Video Editor Contract: What Freelance Editors Should Include

Freelance video editors face problems that a generic service contract does not cover well: footage that arrives late or incomplete, feedback from five different people, a "quick change" that means re-rendering a 20-minute piece, and clients who assume the project file comes with the export. A short contract that addresses these points saves a lot of frustrating back-and-forth.

This guide covers per-project edits and ongoing editing work, such as YouTube channels or social content. For full production (shooting as well as editing), see the videography contract guide.

Write the deliverable the way you would describe it on a job sheet:

• Length and number of videos: "one 8-10 minute YouTube video plus three vertical clips of up to 60 seconds".
• What's included: cutting, colour correction, basic audio clean-up, captions, simple titles.
• What's not: motion graphics beyond templates, voiceover recording, stock footage purchases, thumbnails.
• Export formats and resolution: e.g. MP4, 4K and 1080p.

The deliverables clause and scope of work clause give you the structure.

Your turnaround depends on receiving usable footage. State:

• How footage is delivered (shared drive link, transfer service) and by when.
• That the delivery deadline starts when all footage and notes are received.
• What happens if footage is missing, corrupted or much longer than agreed (e.g. extra fees above 2 hours of raw footage per finished minute).

A client delays clause moves the deadline automatically when the client is late.

Video revisions are expensive because each round can mean re-exporting and re-uploading. A common setup:

• Two rounds of revisions included, with consolidated, timestamped feedback per round.
• Changes to the brief or structure after the first cut are quoted separately.
• Extra rounds charged per round or per hour.

See the revisions clause. A rush fee clause covers turnarounds shorter than your standard.

• Music and stock licensing: say who buys licences and in whose name. If you use your own subscription library, check whether its licence can cover the client's use at all. The third-party assets clause handles this.
• Project files: say whether the editing project file and media are included or available for a fee. Many editors deliver exports only by default. See the source files clause.
• Storage: how long you keep the footage after delivery (e.g. 30 days) before deleting it.

For channels with regular uploads, a monthly retainer (for example, four long-form videos a month, billed in advance) is simpler than invoicing each video. The video editing retainer template is built for that; for one-off projects use the videography template and adapt the scope.

Footage and turnaround:
"The delivery date for the first cut is 7 business days after Editor receives all footage, music selections and written notes. If footage exceeds 2 hours of raw material per finished minute, Editor will quote the additional editing time before proceeding."

Revisions:
"The fee includes two rounds of revisions. Each round consists of one consolidated list of timestamped changes from Client. Changes to the structure or script after approval of the first cut, and additional rounds, are billed at $[RATE] per hour."

Project files:
"Editor delivers the final exported files listed in the Scope. Project files and media are not included and may be provided for an additional fee. Editor will retain project media for 30 days after final delivery, after which it may be deleted."

A coaching business wants one 10-minute YouTube video a week plus three short clips from each. The editor sets up:

• A monthly fee for four long videos and twelve clips, invoiced on the 1st.
• Footage uploaded to a shared folder by Monday for delivery the following Monday.
• Two revision rounds per video, feedback as timestamped comments.
• Extra videos quoted per piece, and next-day turnaround charged at the rush rate.

When footage arrives on a Thursday, the delivery date moves to the following Thursday, and nobody argues because it's in the agreement.

• Starting the clock on partial footage. The deadline should begin once everything has arrived.
• Accepting feedback from everyone. Ask for one person to send one list per round.
• Using music from your personal subscription without checking whether it covers the client's use.
• Keeping footage indefinitely. Storage costs you money and holding client footage carries some responsibility. Set a retention period.
• No cap on raw footage. Six hours of rushes for a 3-minute video is a different job from one hour.

Draft it now with Clinch: describe the job in a sentence, get a clean draft, send one link. Your client signs from their phone without an account, and the deposit is paid in the same step.