Hi everyone. After searching the boards I can see that some people have done projects for deferred pay. I am trying to write a contract under which I'll edit a documentary project for payment later if the film makes money. I am aware of the risks but have decided to do it anyway. Both the director and I would like something in writing to help preserve our relationship. I have a normal freelance sample contract to base it on, but I'm struggling a bit with the wording about the compensation aspect. Does anyone have a sample they could post or send to me?

http://zadie.com/zadie/downloads/forms/Deferred-Payment.doc

Genius! Thank you!

http://zadie.com/zadie/downloads/forms/Deferred-Payment.doc

i think that link is dead. well i tried searching for this and had no luck. i'm in the middle of pre-production on a project and i mentioned to the producer that we need to setup a "deferred payment contract" since she won't be paying me or my crew. she said she'll speak to her lawyer and get back to me. well, we shoot next sunday and i wanna make sure my crew and myself get paid if this project makes a profit. so, the question is: does anyone know of a general deferred payment contract? should i have googled it before posting or does one even exist? also, let me know about your deferred payment jobs and how that worked out for you and your crew.

thanks,
Mike

I downloaded this from the other link which now appears to be missing so I'm going to mirror it here:

http://www.jillwoodward.com/resources/Deferred_Payment.doc

full disclosure, I'm not the original author, etc etc

i'm in the middle of pre-production on a project and i mentioned to the producer that we need to setup a "deferred payment contract" since she won't be paying me or my crew. she said she'll speak to her lawyer and get back to me. well, we shoot next sunday and i wanna make sure my crew and myself get paid if this project makes a profit. so, the question is: does anyone know of a general deferred payment contract?

It's usually best to regard deferred payment work as you're not going to get paid, but if you do it's a nice surprise that you actually received payment for the work.

Apparently their new link.
http://imaginarydigital.com/downloads/forms/Deferred-Payment.doc

The problem with deferred pay is that they can drive up the reported expenses to make the project appear that it hasn't profited. It also may be difficult to prove the receipts in many cases.