Return-Path: Received: from smtp.hosts.co.uk ([85.233.160.19] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2.10) with ESMTP-TLS id 4753645 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:05:07 +0200 Received: from [213.246.126.59] (helo=Magnetar) by smtp.hosts.co.uk with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Shi3I-0008CQ-Sl for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:08:05 +0100 From: "Mike Abbott" To: "'After Effects Mail List'" References: In-Reply-To: Subject: RE: [AE] contracts, slightly OT Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:08:04 +0100 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook 11 Thread-Index: Ac1PscU0+JQko/EWTomoKIChPWd1dQAAaPJA X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.1.7601.17609 Henry birdseye wrote: After reading the absolutely horrifying stories on The World's Longest Invoice (http://worldslongestinvoice.tumblr.com/), I'm highly motivated to require a contract with new customers. How many of you are using contracts and do you have an example of one that pertains directly to motion graphic work? ---------------------------------------- Freelance designer, motion graphics artist, illustrator or whatever - more than half the job is being a businessman/woman. We all get the occasional client from hell, but planning for that, and taking robust action when needed, is part of the deal. I've got great sympathy for those posting on the site that have been ripped off, but when I read through some of those cases I've really got to wonder why they couldn't see the train of disaster heading down the track towards them... In my experience: act like a professional business person and your more likely to deal with a professional business client. Act like a freelancer who doesn't know one end of a contract from another and you're asking to be ripped off. Mike A.