Videography contract template
Video jobs go sideways in the edit, not on the shoot day. A client who expected three rounds of changes, a song from the radio and every clip you filmed will be unhappy with a perfectly good film. This videography contract puts the deliverables, revision rounds, music and usage in writing first. Read it below, then fill it in and send it from SignMaster.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Client
- Videographer
Videography Contract
This Videography Contract (the "Contract") is made on Contract date between Videographer business name (the "Videographer") and Client name or company (the "Client").
1. The project
The Videographer will produce the following video project: Project description. Filming takes place on Shoot dates at Shoot location, for up to Filming hours hours of filming with Camera operators camera operator(s).
2. Deliverables
- Finished video(s): Finished videos.
- Formats and aspect ratios: Formats and aspect ratios.
- First cut delivered within Days to first cut days after the last shoot day, or after the Client supplies everything listed in section 3, whichever is later.
3. What the Client provides
By Materials due date, the Client will provide the brief or script, a list of must-have shots, logos and other brand assets, and the names of people who must appear. The Client confirms it has the right to use everything it provides. The Client's contact for approvals and feedback is Contact for feedback.
4. Revisions
The fee includes Revision rounds included round(s) of revisions. A round is one consolidated list of changes sent within Feedback window in days days of receiving a cut. If no feedback arrives in that window, the cut is treated as approved. Further changes, or changes that alter the agreed concept or script, are billed at Extra edit hourly rate per hour.
5. Fee, deposit and expenses
The total fee is Total fee. A deposit of Deposit is due on signing and secures the shoot dates. The balance is due on delivery of the final video, and final files are released once it is paid. Expenses outside the fee, such as location permits, paid talent, equipment rentals or travel beyond Included travel in miles miles, are billed at cost and only after the Client approves them in writing.
6. Music and third-party material
The Videographer will use music and stock footage licensed for the Client's intended use. If the Client asks for a specific commercial song or clip, the Client is responsible for getting and paying for the licenses, and the Videographer may decline to use it until written proof of the license is provided.
7. Ownership and use
The Videographer owns the copyright in all footage and edits. Once paid in full, the Client receives a non-exclusive license to use the final videos for: Permitted use. Raw footage and project files stay with the Videographer and are not part of the deliverables unless added here: Raw footage terms. The Videographer may show the final videos in its portfolio unless the Client objects in writing.
8. Aerial footage
If the project includes drone footage, it will be flown by a pilot who holds the certificate the law requires, within the airspace rules and the location's own rules. The pilot decides whether it is safe and lawful to fly on the day. If a flight can't happen, the Videographer will offer another date or leave the aerial shots out and reduce the fee by Aerial footage credit.
9. Locations and people
The Client arranges access to the locations it chooses. For videos used to promote a business, the Client will make sure that featured people sign an appearance release, and the Videographer will bring release forms on request.
10. Cancellation and rescheduling
The Client may reschedule a shoot day once with at least Reschedule notice days days' notice. If the Client cancels the project, the deposit is kept and work already done after the deposit is billed. If the Videographer cancels and can't provide a replacement crew the Client accepts, the Client gets back everything it paid.
11. Limit of liability
If footage is lost or a shoot can't happen because of equipment failure, illness, weather or another cause outside the Videographer's reasonable control, the Videographer's total liability is limited to the amounts the Client has paid under this Contract.
12. General
This Contract is governed by the laws of the state of State. It is the entire agreement about the project and can be changed only in writing signed by both parties. Electronic signatures count as originals.
Contact details
Client phone: Client phone Email: Client email
Videographer phone: Videographer phone Email: Videographer email
I have read this Contract, including the revision limits in section 4 and the music terms in section 6.
Client
Videographer
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
What a videography contract settles
It fixes the job in three layers. First the shoot: dates, location, hours and crew. Then the edit: how long the finished video is, which formats you deliver, and how many rounds of changes are included before you bill by the hour. Then the rights: who owns the footage, where the client can publish it and whether raw clips are part of the deal. Use it for brand films, event coverage, interviews, real estate tours and social content.
What the template covers
- Project and shoot: the type of video, shoot dates, location, filming hours and number of camera operators.
- Deliverables: the finished length, the formats and aspect ratios, and the delivery window.
- Pre-production: the brief, script or shot list, and brand assets the client provides by a set date.
- Revisions: the rounds included, the feedback window, and your hourly rate after that.
- Fee, deposit and expenses: the total, a deposit on signing, the balance on delivery, and pre-approved costs like permits or travel.
- Music and third-party material: licensed music only, unless the client clears a track themselves.
- Ownership and usage: you keep the copyright and raw footage; the client gets a license for the uses you list.
- Aerial footage, cancellation and liability: who decides when the drone flies, what a cancellation costs, and a cap on your liability.
Footage, music and drones
Raw footage is the request videographers hear most after delivery. Unless the contract says otherwise, the hours of clips you shot stay yours, and many shooters sell them separately because the client then has material to cut a dozen more videos from. Say which way you work in section 7.
Music is the other trap. A commercial song in a client's video needs permission from the song's publisher and the record label, and a platform that finds it can mute or remove the video. Licensed library music avoids all of that. If you fly a drone for a paying client in the US, the FAA's Part 107 rules apply: the pilot needs a Remote Pilot Certificate and follows airspace limits, so the contract leaves the go or no-go call to the pilot.
Mistakes that turn a shoot into a dispute
- Unlimited revisions. Two rounds, with a feedback window, keeps a project from dragging into its third month.
- No deadline for the client's feedback. If comments never arrive, the cut should count as approved so you can invoice.
- Using a track the client sent you without a license. You're the one who published it.
- Leaving expenses out. Permits, talent and travel beyond a set distance should be billed at cost with the client's approval.
- Not naming the formats. A horizontal film and three vertical cuts for social are four deliverables, not one.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open it in your account
Press Use this template. The contract opens as a template with two signers already in place: the client, who signs first, and you as the videographer.
- 2
Write in the project
Fill the gray blanks with the shoot dates, the finished length, the formats, the revision rounds, the fee and the usage. For packages you sell often, like a real estate tour, save a second copy with those blanks filled in.
- 3
Send it to the client
Add the client's name and email. They fill in their contact details and the brand contact for feedback, tick that they've read the contract and sign. Turn on reminders so an approved quote doesn't sit unsigned in a marketing manager's inbox.
- 4
Add the agency or producer if there is one
When an agency books you for its client, add the agency's producer as a CC so they get the signed copy without signing. You countersign last, and everyone receives the PDF with its certificate of completion.
Sending one agreement to many clients
A real estate videographer who films listing tours for every agent in a brokerage sends the same agreement over and over, with only the agent's name, the address and the package changing. Bulk send makes one envelope per row of a spreadsheet; name a column after each gray blank, such as Shoot dates or Total fee, and each agent gets their own copy. You fill the gray blanks; the agent fills only their own contact details and signs.
Questions? Answers.
Does a videographer have to give the client raw footage?
No, not unless the contract says so. This template keeps raw footage with the videographer and lets you offer it for an extra fee in section 7.
How many revisions should a video contract include?
Two rounds is common for short brand and event videos. Whatever you choose, pair it with a feedback window and an hourly rate for changes after that.
Can I use the client's favorite song in their video?
Only with licenses from the song's publisher and its label, which are hard to get for popular tracks. Use licensed library music, or have the client clear the song in writing.
Can the client sign from their phone?
Yes. The email link opens on any phone or computer, and the client signs without creating an account. You can also copy the link and text it to them yourself.