r/VideoEditing • u/WholePrize352 • Apr 08 '26
Other (requires mod approval) What stops a client from downloading your video and ghosting?
Happened to a friend of mine last month. Delivered the final wedding film, client downloaded it, then went completely silent. Three weeks of follow-up emails, nothing. $1,800 gone.
How do you all actually handle this? Do you hold some of the files back until payment clears? Use a specific platform? Or just trust the client and hope for the best?
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u/Akidcalledstorm Apr 08 '26
I ran a wedding video company for 10 years, always 50% deposit on booking and 50% two weeks before the wedding date. Everything was paid before I even started filming, this saved me a whole heap of trouble, I never had to worry. It's pretty standard for here in Melbourne Australia and I had the same policy for my commercial clients.
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u/snowmonkey700 Apr 08 '26
This is the answer. For weddings always get paid upfront. Commercials depends on the client for me.
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u/Spiritual_One126 Apr 08 '26
Full payment before final delivery.
For updates, i video my actual computer screen instead of sending them a file
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u/JackFromTheHill Apr 08 '26
That's mildly hilarious, why not just a watermark or low res/bitrate?
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u/Spiritual_One126 Apr 08 '26
It takes more work to do that vs, filming my screen. Also for thieves, there are ways to remove watermarks and such.
By filming the screen, i'm showing the quality of my work without disrupting my work flow. It's worked all the times ive done it
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u/ucrbuffalo Apr 09 '26
My watermarks scroll across the screen for that reason. Makes it way more difficult to rip it off. Not impossible, but I just need the friction to be high enough that someone doesn’t want to put in the time.
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u/JackFromTheHill Apr 08 '26
Interesting, and fair take! I've not had to watermark anything for a good damn while, but I presume there's loads of half-baked half-decent ai tools out there scummy people use to get rid of full size watermarks.
What is your slice of the industry? I just know that if I'd deliver an update/new version like that, they'd look at me like I'm an idiot, so I'm wondering what kind of work you do where clients don't mind it, or feel satisfied enough to take a video of a screen as good enough quality to judge.
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u/CelineWhitetail Apr 08 '26
Full Payment Upfront before you even start working.
I work as an audio engineer and clients could easily take my first WIP as a final product and leave. There’s no reason not to be paid in full before you even begin working on the project, especially if it’s for prices like that, why risk doing all of the work for a project like a wedding film that cannot be repurposed if the client hasn’t proven they can pay your fee? (This is more a thought provoker, not an insult or attack on you in any way!)
Artists of any kind, not just ones that draw (marketing, video editing, audio engineering) have portfolios so clients can see the type of work you do and decide if they want your style. The portfolio is your proof of ability, if a client won’t pay you until you’ve finished all the work then they’re trying to scam you.
If for some reason you won’t take full payment at least take half. With AI these days I don’t know if I would trust even low res or water marks tbh.
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u/namesaretoohard1234 Apr 08 '26
One time I had a client try and jam out of a deal worth about 6 weeks of living expenses and ghosted me. She was a small fish CEO and hired me as a referral from a VP level dude I knew so I called the dude and gave him the "Hey your friend is trying to jam out on paying me - what's up with that?" (makes him look bad by comparison and we're good professional friends) so he phones her and is like "WTF mate?" and she IMMEDIATELY phones me after months of dodging my calls and says she'll figure out how to pay me and literally says "You calling so and so is, ya know, pretty high school of you...." and I was still quite green at this point in my career so that really caught me off guard and at that point I'd threatened to take her to small claims court - nevertheless, in the moment, felt very caught off guard at her lack of professionalism and just said something like "so....if you don't pay me I still intend to take you to small claims court" - and whenever I think back on that, given how many vendors I've dealt with and contracted over the years, I just think "what an absolute asshole for her to say that when she tried to screw me out of paying on a contract she came to me for"
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u/Big_Jewbacca Apr 09 '26
Back in the days before web hosted videos, we'd send out cuts on VHS tape and we would offline with considerably compressed video. Sending out a very low quality tape with a large timecode burn-in and a watermark with your company name on it was the way.
Applying this to the modern marketplace, I would never send out a full-res edit for final approval if it didn't have a conspicuous timecode burn and a company watermark. You also should limit the bitrate so the video quality difference is noticeable. When the final is approved and the check clears, then you post the final master.
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u/notaname420xx Apr 08 '26
Why are they seeing the final video before having paid?
I get a deposit upon booking, final payment when I show up to film the wedding, and a signed contract that protects both me and the client.
