9 Crucial Mistakes to Avoid for Videographers in Their Wedding Videographer Contract
Are you a wedding videographer? I’m telling you precisely what mistakes to avoid in your wedding videographer contract to cover major issues that may arise.
Capturing one of the most significant and magical moments in a couple’s life is so exciting, but if you’re anything like me, you want to ensure you have all the protections in place for misunderstandings or if anything does not go as planned. As a lawyer myself who drafts videography contracts for (wedding) videographers like you, I am giving you all the crucial mistakes to avoid in your wedding videographer contract.
You will learn about the common mistakes wedding videographer make in the wedding videographer contract, which you should avoid in your wedding videographer contract (even if you are grabbing a free wedding videography contract from Google or using other wedding contracts templates).
After learning all about the mistakes to avoid in your wedding videographer contract, you will know what to cover in your videography contract to have all the protections you need and avoid these costly mistakes!
This post is all about the crucial mistakes you must AVOID in your wedding videographer contract to protect yourself as a videographer.
Crucial Wedding Videographer Contract
Wedding videography contract
As a videographer, you are entrusted by the bride and groom with capturing one of the most significant events in their life. So, the stakes are high! Therefore, it’s crucial to have a comprehensive wedding videographer contract that protects all your rights and interests to avoid misunderstandings and prevent disputes when things don’t go as planned. Below, I will discuss some of the most common mistakes to avoid when drafting a wedding videographer contract.
1. Failing to Establish the Scope of Work
One of the most crucial mistakes that videographers (and other service providers) make is failing to establish the scope of work in the wedding videographer contract. Not having a clear scope of the services provided by you as the videographer can lead to misunderstandings between you and the couple regarding what videography services you provide to them.
As a videographer, you need to be very specific about the videography services you will provide to the couple. For example, will you provide a full-length feature, a highlight reel, or both? Will you be filming at the ceremony, reception, or both? Will you also provide drone footage or not?
Also, clearly state the editing services you provide and if any revision rounds are included in the price.
Be sure to specify all the videography, production, editing and revision services you will provide to the couple to avoid any misunderstandings down the line.
2. Not Outlining the Revision Process
Another major mistake is failing to outline the revision process in your wedding videographer contract.
You must specify how many rounds of revisions are included in the wedding videography contract and how long the couple has to provide feedback.
You should also mention any additional fees for additional edits or revisions.
3. Not Discussing Payment Terms
Another major mistake that videographers and their clients make is failing to have specific payment terms in your wedding videographer contract. Establishing payment terms in your wedding videography contract before the wedding is crucial to avoid misunderstandings.
Be sure to include payment terms such as the deposit amount, payment schedule, including when the deposit must be made, and the final payment amount. In your wedding videographer contract, you should also include the payment method your clients must use to pay you, such as cash, cheque, direct transfer or PayPal.
Specify your late payment fees in your wedding videography contract as well.
4. Not Mentioning Overtime Fees
Another mistake to avoid is not having specific provisions about overtime fees in your wedding videographer contract. Weddings can be a lot of fun and run a little longer than planned, and the couple may ask you to stay a bit longer to capture every single moment.
Therefore, you must specify how much you charge for overtime and how that fee will be calculated.
5. Not Discussing Copyright and Ownership
Another mistake that videographers make is not specifying the ownership rights of the videos. As a videographer, you are a creator, and under copyright laws, the creator is automatically the owner of the creation, which, in this case, is the video footage. The couple only becomes the owner of the video footage if the ownership rights are assigned in writing and, thus, by the wedding videography contract.
You should always include a clause about copyright and ownership in your wedding videographer contract. It’s important to specify who will own the copyright to the video footage and how the couple can use it. For example, if you remain the owner, you may want to restrict the couple from sharing the video on social media or using it for commercial purposes.
If you assign the ownership rights to the couple, you should also include usage rights for yourself on how you want to use it, like for your portfolio or marketing materials.
6. Not Including a Cancellation and Postponement Policy
Another mistake I have seen videographers make is not including a clear cancellation and postponement policy in their wedding contracts templates. Weddings can be unpredictable, and sometimes the couple may need to cancel or postpone their wedding.
You need an explicit step-by-step cancellation and postponement policy in your contract that outlines the cancellation and postponement terms and any applicable fees.
For example, your policy may require a non-refundable deposit if the couple cancels within a certain period of time prior to the wedding. And you may charge a postponement fee if the couple postpones the wedding date.
You should also specify in your wedding videographer contract how much notice you require for cancellation and what happens if you cancel before the wedding. Ensure to specify that the couple will only have the right to the deposit they paid and no other compensation if you cancel the contract for whatever reason.
7. Not Addressing Liability and Insurance
Videographers should always include a liability and insurance clause in their wedding contracts templates. This clause outlines your liability in case of personal injury, equipment failure, or other issues that may prevent you from completing the wedding videography project. This clause in your wedding videographer contract protects you in case of accidents or unexpected events.
It’s crucial to specify the couple’s responsibility for any damages to equipment or injuries that may occur during the wedding.
You should also mention your insurance type for your videography business and whether it covers any damages or injuries.
8. Failing to Mention Delivery Timelines
Another big mistake some videographers make is not including the delivery timeline in their wedding videographer contract. You can imagine the couple will be eager to see their wedding video. You must provide them with a clear (and realistic) timeline of when they can expect to receive their wedding video(s). Also, specify the format in which you will deliver the wedding video(s) to the couple.
You should also specify any applicable additional fees for rush orders or expedited delivery in your wedding videography contract.
9. Not Addressing Equipment Failure
As an experienced videographer, you know that a lot can go wrong with filming equipment. So, don’t make the major mistake of not including a clause about equipment failure in your wedding videographer contract. You need to specify what happens if your equipment fails during the wedding and how you will resolve that problem. You should mention whether you have backup filming equipment and what happens if you can’t provide the agreed-upon services due to the equipment failure.
In conclusion, as a wedding videographer, it’s vital that you have a clear and concise wedding videographer contract that specifies all the essentials mentioned in this blog post. By avoiding the above-mentioned major mistakes, you will be able to protect yourself and put your mind towards focus delivering the best possible wedding video to your clients.
Wedding contracts templates
Are you in need of a wedding videographer contract? My template includes all the crucial elements I discussed in the blog post (and more) for your wedding videography projects and other types of videography projects.
You can get your (reusable) wedding videographer contract on this page of my contract shop!
Free wedding videography contract
Suppose you don’t want to purchase a wedding videographer contract and would rather grab a free wedding videography contract from Google or use other wedding contracts templates. In that case, you can use the overview in this blog post to ensure that your template includes all the protections you need, so you will avoid the common mistakes other videographers have made with their wedding videography contracts!
This post was all about the major mistakes every wedding videographer must avoid in their wedding videographer contract.
Get your wedding videographer contract that includes all the protections you need (and more) on this page of my contract shop!
Want to know what essentials you need in your (wedding) videography contract? Read this blog post on the 7 Must-Haves for Every Videographer Contract Template.
Are you a videographer working on a freelance basis (too)? Read this blog post on the 7 Essentials Every Freelance Videographer Needs in a Freelance Videographer Contract Template.
