timmilgram
Active member
Hey guys! I'm not really sure if this is the right sub-forum for this but I would really appreciate some input. This might be a little long so I apologize. I've already learned a lot from this sh*t-show that you're about to read about, but my main question is what to do moving forward:
A few months ago I was one of 2 directors/dp's on a 15 minute short dance film, the shooting of which spanned across several weeks. I was hired by Jennifer Lopez's choreographer, who is a very informal guy to say the least, so my first mistake was that I didn't have a written contract out of fear that it would be too impersonal for his communication style. At the time of getting asked to do this, I thought taking on this project would be a good look for me but I also knew how much work it would be, so I sat down with him and explained that I don't do free work, but I'd be willing to split the final product across our two YouTube chnnels to help promote eachother's work as compensation; if not then I would have to be paid my going rate.
His communication with me throughout the project was always sub-par, but we got all the shooting done and for the most part I was happy with it. When he came by my house to pick up the last bit of footage from a scene I directed and did Steadicam on (using all my own equipment and a free public location), he revealed to me that the guy who is editing the project is not the high-level music video editor he told me it would be, but some friend of his who just came out of film school with little experience editing dance who's doing it for free. This was a red flag to me, and as a director I offered to volunteer my time to sit in on some of the editing sessions and give feedback. He said that would be great, shook my hand, and left my house.
That's where the communication almost completely stopped. I messaged him a week later asking to see how the editing was coming along, and he didn't reply. I messaged him again in another week and he told me he would have something to show me in a couple days. I messaged him a couple days later and he pushed it off another week. Every time I reached out to him he gave me some excuse as to why I can't be in the editing room. I contacted the editor personally and asked him what was going on, to find out that they changed the story (I wrote the treatment by the way and came up a majority of the plot) and are shooting several other scenes and the final video will actually be twice as long (30 minutes!!!). I also found out that the client directly ordered the editor to NOT let me see the edit. For whatever reason, I was creatively blocked out of a process I had already spent 50 hours on while saying no to other projects.
For weeks I couldn't get a response from the client. At this point I contacted him and made it clear that I was unhappy with my involvement in this and that I was clearly no longer part of the team, and would like to be paid for my time on the project. This turned into an arguing match at the end of which he agreed to show me the rough draft. For the next week I reached out to him almost every day and kept getting brushed off. By that weekend when I reached out to him he said that he is having a *release party screening* of the film for Jennifer Lopez that night at some mansion in Hollywood, and that I am welcome to come. Obviously I was not happy about the way I had been treated, but I figured it would be a good idea to show up to the event and see the film just to see what the hell is going on.
I know this is subjective, but the atrocious editing and color correction made RED footage look like it was shot on a T2i with a stock lens. I sat two seats away from JLO, who the film was dedicated to, embarrassed not only for myself but for the choreographer and anyone else in the room that was involved with production. To top it all off, my name was spelled wrong in the credits, which now had 2 other directors names tacked on.
After a couple days I reached out to the choreographer and explained that because he went the free route with the editor instead of hiring the person he promised, the film is not only not something I can put my name on, but is not something I would feel comfortable with the public seeing, given that my involvement in the project was already well-known. Because of this, and our original verbal agreement, I told him that I would like to come to a fair amount (well below my rate) that we can agree on as far as compensation. He was furious that I would ask for this and yelled at me on the phone telling me how bad it looks for me to ask for money on a passion project. He also revealed to me that the reason I was not allowed in the editing room (I was the director on the project...wtf) was because he was worried I would be too hands-on with the editor. After an hour long heated argument on the phone he told me he would "get back to me about this payment thing" and hung up.
Fast forward one month later: Without asking me, he is uploading the film bit by bit as individual scenes on YouTube. Last week he uploaded the first scene I directed, giving me no credit (I wouldn't want it... but it's relevant information). Today he's scheduled to upload another scene, which I directed and shot on my equipment. I contacted him yesterday explaining that although the rest of the scenes were a collaborative effort, the next scene's footage is 100% owned by me, and that if he uploads it that would be copyright infringement. As the owner of the footage, I made it clear that I do *not* give him permission to upload this scene until we come to an agreement on being compensated for my time. He laughed at the thought that I "think" that I own any of the footage and told me "good luck proving that".
This next scene will be uploaded today. In my mind, my choices are: leave it alone and take it as a lesson learned, or fight this and sue for damages caused.
Once again, sorry for the long post or any typos/grammar issues as I had a lot to say and not a lot of time to say it.
Anyone have an opinion?
