As a filmmaker/story-creator (because, let’s be honest: most of us have done other aspects of storytelling besides making a film), I know you have worked so hard on many projects and when it’s time to get a pay check, it seems to be even harder than creating the project! How many times has the client said, “Can I pay you next week?” or “Really? That 30-second video took you that long?” or “Um…why does it cost so much?” Even worse: how many times have you entered into a deal without a contract (or some sort of agreement), then you finish the project and it’s time to get paid, the other party tries many tricks (“oh, did we really agree on that?” or “I don’t remember you saying it would cost that much!”) to get out of paying you! Why is it so hard to get paid for our craft??!
Now, my sister is an accountant. Once she does someone’s taxes or completes an audit, she gets paid. My flatmate is a builder. After he paints the kitchen or stabilizes the counter, he gets paid. Hell, my friend has a dog who is an actor! Even after the dog does a cameo in a café commercial, she (the dog) gets paid! Are we even lower than a dog in this animal kingdom?!
What I have come to realize is that people find it hard to pay for creativity. You know what: I am guilty of this, too. I have gone to art exhibitions – actually, I just went to one last weekend – where I saw a few paintings that cost well over £3,000! Even I said to myself, “Really? Why does this cost so much?” I truly couldn’t see how a portrait of a woman completed with a pencil could be so much money! Then my friend, who is an artist, explained it to me. Maybe this is what I need to do with my clients….
See, I am a documentary filmmaker, but – like most people who hold a camera – I do freelance projects to make ends meet. I am currently working with the NHS (National Health Service in the United Kingdom), where I film interviews with doctors and experts on various health-related topics. In addition, I work with the local council in promoting services that are available to the residents. Sometimes, they outsource me to work with non-profit organizations where the conversation about payment begins again. For some reason, they do not believe that filming for three hours and then cutting down the footage to make a one-minute piece could be so expensive! They feel like I’m extorting them! I have now “wised-up” to address their concerns as to why “I am cheating them,” as well as to lessen my headache.
Even before our initial face-to-face or virtual meeting, I send them an email with my previous work, along with a documentation of my rates AND details of past clients I have worked with in case they want to have a word with them. Then, at the meeting, they explain to me what they have in mind and I give them a rough estimate of how much it would cost. Back when I was young and naïve, I used to quote a solid price, but now, I prefer to give an estimate, because things are always changing and I don’t want to be on the wrong end of the stick. Most of the time, they need a few days to get back to me. If they are on board, then we sign a contract then and there, always saying that 50% must be paid upfront and the latter half to be given upon delivery of the product (of course, there is wiggle room with the contract based on how much funding the non-profit organization has at the moment, who has recommended me to the client, etc). And, voilà, I have now set myself up to be paid what I’m worth!
Of course, there is ALWAYS something that could arise to change the terms of the agreement, but I must say, my friend, that life has been much easier with this system in play! Now, when someone tries to weasel their way out of giving me what I’m owed, I opt to simply take out my phone and play this song. Ain’t nobody got time for that!*
*Disclaimer: In all honesty, I work within their parameters and vow never to work with them in the future!
CHARYSSE TIA HARPER
Filmmaker / Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Filmshop
Being a dual citizen of the United States and Trinidad & Tobago, Charysse Tia Harper has focused projects on her Trinidad culture: award-winning film, The Other Side of Carnival; T&T 50 in Fifteen and Panomundo Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan and Part 2: Pan Worldwide; and on her American identity: award-winning documentary, 12 Months, First Weekend February and Insurance: Putting Newark on the Map. She created Xplore the World in 2010 to further this mission.
Charysse holds BA degrees in Cinema and Journalism, an MA in Management and International Relations and MSc in International Diplomacy and Security. Under Xplore the World, she has worked with various organisations, including the American Red Cross, British Film Institute and CNC 3 (national news network of Trinidad & Tobago). This coincides with her love of experiencing new cultures and meeting new people as she has lived in Trinidad & Tobago, the United States and United Kingdom.
She recently finished her first short documentary, The Jill of the Trade (2021), a short that highlights women from around the world who work in male-dominated industries. She is in pre-production for her feature:
Las Matadoras (completion date: TBA), a documentary on three female bullfighters in Latin America. She is also the producer of an ongoing Nigerian miniseries, Not In Our Culture, which showcases unique tribal customs in the country. Charysse currently resides in London and is the Director of Public Relations and Marketing for Filmshop.
WEBSITE: http://www.xploretheworld.biz/
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