Some tips on working with clients from abroad

We’ve worked with international clients from Singapore, Australia, the US and the UK who hired us for productions in Indonesia and Vietnam (a total of number of 16 projects so far). Here are a few things we learned to get you started.

1. Be punctual

2. Plan your meeting accordingly.
   Pay attention to daylight saving times (DST). The clocks move back or forward twice a year for some time zones, so check the time for the particular date you’re meeting your client. A good website to check this is timeanddate.

3. Separate costs with line item
   Separate costs in three categories if possible: pre, production and post. If the client cancels at any point you can charge them according to how much progress has been made in the project.

4. Keep your receipts
   At Utomo Films, we charge our clients according to what they’ve spent on line items such as flights, transport, accommodation, meals and equipment rent. So we keep the receipts and the final invoice will reflect this. More often than not the client ends up paying less than they’re quoted and that’s totally fine. A quote is just a calculation of how much the client may spend. If they end up paying less than the quoted, the client’s happy and so are we. Win win.

5. Define the deliverables
   Be exact and list out the capture specs, the deliverable and their specs too (e.g. format, aspect ratio, resolution and duration). For example:
   • Capture Specifictions: .mov, 3:2,5952 × 3968 pixels
   • Deliverable 1: .mov, 16:9, 3840 × 2160 pixels, up to 3 minutes.

6. Don’t overpromise
   Suppose your client wants a total number of 30 photos and all the raw files. Don’t overpromise on the number of raw files. So you can say something like this: ‘The final quantity will vary depending on the production and filming conditions. No minimum number of raw files is guaranteed.’

7. Define what constitutes a consolidated round of revision
   Is it one email or something else?

8. Timely reply
   Ask your client to reply timely, say within 5 days. Tell them you’ll do the same too.

9. Define the timeline
   This depends on the type of shoot you do. For a video shoot you can do something like this:
   • Raw Interview Footage Delivered: Within ___ days after last day of filming
   • First Edit Preview: Within ___ days after receiving the client's interview selections
   • Client Feedback: Within ___ days of receiving the first edit preview
   • Revision Turnaround: Within ___ days of receiving consolidated client feedback
   • Final Delivery: Within ___ days after final approval

10. What’s the method of delivery?
    Tell your client on how you’ll deliver the files. Is it through a shared cloud drive or will you send them an actual physical drive with the files in it as well?

11. Payment
    • Define the payment terms. For example, a 50% non-refundable deposit before the work starts, 50% after the work is done and delivered to the client. Or 50-25-25: 50% non-refundable deposit before the work starts, 25% after the work is done before any edit preview is sent to the client and 25% after the work is done and delivered to the client.
    • Set the payment due date and set late fees.
    • Set the currency in the quote, e.g. IDR. If you’re working with another currency, set the exchange rate in the beginning.
    • Write down your bank account details along with your SWIFT code.

12. Source or raw files
    Be explicit in the beginning, whether you give these out or not. And whether you’ll give this to them before editing or only after post-production is finished.

13. Law
    In case of late payment or any disputes, since your client is abroad how will you pursue this? For example, if your contract specifies both the law of England and the jurisdiction of the English courts, and your client hasn't paid, you can issue a claim in the County Court (and if it's £10,000 or under, it will likely be allocated to the small claims track).