Billing
I bill a project about two weeks following submission of a final edit or document. If a project is ongoing, or there are multiple projects, billing will take place every two weeks unless otherwise agreed upon.
I don’t charge for new business meetings, phone calls, working on presentations and proposals, etc. if my involvement will be a reasonable portion of the proposed project.
I don’t bill for activities not specifically project-related, such as invoicing, archiving files, etc.
I generally don’t bill for minor items that take less than five minutes – phone calls, emails, etc. – unless they become a significant part of project-related activity, in which case they will be totaled and billed in quarter-hour increments.
I don’t bill for staff meetings, retreats, new business meetings, seminars, and training unless they are directly associated with a project.
Any production expenses or materials paid for by me for a project will be marked up 15% unless otherwise indicated. Travel is not marked up.
Estimates
I give estimates after I have an understanding of what my role in a project or a proposal will be and keep my billing at or under these hours if the parameters of a project don’t change. If a dollar amount rather than hour estimate is made, this will be the figure billed unless the parameters of the project change. In either case, the client will be notified if a change will result in additional costs.
Additional Services
As an added service, I keep an archive on a hard drive separate from a client’s location related documents (unless a client maintains their own server) and video files for projects at no cost to the client for at least a year after the project’s completion, but will not archive or retain these files at the request of the client. I encourage clients to retain their own backups for critical projects files.
For ongoing projects, it is my policy to send an update at the end of a week detailing the activity, number of hours and/or costs put to a project and what activity will take place in the upcoming week(s) with an estimate of hours and/or costs.
Equipment Rental
Cameras and related production equipment use will result in a rental charge to be agreed upon before the project begins. Computer equipment and installed software are not subject to rental charges unless they are operated by a client or client’s vendor.
Statement of Principles
I treat my clients fairly and honestly, and I expect that they will treat me in the same manner.
In a creative business, not all value can be determined simply by time spent and that what I bring to a project creatively also has value.
I expect that if my resume or experience is used by a client to get new or additional business, that I will subsequently be awarded business commensurate to the value it provided.
If you don’t like something, tell me. I can’t fix it or change what I do unless I get the honest feedback I need.
I am not a lawyer and while I am committed to the above business practices and my clients can expect them, they should not be considered part of a formal, legal contract unless specifically designated.
