Deposit · Video
Deposit in video: what is normal
Video deposits sit at the top of the standard 25-50% range, at or near 50%, because pre-production spend starts before the client sees any deliverable.
Typical range
Toward the upper end of the standard range, commonly around 50% at signature to cover pre-production, crew bookings, and gear holds; balance split between shoot day and final delivery.
Off-market
A deposit that does not cover the pre-production spend the freelancer will incur before the shoot. If crew and location will cost 30% of the fee, a 20% deposit is under-collateralized.
One-line fix
"A 50% deposit is due at contract signature to cover pre-production. The remaining 50% is due on delivery of the final edit."
What we see
Video is unusual among freelance disciplines because a substantial share of the total project cost is out-of-pocket for the freelancer before the client sees anything: crew day rates, location fees, equipment rentals, insurance. That structural fact makes the deposit less a courtesy and more an operational necessity.
Because of that, video deposits sit at the top of the standard 25-50% range rather than the bottom: around 50% at signature is the common pattern, with the exact figure tied to how much the freelancer will spend before the shoot. On unusually crew- or location-heavy productions the deposit is sometimes staged higher still, so the shoot day is fully funded before it happens.
Client-drafted video contracts that skip a substantial deposit almost always come from clients who do not fully understand the pre-production model. The fix is not confrontation but explanation: a one-line note about which specific costs the deposit is covering usually resolves the objection.
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