ScopeSnap › Templates › Video Editing
Video editing projects drift because the client's picture of "done" keeps moving. A three-minute brand film becomes a three-minute film plus six vertical cuts for social. A "quick color pass" turns into a full grade. The client sends new footage after picture lock. Round two of notes contradicts round one. Without a written scope, every one of these becomes unpaid work or an awkward conversation about money after the fact.
This page gives you a working scope of work for video editing. It lists what to put in, what to leave out, and the items clients most often assume are free. It covers how editors usually price and why you should hold a range until the open questions are answered. It ends with a worked example and a fill-in template you can copy and send with your quote.
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Scope my requestThese are the things video editing clients most often assume are included. Listing them up front is what keeps the project from growing after you've quoted.
This is the kind of request that usually lands in your inbox:
hey!! i have about 40 hours of footage from our nonprofit's 10th anniversary gala + interviews with donors. board wants a 3 min highlight video for the website, and also short clips for instagram/tiktok. we have music we used at the event but idk if we can use it. some audio from the interviews is kind of bad. can you also add captions? need the highlight by end of the month for our year-end appeal email
And this is the one-page scope ScopeSnap produced from it, unedited:
The nonprofit needs a polished 3-minute anniversary highlight video plus a small set of captioned vertical clips cut from 40 hours of gala and donor-interview footage in time for the year-end appeal.
Reviewing 40 hours of raw footage is the largest cost driver (roughly 25–35 editing hours before any cutting begins), followed by audio repair and the number of social clips.
Most editors quote one of five ways: a fixed price per deliverable, an hourly rate, a day rate for on-site or heavy sessions, a monthly retainer for ongoing content, or packages such as one long-form video plus a set number of cutdowns. The number rises with source footage volume, number of versions and aspect ratios, motion graphics, color work, tight turnaround, and how many people give notes. Quote a range until you have seen the footage, confirmed the deliverable list, and settled the revision count. A firm number before that is a guess you will be held to.
Copy this, fill in the brackets, and delete anything that doesn't apply.
PROJECT Client: [CLIENT NAME] | Editor: [YOUR NAME] | Date: [DATE] | Version: [1] Project: [PROJECT TITLE, e.g. spring product launch video] SUMMARY Edit [NUMBER] finished video(s) from client-supplied footage for [USE, e.g. website and paid social], delivered as [FORMAT] by [FINAL DELIVERY DATE]. IN SCOPE - [1] main edit, [RUNTIME, e.g. 90 seconds], [16:9], [4K], [H.264 MP4] - [3] cutdowns at [15 / 30 / 60 seconds] in [9:16 and 1:1] - Basic color correction, audio leveling, and noise cleanup on supplied footage; titles and lower thirds using client-supplied fonts and logo - Captions: [burned-in / SRT file] in [English]; [1] licensed music track from [LIBRARY / CLIENT-SUPPLIED] OUT OF SCOPE - Filming, reshoots, or sourcing additional footage, stock, or music - Motion graphics beyond simple titles, including animated logos or 2D animation - Full color grading, visual effects, compositing, voiceover recording, or translation - Additional cutdowns, aspect ratios, or platform versions not listed above; project files and media archive (available at [PRICE]) ASSUMPTIONS - Footage is delivered in one batch, organized by scene, and totals no more than [HOURS] of source material in [CODEC / RESOLUTION] - Client holds all licenses for supplied music, stock, fonts, and on-camera talent releases CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES - Deliver all footage, logo, brand colors, fonts, and script via [TRANSFER METHOD] by [DATE] - Name one approver: [NAME]; return one consolidated set of timecoded notes within [3] business days of each cut TIMELINE - Assets received: [DATE] | Rough cut: [DATE] | Fine cut: [DATE] | Final delivery: [DATE] - Late assets or late feedback push every following date by the same number of business days REVISIONS - [2] rounds included: one on rough cut, one on fine cut; a round is one consolidated set of notes - New footage, script changes, or restructuring after rough cut approval are change requests, quoted at [RATE] per hour before work starts PRICE AND PAYMENT - Total: [AMOUNT], fixed price for the scope above; quote valid for [14] days - [50]% deposit to book, balance due on final delivery, net [15]; final files released on receipt of balance ACCEPTANCE - Deliverables are accepted on written sign-off or [5] business days after final delivery with no response - Client: [NAME / SIGNATURE / DATE] | Editor: [NAME / SIGNATURE / DATE]
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Scope my requestTwo rounds is the common default: one on the rough cut and one on the fine cut. Define a round as one consolidated set of notes from one approver. State that new footage, script changes, or restructuring after the rough cut is approved count as a change request, not a revision. Put the hourly or per-round rate for extra rounds in the scope so nobody has to negotiate mid-project.
Not by default. The scope should list finished exports as the deliverables and state that project files, timelines, and the media archive are not included. If the client wants them, price them as a separate line item and be clear that fonts, plugins, and licensed music may not transfer. Many editors offer the archive at a set fee after final payment, which keeps the option open without giving away the work.
Treat it as a change request. Your scope should state that footage arrives in one batch by a set date and cap the total hours of source material. Footage that arrives later is reviewed, quoted, and added to the timeline before you touch it. If it replaces a scene that is already cut, say so in writing, because reworking a locked sequence takes longer than the client expects.
Spell out each deliverable as a line: quantity, runtime, aspect ratio, resolution, codec, and where it will be used. Add what is included in the picture, such as basic color correction, titles, captions, and one music track. Then add an acceptance line: the video is finished when the client signs off in writing or after a set number of business days with no response. That closes the door on endless small tweaks.