comprehensive videographer contract template doc should include to protect your energy, time, creativity, money, and business!

Learn more about what you need in your template to fully protect yourself in these blog posts:

• 21 Videographer Disclaimer Essentials for the Top 5 Videography Niches to Protect Videographers

• 9 Crucial Mistakes to Avoid for Videographers in Their Wedding Videographer Contract

• 7 Must-Haves Photographers Must Have in a Commercial Photography Contract

This post was all about the essentials your videographer contract template must have for your videography business.

Get the videographer contract template that includes all the essentials (and more) on this page of my contract shop!