Contract template for motion designers

The classic motion design dispute is a late change to something that was already approved. The client signs off the animatic, then the voiceover is re-recorded with different timing, or legal changes a claim on screen, and every scene needs to be retimed. A contract with clear sign-off points makes that a paid change, not a favour.

The second dispute is about versions and files. Clients often assume the job includes every format they think of later, and that they can take the project files to an in-house editor for updates. Both need to be written down.

Clauses specific to motion designers

• Sign-off points. The client approves styleframes and the animatic in writing before animation starts. Changes to approved styleframes, timing or script after that point are billed as additional work.
• Versions included. The fee covers the durations, aspect ratios and language versions listed in the quote. Other versions are quoted separately.
• Voiceover and script. The client supplies the final script and approves the voiceover before animation. Re-recorded or edited voiceover that changes timing is treated as a change request.
• Project files. The designer delivers rendered video files. Project files, rigs and templates are not included unless the quote lists them.
• Third-party licences. Music, stock footage and fonts are licensed for the uses stated in the quote. Use beyond those, such as broadcast, requires new licences at the client's cost.

The clauses every freelance contract needs

• Parties. Who the agreement is between: your legal name or business, the client's legal entity, and the addresses of both.
• Scope of work. What you will deliver, in what form, and what is explicitly not included. Refer to the quote or proposal by number if it lists the details.
• Fees and payment terms. The total fee or rate, the currency, any deposit, when invoices are issued and how many days the client has to pay.
• Late payment. What happens when an invoice is late: interest or a fixed fee if you want one, and your right to pause work until the account is settled.
• Changes and revisions. How many revision rounds are included, what counts as a change of scope, and how extra work is priced and approved.
• Timeline and client delays. Key dates, and that deadlines move when the client is late with feedback, content or approvals.
• Ownership and licence. Who owns the finished work and when (usually on full payment), what the client may use it for, and what you keep, such as your tools, templates and know-how.
• Confidentiality. Both sides keep the other's non-public information private, during the project and after it.
• Cancellation. How either side can end the agreement, the notice required, and payment for work done up to that point.
• Liability. A cap on what either side can claim, often the fees paid under the agreement, and no liability for indirect losses.
• Governing law. Which country's law applies and where disputes are heard. Usually where you are based.

A plain-language sample

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and cut what doesn't apply. Shorter is fine as long as the scope, the money and the rights are clear.

Music, fonts and project files

Motion pieces lean on licensed parts: music, fonts, stock clips, plugins and sometimes bought templates. The contract should say who buys each licence, in whose name, and for which media and term. A music licence for web use does not cover a TV slot.

Say what happens to the project files. Agencies often ask for the After Effects or Cinema 4D files later to make their own edits. If the contract does not include them, the handover is separate work with its own price, and the studio is not responsible for versions it did not render.

Questions motion designers ask

Also for motion designers: invoice template and quote template. Contract templates for related trades: animators, 3D artists, video editors, graphic designers. Or browse all contract templates.