Client from hell... can i withdraw my offering?

8salacious9

8salacious9

basically i agreed too do 2 music vids for client, i got paid half for one vid and none for other, im nearing completion of first but absolutely hate this person they have threatened me with legal matters just coz i missed a call and had more important matters.

there is no contract signed, but verbally and maybe some emails that agreed to the work in principle.

i do not want to do the second video for her, so can i cancel as she hasnt paid?
 
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Cracker Funk said:
OMG, she's an evangelist! Makes perfect sense now. In the restaurant biz, we fear evangelists, no matter the ethnicity, cuz they are consistently the worst tippers. Oh, the irony.

I don't think you need to worry about negative comments from her ruining your reputation. Her music sucks, and in my opinion, for that reason alone, you never should have agreed to work with her. The chump-change she offered to pay you is not worth the wasted time, on a video that will never catch any public interest. No matter how great you might make your video to be, if the music sucks, nobody will watch it.

For what it's worth, I think you and I are in similar shoes, as far as our current status in making music videos. For now, I'm offering music videos for free, but only AWESOME musicians need apply. I could end up being wrong, but I think this is more likely to lead to better things.

Anyway, I think you should dump her. Best of luck, whichever path you choose to take.
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I would love to dump her you have no idea, but it's not looking likely she's giving me a quarter of the money for a new lens, I only have a 50mm 1.8 lol I thought about offering vids for free so I did two ads one free and one paid, I got two responses for the paid one, even with my next client I offered to do one free he said no he wanted to pay me.

Lesson learned no evangelists! Although not all are bad in my past experience but this one is more of a satanist
 
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8salacious9 said:
I hate to slag a client off so early in my career but I'm too honest of a guy and have to say it how it is about her, but thanks for the comment, but boy the next vid of her is even worse my fingers crumble just pressing keys while editing, I'm just waiting to move on and start work with the next guy who I feel I have a great relationship with, he actually lets me talk and he even knows a bit of what he's doing.
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Been reading through this, it's interesting as it is definitely an experience which you will learn from and enlightens me to situations I could come across. I think in the future before any work is done everything needs to be written in a simple contract, including such things like "I, the director, retain the right to cancel all work with any already paid amounts refunded at short notice."
This may give some alarm bells when they read through it, but you can explain to them or have it in the contract explaining that whilst you are doing your work, in order to do it properly and to the fullest potential, you are in full control of the requirements and needs to do this efficiently.

I hope to not ever be in this situation, I like to do things my way, and as a director that is how it's supposed to be after preliminary idea swapping, so I think a looong conversation with the artist before any work if even agreed on, if it's going to be crap work at the end with something you wont even want to have your name on, then it is definitely not worth the hassle!
 
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Write a letter regarding the first project, detailing what you do and what you get paid. Confirm you got half and ask for the other half, to be put in a lawyer's escrow/trust account. That money will be paid to you when you deliver the entire first project.

Then gently tell the person that you are a little busy, and you don't think you can help him/her with the second. Be firm and be polite, and don't let him/her pressure you.
 
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8salacious9 said:
on the plus side, i now know never to work with anyone like this again, and im MORE THAN EXCITED for my next project with an artist who has let me co-direct his video and create a brilliant story line, so paul if your up for that im sure youl be interested he owns his own pub in euston too and we are filming in there and around central london, it involves a man with a gasmask and suit..
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Would love to shoot a vid with you! Sounds great! Would be happy to and if you need my 2,400w of lighting (3 redcaps), steadicam Merlin (plus tripod, fluid head lenses etc...), I would be happy to bring it all along. Have camera, will travel. And shooting a music vid in a pub sounds like my kinda location!

The vid was kinda funny. My girlfriend, her 13 year old daughter and I watched it. We couldn't stop laughing when we checked her out because she looks and sounds ridiculous. It'll probably be a hit...

PM or email me and if I'm free, I'll happily do it.
 
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gorillaonabike said:
The vid was kinda funny. My girlfriend, her 13 year old daughter and I watched it. We couldn't stop laughing when we checked her out because she looks and sounds ridiculous. It'll probably be a hit...
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Along the lines of the girl who fell face-first into the toilet, or the skate-boarder who fell off the hand-rail and gave himself a crotch-crusher....
 
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gorillaonabike said:
Even funnier... ;)

And to be fair, I can see how you've tried to do something with it but jeez, some people are just not worth the hassle!
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in a way im lucky my first customer is a nightmare, it means that in future things like this will not happen.

i hope lol, oh and when the guy has bought the costumes il let you know the shooting dates, if you can make it great, i think your lights would be 100% useful as i only have a small LED light and a table lamp... lol

the pub has some lighting but not very powerful.
 
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8salacious9 said:
basically i agreed too do 2 music vids for client, i got paid half for one vid and none for other, im nearing completion of first but absolutely hate this person they have threatened me with legal matters just coz i missed a call and had more important matters.

there is no contract signed, but verbally and maybe some emails that agreed to the work in principle.

i do not want to do the second video for her, so can i cancel as she hasnt paid?
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You never got paid! Breach of (verbal) contract right then and there. Why would you continue if she is stiffing you?
And was it an exclusive contract? You would argue no. You get to do other work as it comes along, but still work on her project with reasonable timeliness.
 
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Blade_Jones said:
You never got paid! Breach of (verbal) contract right then and there. Why would you continue if she is stiffing you?
And was it an exclusive contract? You would argue no. You get to do other work as it comes along, but still work on her project with reasonable timeliness.
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I don't accept low paying exclusive projects unless I have a vested interest in the project myself
 
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