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Free template

A revision policy your client can read in a minute.

“I thought changes were unlimited.”

A revision policy says how many rounds of changes are in the price, what a round is, when notes are due and what happens after the last one. Write it once, attach it to every quote, and the conversation about round four is over before it starts.

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A starting point, not legal advice. Laws differ from state to state, so have a lawyer where you work read your version once before you rely on it.

What’s in it, and why.

  • Rounds included

    The number, said plainly. Two rounds for a film and one or two for edited photos are common places to start, but the number matters less than writing it down.

  • What a round is

    One set of notes on one version. Notes that arrive in pieces over a week are still one round, and the policy asks for them together.

  • How notes are given

    On the review link, tied to the second of a film or the spot on a photo. A note that says “the bit near the end” costs a round.

  • When notes are due

    A number of days after each version arrives, and what happens when the date passes. Without a clock, a two-week job runs for two months.

  • Changes and new requests

    A change adjusts what was agreed. A new request adds to it, like another scene or another set of photos, and is quoted on its own.

  • Your mistakes are not rounds

    If something is wrong because of you, like a typo in a title or a shot missed from the list, the fix is free and doesn’t use up a round.

  • Extra rounds and approval

    What another round costs, and that approval is final. With the price written down, round four is an easy yes.

  • The short version

    One paragraph at the end, written to paste into a quote or a proposal when the whole policy is more than the job needs.

The template.

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. The Word file has the same words, ready to change.

Revision Policy

This policy explains how changes work on projects with [Studio name]. It is part of our agreement with [Client name] for [Project name].

1. Rounds included

Your project includes [number] rounds of changes [to the film / to the edited photos].

2. What a round is

A round is one set of notes on one version. We make the changes and send a new version, which starts the next round.

Please collect notes from everyone on your side and send them together. Notes that arrive separately for the same version count as one round, and we start work when the set is complete.

3. How to give notes

Leave notes on the review link, at the moment in the film or on the spot of the photo they refer to. A note that says where, and what should change, is one we can act on in a single round.

4. When notes are due

Please send notes within [number] business days of receiving each version. If we have not heard from you by then, we will check in once. If there are still no notes [number] business days after that, the version counts as approved and the schedule moves on.

5. Changes and new requests

A change adjusts what we agreed to make: timing, color, the order of shots, a word in a title. A new request adds to it: a new scene, another version, a different length, another set of photos. New requests are quoted separately and may move the delivery date.

6. Our mistakes

If something does not match what we agreed because of an error on our side, we fix it at no cost, and the fix does not count as a round.

7. Extra rounds

Rounds beyond those included are [price per round / billed at hourly rate per hour]. We will tell you the cost before starting one.

8. Approval

When you approve a version, it is final. Changes after approval are billed as extra rounds. Final files are delivered once the project is approved and paid in full.

The short version, for a quote

Includes [number] rounds of changes. A round is one set of notes on one version, sent within [number] business days. Further rounds are [price] each. Fixes for our own errors are free. Approval is final.

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A starting point, not legal advice. Laws differ from state to state, so have a lawyer where you work read your version once before you rely on it.

Rounds your client can see.

In DropYourFiles the policy and the link work the same way, so nobody keeps count by email.

  1. Each version is a round

    Upload a new version and it stacks on top of the old one, on the same link. Your client sees which round they’re looking at, and can open the earlier ones.

  2. Notes where they belong

    Your client leaves notes at the second of a film or on the spot of a photo, with no account, and they arrive in one list. Film notes go into Final Cut Pro as to-do markers.

  3. Approve ends the last round

    Approval records who approved and when, and the full-quality files are ready on the same link. The record is there if anyone asks later what was signed off.

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Questions.

How many rounds of revisions should I include?

Two is a common starting point for a film, and one or two for edited photos. Choose a number you can deliver in the time and price you quoted, and write it down.

What counts as a revision round?

One set of notes on one version. Notes sent in pieces for the same version are still one round. A new version starts the next one.

What do I say when a client asks for another round?

Say yes, with the price. A written price for extra rounds turns the conversation into a decision for your client instead of an argument.

Where does a revision policy go?

In your contract, or attached to the quote. The short version at the end of the template is one paragraph, written to paste into a quote or a proposal. The videography contract template already has a rounds clause.

Is a client’s silence the same as approval?

It can be, if you both agreed to it in writing. Section 4 says a version counts as approved when no notes arrive after a reminder. Check that a clause like that holds where you work.

Keep reading.

Send your next round on one link.

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