Most editing disputes are not about money - they are about undefined words. "Final," "revision," and "approved" mean one thing to you and another to your client, and round seven is where the difference gets priced. These eight clauses are the ones that decide who pays for that round, drawn from standard freelance-contract practice (Bonsai's and Signaturely's template guides describe the same clause set). This is business education, not legal advice - have a lawyer review any contract you will actually sign.
The eight clauses
1. Scope of work
A concrete deliverable list: "One 90-second launch video, one 15-second cutdown, captions, in 16:9 and 9:16" - counts, durations, aspect ratios. Scope is the clause every other clause leans on; undefined scope makes revision caps unenforceable in practice.
2. Revision rounds
Define the unit: one revision round = one consolidated set of client notes producing one new cut. Cap it ("two rounds included; further rounds bill at $X") and the cap becomes real. The two-to-three-round norm and its history are in the revision-rounds guide.
3. Definition of approval
Say what approval is: written sign-off on a specific named version. Modern practice makes this concrete - the approval action on a review link (who approved which version, when) is a cleaner record than an email thread. Why a link beats an attachment for exactly this reason: review link vs email attachment.
4. Payment schedule
Deposits commonly run 30-50% upfront across video-contract templates, with the balance due at approval - before delivery of masters or project files. The sequence matters: payment gates handoff, not the other way around.
5. Kill fee
What happens if the client cancels mid-project. Template vendors commonly quote kill fees of 25-50% of the project value, tiered by how far work has progressed (killed after concept: less; killed after a locked edit: more).
6. Rights and ownership transfer
Say when rights transfer - the standard is on final payment - and what transfers: final deliverables, or raw footage too (define raw explicitly; the common default is the editor retains it unless purchased). Music, stock, and typeface licenses transfer only as far as their own licenses allow - the music-licensing guide covers that trap.
7. Delivery specification reference
Formats, codecs, and versions belong in an attached spec sheet the contract references - so "the file wouldn't play in their CMS" never becomes a free extra round. The delivery checklist and the review-export format guide are ready-made references.
8. Late payment
A monthly percentage on overdue invoices (1-2% monthly is commonly cited in freelance templates) and a pause-work clause: overdue invoice, work stops. Without the pause, "late" has no teeth.
What each clause prevents
| Dispute you will eventually meet | Clause that ends it |
|---|---|
| "Can we just tweak one more thing?" (x6) | Revision rounds (clause 2) |
| "We never approved that cut." | Approval definition (clause 3) |
| "We meant two more videos." | Scope of work (clause 1) |
| "Project's cancelled - and we won't pay." | Kill fee (clause 5) |
| "Send us all the raw footage." | Rights transfer (clause 6) |
| "The format is wrong." | Delivery spec (clause 7) |
The skeleton
For small jobs, even two paragraphs helps: parties + scope + deliverable list; two revision rounds defined as one-consolidated-notes-one-cut; approval = written sign-off on a named version; 50% deposit, balance at approval; rights transfer on final payment; delivery per attached spec. Pair it with the onboarding sequence in the client-onboarding checklist, and keep the proposal-to-contract distinction straight: a proposal wins the job, the proposal template is the sales document - the contract is the one that gets enforced.
FAQ
Do I need a contract for small projects?
Yes - a one-page one. Small projects generate proportionally more disputes precisely because nobody bothered to define "final." Two paragraphs covering scope, rounds, approval, and payment prevents most of them.
Is the proposal enough if the client signs it?
Only if it contains the operative clauses. A proposal describes the work; a contract defines revision, approval, payment, and rights. Run both - the proposal sells, the contract governs.
Who owns the raw footage?
Whatever the contract says - which is why clause 6 exists. Common default: the editor retains raw footage unless the client purchases it, with final deliverables transferring on final payment.
What if a client refuses to sign anything?
Fallback practice: email confirmation of the key terms (scope, rounds, price, approval definition) plus the deposit payment, which functions as acceptance of the quoted terms. Weaker than a signature; far stronger than nothing.
How do review tools fit the approval clause?
They make clause 3 concrete: the approval action on a review link records who approved which version and when, on the version itself instead of buried in email. Write the clause generically ("written sign-off on a named version") and the tool provides the record.