FAQ
FAQ
Who Owns The Raw Footage/Photos?
- It is not unusual for some clients to ask about obtaining raw files from shoots that are undertaken by myself. The simple answer to the above is that unless stipulated through a contract or recorded agreement, the answer is usually that I retain copyright/ownership and that if asked if I will share the raw files with clients, the answer is usually a no. This might seem awkward but I will explain below:
RAW Isn't Always Better
- As with any creative service, each of us have our method for shooting and whilst it might make sense to some, there's going to be instances where clients misunderstand what they are seeing. Long story short, there is a lot that goes into making video and photos look great once they are offloaded from cameras.
Cost
- Some shoots might push the overall project size into the hundreds or thousands of gigabytes of data. Whilst it's not impossible to shift data of that size these days, it will incur a cost for being shipped via physical media storage if it cannot be shared to a client online.
My work might be ruined or/and I might lose out on future work
- It might be a little blunt but this might be the reality in some cases, it's not something I would want my name next to even if the clients intentions re genuine and innocent. This might surprise you but this is the reaction any creative will have initially after being asked about handing over raw video or photo assets. My work goes beyond simply putting a filter or such over the photos or video.
Where does this change?
- If you are interested in hiring me purely for the intention of obtaining raw footage and photos, I will consider this if a client is upfront and makes it clear from initial communications.
If you have any other questions about ownership or copyright, please reach out to me and I will happily answer them for you.