How do you specify and handle revisions?

F

firehawk

Veteran
For corporate work (training videos, commercials, promos, etc ) how do you handle revisions?

Each of our jobs include a production order that spells out exactly what is being done, how long, delivery format, date, etc... Accompanying that is a storyboard and sometimes a screenplay that is signed off off by the client.
By the time we have met, discussed and created all those forms it is clear what the final product will look like before we start production.

That being said, clients sometimes still want to change things after the video is created and some of them try to take advantage by making a lot of changes.

What do you guys do to help limit this?
I am thinking of adding a section on the production order that states how many included revisions will be allowed before it costs extra. I'm not sure how to phrase this or what is normal.
Such as minor revisions allowed = 2. But then it needs to be spelled out what constitutes a minor revision because what a client calls a minor revision could be an extra 8 hours of work in reality.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
 
"Under Promise, Over Deliver"

I set a 2 hour revision limit that I lay out at start -- in contract and in person -- with the stated reason (summarized some of the points from memory): you have seen my portfolio & references, and are hiring me for what you see hear as represented by my work. As a client you acknowledge there is an inherit trust that exists between us, and you are hiring me not at a project rate but at an hourly rate. Acknowledge quality and artistic interpretation is subjective, etc. Make every effort to deliver online.

So, I throw in 2 hours of "revision labor" for gratis - any revisions past that are billed at standard hourly rate, because they are hiring me for more work at that point. Laying out clearly what you both expect and want in writing, with a clause like, clears up most issues.

I don't do minor or major revisions because exactly - what does that mean?

Even if you come up with a project rate, it should be a "package" rate based on an hourly rate card and estimates, so you can lay that out. Say this should take me 25-30 hours of editing or whatever the project calls for, and come up with a price range or set a hard price point and then throw in 2 hours revision and everything else at hourly.


THEN... bringing it back to under promise over deliver...

Do what you think is right based on the circumstance, the client, their complaints or requests, etc. Maybe it means just make 3.5-5 hours of changes for them at no charge. Then they will be thrilled with your generosity VS expectant of that and irritated they had to ask at all. It's all about setting lower expectations and then surprising and delighting... and, of course, having a very clear cut boundary on what's what so you can draw the line and not find yourself stuck in awkward situations with demanding and unrelenting clients.
 
Thank you, filmguy123.

2 hrs of revision labor is a great idea.
If I understand, you have wordage related to quality and artistic interpretation is subjective on your contract in addition to speaking it, right? And you specify on the contract that 2 hrs of revision labor is included so any revision after that will be at regular billed hours?
Sorry about the questions. I want to state this as concisely and clearly as I can on the contract because it's easy for someone to "forget" what was spoken and agreed.

If the contract clearly describes the deliverables and includes wordage related to artistic interpretation and also includes signed storyboards plus a 2 hr included revision labor then that should help a lot.
 
yes that is correct :)

i've never had anyone try and fight me that not granting unlimited labor is any way unfair, and if they do, you can determine then that they may not be a client you want to work with.
 
I once neglected to put a revision limit in a contract, around January 2008. Months later I was still making another revision every week or so, trying to satisfy the client. Last month I got an email from the client, who wanted to update the video and expected me to still have it available for him. It was lost many crashes ago.
 
Man. I've gotten so paranoid that I do keep everything now. . .buy cheapo $60 hard drives, a voyager hard drive adapter (USB thing that reads internal drives), archive stuff. I even have two right now, so everything is double backed up! You just never know. It sucks but what else can you do?
 
i also put a term in my contract that once the video is delivered the client is responsible for backup and future revisions may or may not be possible.

Of course, I make every effort to keep a backup - you should, as future revisions can be quick and easy income -- but with this provision, you are under no legal obligation to do so. I always make this clear to the client - once delivered, save, backup, etc. I do onsite and offsite backup, etc. but I cannot guarantee if that I will have a copy of their video once delivered.

That said, 14 years strong and never lost a video... but most videos over 2 years old I have wiped the source footage off all my HDDs save for the consolidated project file with some handles.
 
I neglected to back up my stock footage , archived on a Raid, and lost every tornado shot I ever made, which included extensive coverage of the Tuscaloosa AL EF4 tornado aftermath and also Murfreesboro TN. Just in case you don't know, if one drive in a Raid fails, you are screwed. Unless the Raid is set up for one drive to back up the other, which is ideal.
 
My "system" is much dumber than a RAID. . .I have a time machine drive, and again, the redundant "archive" on the internal drives. RAID is for fancy people. I'm a simple man. I'm the living embodiment of a Skynyrd song.
 
mainstreetprod said:
I neglected to back up my stock footage , archived on a Raid, and lost every tornado shot I ever made, which included extensive coverage of the Tuscaloosa AL EF4 tornado aftermath and also Murfreesboro TN. Just in case you don't know, if one drive in a Raid fails, you are screwed. Unless the Raid is set up for one drive to back up the other, which is ideal.
Click to expand...

Yeah, "archive" and "RAID" shouldn't really be used in the same sentence. ;) RAIDs are good for speed and/or redundancy (depending on the type of RAID) but they aren't good for backups or for archiving.
 
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