Terms and conditions for a video production company

A video production is a shoot day that costs the same whether or not it goes ahead, contributors who need to have agreed to appear, music that needs a licence, and an edit the client wants to keep changing. The terms have to deal with each, and with the question clients often ask: whether they can have all the footage. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Video production companies, corporate film makers and content studios in England and Wales producing brand films, corporate videos, event coverage and social content for business clients. These are business-to-business terms.

What matters in video production terms

Pre-production, the treatment and approvals

The terms should provide for an approved treatment, script or storyboard before the shoot, say that changes after approval are charged, and set out what the client must supply and by when: locations, people, products, brand assets. Approval at each stage is what stops the edit becoming a second film.

Shoot days, weather and cancellation

Crew, kit and locations are booked and paid for whether or not the shoot happens. The terms should say that shoot days cancelled or moved by the client inside a stated notice period are charged in full or at a stated rate, that weather and other events outside the production company's control may require a rescheduled day at cost, and that overruns beyond the booked day are charged at the day rate. Business customers pay on invoice with interest on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

People, places and permissions

Everyone who appears on camera must have agreed to it and to how the film will be used. The terms should say that the client obtains releases from its own staff and customers and permissions for its own locations, that the production company obtains releases from talent and locations it sources, and that filming members of the public is done in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with any aerial footage flown under the Air Navigation Order 2016 by an operator registered with the Civil Aviation Authority. A film that cannot be used because a contributor withdrew is the responsibility of whoever should have got the release.

Music, stock, revisions and delivery

Music, stock footage and graphics are licensed on their owners' terms, and performers in the film have their own rights under Part II of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and the terms should say what licences are included, for what use and territory, and that use beyond them needs a further licence at the client's cost. The edit should include a stated number of revision rounds with further rounds charged, delivered in agreed formats, and the terms should say when the film is deemed accepted.

Ownership, raw footage and usage

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the production company owns the footage and the film unless it assigns them. The terms should say that the client receives a licence or an assignment of the finished film on payment in full, for stated uses, and that raw footage, project files and out-takes remain the production company's unless a separate fee is agreed. Liability should be capped at a figure matching the company's insurance, with consequential loss excluded, tested for reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The client cancelled the shoot the night before. Can we charge the day?

If the terms set a notice period inside which cancelled shoot days are charged in full, you can, because the crew and kit were committed. State the notice period in the booking confirmation.

The client wants all the raw footage. Do they get it?

Only if the terms say so or a fee is agreed. The usual position is that the client receives the finished film for the stated uses and the raw footage stays with the production company, which owns it.

A member of staff in the film has left the client and objects to it being used. Who deals with that?

The client, if the terms make it responsible for releases from its own people. Without a release the client's use of the film is the client's risk.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for an animation studio
• Terms and conditions for a commercial photographer

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.