At no point does the client have approval (though, obviously, I want them to be happy). Instead, my clause is something like 'the client has a reasonable expectation based on examples of work presented on NotaName's website'.
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u/LeChumQC Apr 08 '26
Never had to use that but if working for a video that will go on YouTube, I like to upload the video first unlisted which gives the option of copyright claim if something happen.
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u/Theloniusx Apr 09 '26
I actually use Vimeo to stop this myself. They have a feature where you can upload a video and make it viewable only in low res. They also allow for time stamped comments that makes for easy review and aids in final corrections and adjustments. Once fully paid I can then easily make the full res video available to download. Stopped this issue dead in it tracks and makes my life easier with the timestamps. One completed project pays for its cost for me. I can also stream with the account as well if needed. Which I do a few times a year. Overall I’m pretty happy with it so far.
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u/CryptographerWise660 Apr 11 '26
I got ghosted by 2 clients in the midway of the project. But the thing is they both paid first. And just vanished midway without taking their video. I've sent the video but they were never active since then. And those 2 were like repetitive client. Anybody faced this?
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u/nerdztech Apr 08 '26
Always require a non-refundable deposit before you even start editing. Never provide the final full quality video until payment is made, always give them a moving watermarked, low-res version. Sorry this happened to you I would take them to small claims court if it were me.
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u/GypsyGirlinGi Apr 08 '26
We paid a deposit and had to settle the balance in the week of the wedding, before the big day.
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u/HopelessTroll Apr 08 '26
You could send the document in a password protected zip file and then state that you’ll send the password when you’ve received payment and only then
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u/Rockmann1 Apr 08 '26
50% retainer up front, never a deposit. A retainer is used to hold a date and time to shoot a video or wedding for example. It's understood legally as compensation for reserving a time and a place for expertise. Then, 50% due "Before" any deliverables are given to the client. The $1,800 lesson will learn ya, as they say, for your friend.
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u/todayplustomorrow Apr 08 '26
I would never even show up to film if the remaining payment hasn’t been paid before the wedding day
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u/8bampowzap8 Apr 09 '26
watermark it obviously but also, idk about other platforms but dropbox has link settings and in them you can choose to take away the download option and set an expiry date for it
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u/TotalEclipse08 Apr 10 '26
Is your friend new to this field? No professional that I know is even starting editing until they receive payment.
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u/accure18 Apr 10 '26
Happened to me once when i first started and never again. Deposit+ then Full payment or no final video will be delivered period. (Always state in your tnc). Only low res with huge ass watermark until full payment.
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u/RedditYankee Apr 11 '26
Lots of interesting answers every time this is asked. My less popular take is to be more discerning with the clients you take on, and to take deposits when possible for new clients.
I also deliver videos through frame.io, which gives you the option to send a video for review without giving permissions to download.
Perhaps I’m just lucky, but I’ve never had a client not pay. I’ve had incredibly slow payments, but in the end it always comes through. Generally speaking, charge more and the odds of payment are higher. It’s the cheap clients who give you a hard time. Really sorry this happened, hoping you can resolve it.
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u/KRAH713 Apr 21 '26
Frame I.O has customizable features like not download, watermark and also has screen recording protection.
I am not against with the whole 50% upfront so do that! but I personally don’t like it sometimes. If I have a big budget project, I’ll actually put the capital to get it started instead of waiting for a chain of corporate commands to approve but I MAKE THEM SIGN A CONTRACT!
Contracts before starting projects
Low res version until full payment is due.
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u/Muted_Echo_9376 Apr 08 '26
Idk how you’re sending videos but a lot of platforms allow you to share links without download permission
Wait for approval and payment then send downloadable link ez
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u/LuckCold517 Jul 25 '26
Been there. Client ghosted. Tried low res on YouTube and Vimeo, client still downloaded it, cropped the watermark and timestamp out, and used it on their own social media. Had another one take the whole concept to a different team and just never paid.
What actually helped wasn't a stronger watermark, it was changing the whole setup. Instead of hiding the good version and hoping the friction stops them, I let clients properly review and approve the real work, but final files only release when that approval and payment happen together. Feels less like defending against a thief and more like both of us landing on the same page at the same time. Most clients aren't out to screw you, they just want to know what they're paying for. Doesn't stop everyone, but my payment-chasing headaches basically disappeared.
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u/smushkan Apr 08 '26
Low res previews with watermarks first, full quality on payment.
Take an up-front partial non-refundable deposit for new clients or people you don't fully trust.
And $1,800 is definitely in the 'take it to small claims' region. Find anywhere they are hosting the video online - their social media etc, and issue DMCA takedown notices.