2009Legal / Business Practices forum
Protecting steadicam operator business through contracts and advance commitment before personal financial investment
17 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- A verbal job offer without a written deal memo leaves room for production to continue shopping the position and renegotiating terms even after the operator has accepted.
- Operators should obtain written agreements before making personal financial commitments like purchasing travel tickets, rather than assuming reimbursement will follow.
- Treating steadicam operation as a business rather than just a service requires attention to contracts, negotiations, and formal business practices to protect against being undercut.
- When production requests performance at a lower rate after initial agreement, the operator can choose to decline rather than compromise their standard fees.
- Contacting the director of photography directly or asking production to identify competing operators may help operators coordinate to prevent undercutting.
Depends on
- The specific context involved a local hire in the operator's home city where production may not typically cover travel costs.
- One participant noted that contracts and deal memos have limited enforceability in some international locations.
- The thread does not resolve whether contacting competing operators is an effective long-term strategy.