For videographers
The edit is where video budgets go to die. Scope it before the shoot.
A video quote has more moving parts than almost any creative job: pre-production, shoot days, crew, kit hire, locations, edit, grade, sound, music licensing, captions, cut-downs for social. The client approves a number in an email, the shoot goes well, and then the third round of 'small changes' to the edit arrives with a new stakeholder attached.
ApeiroCraft gives you one proposal for all of it: the treatment that sells the idea, the cut list that defines what's delivered, the revision count, and the usage terms. You see when it's opened and re-opened, the client signs in the browser, and the accepted proposal becomes the first-stage invoice in one click.
Where video jobs lose money.
Revisions 'until you're happy'
Without a number, edit rounds become open-ended. Each one feels small to the client and costs you an afternoon in the timeline, and the final invoice is the same as if there had been two.
The cut-downs nobody quoted
The brief said 'a brand film'. Afterwards the client wants a 30-second version, three vertical edits and subtitles in two languages — each a real piece of work that was never on the budget.
Usage assumed, not licensed
Footage made for a website ends up in a paid campaign or on broadcast. Music licensed for one use is now in another. If usage wasn't written down, you have nothing to point to.
From treatment to final cut, on one record.
Treatment and budget in the same document
Write the creative approach, the shoot plan and the line-item budget as sections of one proposal, so the client approves the idea and the cost at the same time.
Know when the producer opens it
The link shows each open and re-open. A proposal opened once and left for a week reads differently from one being reopened before a client's internal meeting — and needs a different follow-up.
Signed cut list and revision count
The client signs the exact deliverables and the number of revision rounds. The signature records name, email, IP and a UTC timestamp, and the signed version can't be changed.
Stage invoices from the accepted proposal
Convert the accepted proposal to a draft invoice, set it to the pre-production stage and send with your payment link. Convert again for the shoot or delivery stage once the first has gone out.
What a video production proposal has to include.
A good treatment wins the job. These sections are what stop it from costing you money afterwards.
Cut list
If it's left vague
'A video' turns into a hero film plus cut-downs, verticals and a teaser, all expected for the same fee.
With ApeiroCraft
List every deliverable with its running time, aspect ratio and format, so the scope is a checklist.
Revision rounds
If it's left vague
Feedback arrives in five instalments from four people, each one a new round.
With ApeiroCraft
State the number of rounds, that feedback is consolidated by one contact, and the rate for extra rounds.
Shoot days, crew and kit
If it's left vague
A half-day shoot runs into overtime and there's no agreed rate for it.
With ApeiroCraft
Name shoot days, crew roles and kit hire, and how overtime or a reshoot caused by the client is charged.
Usage and music licensing
If it's left vague
Footage and tracks end up in paid media or broadcast the licence never covered.
With ApeiroCraft
Write the channels, territory and term the client can use the film for, and what the music licence covers.
Raw footage and project files
If it's left vague
The client asks for every rushes card and the edit project 'for the archive'.
With ApeiroCraft
Say whether rushes and project files are included, held for a period, or available for a fee.
- Deposit and balance invoices from one accepted proposal.
- Invoice currency set per invoice for overseas clients.
- Team notes for call sheets, location details and client feedback.
Common questions.
How do videographers usually price a project?
Common structures are a day rate for shoot days plus a separate edit fee, a fixed project price built from line items (pre-production, shoot, edit, grade, sound, licensing), or packages for repeatable work like event or wedding films. Payment is often staged — something up front, something at shoot, the balance on delivery. ApeiroCraft holds whichever structure you use in the proposal and invoices it stage by stage.
What would a corporate brand film proposal look like?
A treatment section describing the story and look; a production plan with one pre-production day, two shoot days and the crew; a cut list with a hero edit, a short version and three verticals; two revision rounds; usage for owned channels for a stated term; and a staged payment schedule. You send the link, see the marketing lead open it and then reopen it the morning of their budget meeting, and invoice the first stage the day it's signed.
When is ApeiroCraft not the right fit for a videographer?
It isn't production software: there's no call-sheet builder, crew scheduler, kit-booking system or review-and-approval tool for frame-accurate comments. It doesn't track time on the edit either. Use it for the proposal, signature, invoices and client record, alongside whatever you use for production and review.
Can I offer a short and a long version as options?
You can lay out two or three versions in the pricing section with what each includes. The client signs the proposal; if they choose a lighter option, adjust the invoice draft to match before sending it.
Is there a video production template?
Yes. The video production template includes a creative treatment, an unambiguous cut list and a usage-rights section. Choose it during setup and edit it for your kind of work.
Put the cut list in writing before the first frame.
Start from the video production template and send a tracked proposal today.
Start freeStill deciding? Talk to the founder
Keep reading
Free template
Video production proposal template
Creative treatment, cut list, shoot schedule, usage rights, and staged production payments.
Solution
Proposal tracking, explained
Timestamped opens on the proposal itself — not an email pixel, not a guess.
Guide
Why clients ghost proposals
The psychology behind the silence, and the exact five-touch follow-up cadence that breaks it.