Deal Memo Template for Film Crew: One Page, Every Field
A handshake deal is a lovely thing right up until two people remember the handshake differently.
A deal memo is the fix: one page that writes down what you and the production agreed before anyone picks up a camera. This page gives you the whole template, a filled-in example so you can see what each field looks like in real life, and a few ways to get it signed without making the producer feel like they've been served papers. If you'd like the background first, our guide to deal memos for film crews covers what they are and why they matter.
The template
Every field below is something that comes up on nearly every job, and every one of them is the kind of thing that turns into an awkward conversation later if it isn't written down now. Fill in what's been agreed and leave anything that hasn't come up blank, because a blank you can see is a question you can still ask.
Deal Memo
One page. Two signatures.
- Parties
- Your name and business · the production company · your point of contact there
- Project
- The project, by name, so the memo ties to one specific job
- Role
- Videographer, 1st AD, sound mixer, editor: the role sets the expectations
- Dates
- Shoot days, plus prep, scout and travel days if they're part of the deal
- Rate and day length
- $_____ per ___-hour day
- Overtime
- When it starts and how it's calculated
- Kit
- Included in the rate, or billed separately at $_____ per day
- Rentals
- Who books anything you don't own, and how it gets billed
- Reimbursable expenses
- What's covered, and whether it needs receipts or pre-approval
- Payment terms
- Deposit, if any · balance due ___ days after what starts the clock
- Cancellation
- What happens if the date moves or the job cancels inside 24 or 48 hours
- Signatures
- Both sides, with the date
The same memo, filled in
Here's what that looks like for a made-up job, so you can see the level of detail that works. Everything in it is fictional, and you're welcome to borrow the shape of it.
Deal Memo: Spring Campaign
John Smith (Gaffer) and Doe & Co. Productions, Attn: Jane Doe, Los Angeles
- Parties
- John Smith, Gaffer, and Doe & Co. Productions. Point of contact: Jane Doe.
- Project
- Spring Campaign, one 30-second spot.
- Role
- Gaffer.
- Dates
- One prep day and two shoot days, dates to be confirmed in writing.
- Rate and day length
- $900 per 10-hour day.
- Overtime
- Time and a half after the 10th hour, billed as its own line.
- Kit
- Lighting package billed separately at $350 per day.
- Rentals
- A generator and any lights not in the package are booked by the production directly.
- Reimbursable expenses
- Parking and meals on shoot days, with receipts.
- Payment terms
- 50 percent deposit before the first shoot day. Balance due Net 30 from the date the invoice is received.
- Cancellation
- If the date moves or the job cancels inside 48 hours, one day's rate is due.
- Signatures
- John Smith and Jane Doe, each dated.
A few of those lines deserve a second look. The rate names the length of the day it buys, because a rate without one answers only half the question. The cancellation line exists because there's no automatic entitlement when a shoot dies late: a kill fee only exists if the memo says so. And the payment line names what starts the clock, which is the difference between a due date you can point to and a vibe. Our guide to Net 30 goes deeper on that one.
One page, on purpose
The whole point of a deal memo is that people actually read it, and nobody has ever signed a twelve-page document faster. Contracts earn their length on larger engagements, where things like ownership of the work, exclusivity, insurance requirements and termination come into play. For a day player or a short booking, one page that covers money, time and dates does the job. If yours is running long, you've probably written a contract, and that's fine, but it won't get signed by Friday.
Getting it signed without making it weird
The awkward part isn't the paperwork, it's the ask, and the trick is to treat it as routine. Send it as your standard memo with everything you already discussed, and make it two minutes of someone's time. A client who happily agrees to terms on a call and then balks at writing them down is telling you something useful about how the invoice conversation will go.
This is where Production Ledger takes most of the effort out of it. You can upload and send a deal memo in Production Ledger, the person signing does it from any phone with no account on their end, and when several people need to sign, it routes to them in order and records where each one stands. Every signed copy carries a tamper-evident certificate, so the record holds up as the thing you can point to. The features page shows how that works, and the deal memo guide has a tool that turns your answers to the eight key questions into a summary you can use.
The best part comes later. A deal memo's fields are the same information your invoice needs, so the numbers you agreed on are already there when it's time to bill. The invoice is just the memo plus what actually happened, and the invoice builder takes the same fields, so nothing gets retyped from memory.
Deal memo template questions, answered
How long should a deal memo be?
One page is the goal. A deal memo is deliberately short, covering money, time and dates, so that people read it and sign it. Longer contracts make sense on bigger engagements.
What's the difference between a deal memo and a contract?
A deal memo is the short version: the business terms of one job on roughly one page. A contract adds the heavier material, such as ownership of the work, exclusivity, insurance requirements and termination, and is usually worth the length on larger engagements.
Does a deal memo have to be signed?
Unsigned, it's a note. Signed, it's the record of what both sides agreed. What that record is worth if there's a dispute depends on what it says and the law where you are, but a signed page is a much easier thing to point to than anyone's memory.
Is it awkward to ask a producer for one?
Only if you make it a confrontation. Send it as your standard memo with everything you already discussed, and keep it to two minutes of their time.
Do I need a kill fee in my deal memo?
A kill fee only exists if the memo says so. If you want one, write down what happens when the date moves or the job cancels late, and how much is owed. If it's not on the page, there's nothing to point to.
Send it, sign it, then invoice from it
Upload your deal memo in a few minutes, get it signed from any phone, and bill from the same numbers when the job wraps, and handshakes are still welcome as a supplement.
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