Post-Production Outsourcing & the Film Editor Contract Agreement

It’s incredibly common for any film producer to outsource many of the post-production services that are involved in the final stages of creating a film. Whether you’re outsourcing editing or other important aspects of the post-production process. Such as the addition of computer generated graphics or other designs. Before you move forward with such steps you’re going to need to fully understand your film editor contract agreement. Or other pertinent contracts that are involved. 

Key Deliverables

Anytime you’re outsourcing post-production services and plan on hiring a film editor that will take your raw footage to transform it into an entirely new production that fits the bill of your original plan for a film.

You’re going to need to make sure that all of the pertinent details are contracted just right. This means that you should have key deliverables listed in your contract. And that all of these deliverables involved in your film editor contract agreement should be carefully described. 

Unsure about any of the deliverables that are included? It is very important for you to talk with your editor to ensure that you’re both on the same page. You certainly don’t want deliverables that do not align with your key areas of importance relative to the film project.

Revisions and Overtime 

Editing a film can take a significant amount of time. You should expect your post-production outsourcing to include a timeline of editing events and goals to be completed for the duration of the post-production project.

Additionally, your film editor contract agreement should list how many revisions will be acceptable. As well as how overtime is handled. If the editor estimates 100 hours on a production and winds up spending 150 hours…How will they be compensated for their time? 

Copyright Details

Post-production outsourcing typically provides the film editor contract agreement. Which states that the work provided by the editor is done “for hire.”

This means that the work provided by the editor was paid for. And that in exchange for the payment they receive they are relinquishing their rights to copyright the work. Or to otherwise stake a claim to the protection.

Without a “work made for hire” or “work for hire” agreement between the editor and producer, there is a significant right that the editor will maintain the ownership of intellectual property. Including any edits or revisions made by the individual.

Which can make later transmission of copyright ownership to a distributor nearly impossible. Before you enter any paid agreement with a film editor, it’s vital for you to enter a work for hire agreement between the film editor so that your film work is legally considered yours in the end.

Payments for Work

Finally, once all other details for the film editor contract agreement have been established, it’s important to itemize any payment and to dictate within the agreement how payments will be made.

Payment for work may vary, but payment terms can provide a clean slate upon which the producer and the film editor can clearly communicate the unique payment terms of the contracted agreement. 

Whether paying net 30, or some other way, the time you take upfront to dictate the payment and other important terms of a film editor contract agreement will make a serious difference in how your project moves forward.

As a producer, keeping this and other pertinent contracts in order for a production is not only valuable. It’s vital!