Non-compete · Video
Non-compete in video: what is normal
Freelance videographers should decline broad non-competes; confidentiality plus a narrow named-competitor bar is the healthy scope.
Typical range
No general non-compete. Confidentiality over the client's materials, and at most a narrow, short restriction on producing for a named direct competitor, ideally tied to a retainer.
Off-market
A clause barring the freelancer from shooting for any brand in the client's category for a year after a one-off project, uncompensated.
One-line fix
"Freelancer will keep Client's materials confidential and is otherwise free to work with other clients. Any competitor restriction names [specific companies] and lasts [3 months], reflected in the rate."
What we see
A videographer's business depends on shooting for many clients, frequently within the same industry, because that is where their reel and relationships are. A broad post-project non-compete asks them to give that up for a single fee, which rarely makes sense and is often unenforceable against an independent contractor.
As in the other disciplines, the client's legitimate concern is usually confidentiality (unreleased footage, product plans, campaign timing), not competition. An NDA covering those specifics protects the client without freezing the freelancer out of their own market.
If a genuine competitor sensitivity exists, especially in an ongoing brand relationship, the healthy version is narrow, short, named, and paid, typically living inside a retainer rather than a one-off contract. The clause to refuse is the broad category-wide, long-duration, unpaid non-compete attached to a single production.
Paste your actual contract into our free scanner and see exactly how its non-compete compares.
Check a contract freeNo signup. Results in under 15 seconds.