I must confess, I love a contract however, it may be because a Letter of Agreement is the form I prefer. The difference in title imparts a good natured union.

Some artists shy from the commerce side of a creative business and the paperwork that goes with it. Some may not appreciate much beyond the act of creation and find everything else a distraction. While I could live without most paperwork, I find establishing a simply written agreement releases me to focus on creative work.

Keep in mind, negotiating a contract or agreement can be a creative process in making a deal that's good for you and all involved. A Letter of Agreement should assert what you are going to do, what you need to do it, fee arrangements and when you'll deliver. A quick way to get started is to spin off from Who, What, Where, When, and How, flushing out details unique to each project.

For example, (Who) Pukashell (What) will produce a series of videos on rhythms of the sea, (Where) from the northwest coast of Victoria Island. (When) Pre-production will begin____ and the series will be delivered by _____ to Visionary Inc. Visionary Inc. agrees to pay the fee of $$$ to Pukashell with one-third or $ due before or at Pre-production start date, and one-third or $ due at completion of rough-cut. Balance of $ is due and payable upon completion and delivery.

Agreements finally should include who will own the work, in some cases for what usages and how long, before both parties sign.

Letters of Agreement I've authored keep the agreement as simple and clearly stated as possible. This may not be always be possible when dealing with entities who conditionally present their own contracts.

Become familiar by researching how other artists create contracts or agreements. A prolific artist recently told me when first aiming to establish herself, she contacted an established photographer and asked him to lend her an example of his contract. He did.

Non-profit artists' support organizations can be a good resource, some even offering low-cost legal assistance with membership.

Remember, people can dream, wish and talk about ideas all they want. A Letter of Agreement signals an activated commitment to fulfillment.

Kathryn Golden, Producer/Director is co-founder of Searchlight Films, award winning, film and video production company located in Berkeley, CA -where "ACROSS TIME AND SPACE" a feature documentary film about a three schools in three countries, two generations and a World War is in post-production.

SearchLight Films
2600 10th Street, Suite 102
Berkley, CA 94710

email: SLFilms@aol.com

Marketing & Self-Promotion

By Maria Piscopo,
author Photographer's Guide to Marketing & Self-Promotion
All work copyright Maria Piscopo
Allworth Press

mpiscopo@pobox.com

For more information, see http://www.mpiscopo.com.

a recap of articles by Maria Piscopo

Marketing News - Archive 1
Get Going with Greeting Cards
How about greeting cards? Whatever happens with the technology or commercial clients, the consumer greeting card market is growing and here to stay...

Marketing News - Archive 2
Improving Your Marketing Plan - Year 2000
Today, you have to be a business owner. Whether full or part time, all successful photography businesses need to develop self-promotion.

Marketing News - Archive 3
Selling Photography Tips and Techniques
Selling is the best and worst of your photography business. It is best because it gets you the work. It is the worst because it hurts! The good news is that to get the work without the hurt you can learn to get appointments, convince a client to give you a job, do your follow up.

Marketing News - Archive 4
Editorial Photography
This is part two of a two-part article generated from the many responses received on my "But I Just Want To Be Famous" section of my web site http://www.mpiscopo.com. To see the rest of this article, please see the May 2000 issue of Shutterbug magazine

Marketing News - Archive 5
Designing Effective Promotion Pieces
The design and production of promotional materials is your most important marketing tool next to your portfolio. First you'll need primary promotional material. These are visual pieces used for "personal selling" such as sending ahead to get an appointment or for leaving behind after showing a portfolio.