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Grippage Invoices


Adam Forrester

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Hello All,

 

Just wondering what is the usual wait time for invoices most people have said 30 days is when you should expect to see a check. Just wondering what's proper etiquette, at what point do I send another invoice, or do I send another, do I call the producer? Sorry if this is all stuff I should know this is just my first big job where I didn't get paid at the end of day. But I think if I continue to get more work with bigger companies this is the norm.

 

Is there an invoice template for grips and electrics?

 

Also how does one determine the rates is there a listing for different locals and roles like say an electrician in Philly. Or a grip in Atlanta.

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If you emailed them your invoice then I would just send them an email asking to confirm if they received your invoice and if they could open it ect. They should respond with some notion of when you'll be getting your money. Some companies pay weekly monthly or quarterly, if that's the case you might not get anything until March/April at the end of this quarter.

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Quarterly? Wow. I'd love to get away with doing this as a producer (just kidding!) but none of the grips that I work with would go for that. Great follow up suggestions from Rob. It bugs me anytime anyone goes over net 30, that is ridiculous unless they have made prior arrangements and have partially paid up front or in installments. I had one client go 72 days last year and I was getting pretty peeved but kept my cool and they did pay me. Inconsiderate of them. Times are tough but grips gotta eat like everyone else.

 

Dan

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I always close my invoice with "Prompt payment is always appreciated." Two weeks, fine, 30 days okay...maybe, 72 days...totally un-acceptable. If they claim it's an office/computer/etc. snafu, bull. It's their job to keep you happy so you can continue to do your job, making their project look good.

Edited by JD Hartman
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What I normally do is put it in as part of my contract. I usually do a weekly deal, based on a 12 hour day, 5 day week. I normally get paid weekly. sometimes it gets delayed a day or 2 but usually I get paid at the end of the week for the week gone by. 30 days sounds alright, but 72 is plain ridiculous. Make these terms clear before you take the job, or you may have no option but to take what you get.

 

Sanjay Sami

www.thegripworks.com

thegripworks@yahoo.com

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Make sure you ask the producer, upm, production coordinator...etc when they hire you what the expected time frame is for checks. Be polite, but get in the habit of always asking; it's a very common question. I have heard many times from the aforementioned people that I asked "good questions". I don't like not knowing.

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Sanjay, is there no union in Mumbai? Do you have to do your own deal each time out?

 

Hi Jon,

Yes there is a union, but they do not get involved in deals. They have a preset minimum wage for grips, (we call it scale), but you charge scale only as a relatively inexperienced grip. Scale in Mumbai is really low. I charge several times more than scale. This means you have to work out your deal everytime. I also do a lot of films (about 80%) that are not Indian . With each of these, the deal gets worked out slightly different.

 

Sanjay Sami

www.thegripworks.com

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  • 1 year later...

For payroll and box rental, checks should be cut weekly.

 

For equipment, on commercials/music video a NET 30 is industry standard. A "quickpay" or NET 3 is usually offered which gives a 15-20% discount on equipment only (not expendables or mileage), in return for cutting the check in 3 days. I usually offer off 20% if the check is cut by wrap and 15% for a 3 day window.

 

On features the equipment checks take a few weeks to start coming in then continue on a weekly basis. Payroll on Thursday, Equipment on Friday.

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I do a net 30, always and I put it in invoice that if you're late you'll be charged some fees. So far I've never had to charge a fee (10% per week late), but I have had clients go long on payments. Normally they'll contact me, or @30, I'll ring them up and we'll work it out. Only rarely do I have to go to small claims (one client owing 1000 for 2 years!). It is a good idea to work out payments when hired, though.

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I do a net 30, always and I put it in invoice that if you're late you'll be charged some fees. So far I've never had to charge a fee (10% per week late), but I have had clients go long on payments. Normally they'll contact me, or @30, I'll ring them up and we'll work it out. Only rarely do I have to go to small claims (one client owing 1000 for 2 years!). It is a good idea to work out payments when hired, though.

 

Wow 2 years! I have heard of people putting a lien on a project for a lot less than that.

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