so this kind of came out of nowhere. did a commercial shoot for a local construction company a few weeks back, roof inspection plus some progress shots of the site, went fine, delivered everything they asked for. then last week the project manager emails asking if they can have the raw unedited footage because apparently someone in their office wants to cut together their own video for something internal.

i hadn't really thought about this before and my contract honestly doesnt say anything specific about raw files. i dont have a huge problem giving it to them but it also feels like that should've been a separate conversation before the job, not an afterthought. also the raw log footage looks awful without grading and i kind of dont want my name attached to anything that comes out of it even indirectly.

do most of you have clauses about this? how do you handle raw file requests in general, especially after the deliverables are already handed over

this is one of those things you only think about after it happens the first time lol. i added a raw footage clause to my contract after almost the exact same situation. basically it says raw files are not included in the standard deliverables and are available for an additional licensing fee, i think i charge $75-100 depending on the project. it also includes a line about how raw files are provided as-is with no representation of final quality and they cant be used for external promotion without written permission.

for your current situation id just be straight with them ? tell them you can provide the raws for a small additional fee and maybe send a quick addendum to the original agreement. most clients are fine with it, they just didnt know to ask upfront.

the branding thing is a real concern to me too actually. like if someone takes your log footage and throws some horrible LUT on it and posts it publicly thats still footage you shot. i started watermarking my exported previews which is a bit annoying but at least it reminds clients that the polished version came from me.

i dont have a super tight contract tbh, im still working on that side of things, but yeah this thread is making me want to fix that sooner than later