Oh and if anyone wants to see how not to edit, here's the first scene for reference:
http://youtu.be/UH7g3ShuXEg
A few months ago I was one of 2 directors/dp's on a 15 minute short dance film, the shooting of which spanned across several weeks. I was hired by Jennifer Lopez's choreographer, who is a very informal guy to say the least, so my first mistake was that I didn't have a written contract out of fear that it would be too impersonal for his communication style. At the time of getting asked to do this, I thought taking on this project would be a good look for me but I also knew how much work it would be, so I sat down with him and explained that I don't do free work, but I'd be willing to split the final product across our two YouTube chnnels to help promote eachother's work as compensation; if not then I would have to be paid my going rate.
His communication with me throughout the project was always sub-par, but we got all the shooting done and for the most part I was happy with it. When he came by my house to pick up the last bit of footage from a scene I directed and did Steadicam on (using all my own equipment and a free public location), he revealed to me that the guy who is editing the project is not the high-level music video editor he told me it would be, but some friend of his who just came out of film school with little experience editing dance who's doing it for free. This was a red flag to me, and as a director I offered to volunteer my time to sit in on some of the editing sessions and give feedback. He said that would be great, shook my hand, and left my house.
That's where the communication almost completely stopped. I messaged him a week later asking to see how the editing was coming along, and he didn't reply. I messaged him again in another week and he told me he would have something to show me in a couple days. I messaged him a couple days later and he pushed it off another week. Every time I reached out to him he gave me some excuse as to why I can't be in the editing room. I contacted the editor personally and asked him what was going on, to find out that they changed the story (I wrote the treatment by the way and came up a majority of the plot) and are shooting several other scenes and the final video will actually be twice as long (30 minutes!!!). I also found out that the client directly ordered the editor to NOT let me see the edit. For whatever reason, I was creatively blocked out of a process I had already spent 50 hours on while saying no to other projects.
For weeks I couldn't get a response from the client. At this point I contacted him and made it clear that I was unhappy with my involvement in this and that I was clearly no longer part of the team, and would like to be paid for my time on the project. This turned into an arguing match at the end of which he agreed to show me the rough draft. For the next week I reached out to him almost every day and kept getting brushed off. By that weekend when I reached out to him he said that he is having a *release party screening* of the film for Jennifer Lopez that night at some mansion in Hollywood, and that I am welcome to come. Obviously I was not happy about the way I had been treated, but I figured it would be a good idea to show up to the event and see the film just to see what the hell is going on.
I know this is subjective, but the atrocious editing and color correction made RED footage look like it was shot on a T2i with a stock lens. I sat two seats away from JLO, who the film was dedicated to, embarrassed not only for myself but for the choreographer and anyone else in the room that was involved with production. To top it all off, my name was spelled wrong in the credits, which now had 2 other directors names tacked on.
After a couple days I reached out to the choreographer and explained that because he went the free route with the editor instead of hiring the person he promised, the film is not only not something I can put my name on, but is not something I would feel comfortable with the public seeing, given that my involvement in the project was already well-known. Because of this, and our original verbal agreement, I told him that I would like to come to a fair amount (well below my rate) that we can agree on as far as compensation. He was furious that I would ask for this and yelled at me on the phone telling me how bad it looks for me to ask for money on a passion project. He also revealed to me that the reason I was not allowed in the editing room (I was the director on the project...wtf) was because he was worried I would be too hands-on with the editor. After an hour long heated argument on the phone he told me he would "get back to me about this payment thing" and hung up.
Fast forward one month later: Without asking me, he is uploading the film bit by bit as individual scenes on YouTube. Last week he uploaded the first scene I directed, giving me no credit (I wouldn't want it... but it's relevant information). Today he's scheduled to upload another scene, which I directed and shot on my equipment. I contacted him yesterday explaining that although the rest of the scenes were a collaborative effort, the next scene's footage is 100% owned by me, and that if he uploads it that would be copyright infringement. As the owner of the footage, I made it clear that I do *not* give him permission to upload this scene until we come to an agreement on being compensated for my time. He laughed at the thought that I "think" that I own any of the footage and told me "good luck proving that".
This next scene will be uploaded today. In my mind, my choices are: leave it alone and take it as a lesson learned, or fight this and sue for damages caused.
Once again, sorry for the long post or any typos/grammar issues as I had a lot to say and not a lot of time to say it.
Anyone have an opinion?
Oh and if anyone wants to see how not to edit, here's the first scene for reference:
http://youtu.be/UH7g3ShuXEg
Last edited:
rogar-BigGrin(DBG):thumbsup::cheesy::2vrolijk_08:
