Deal memos for Miami freelance crew: the one-page agreement that prevents most disputes

The one-page document that prevents most crew disputes

Most freelance crew in Miami are booked by text message. "Are you available the 14th? Rate is X, call is 7 am, Wynwood." "Confirmed." That works until it does not: the day runs fourteen hours and nobody agreed what overtime pays, the shoot moves to Fort Lauderdale and the crew member expected mileage, a hard drive is lost and the question of whose insurance covers it turns into a month of emails. A deal memo is the fix. It is a short agreement, usually one page, that records the terms of a single crew booking, signed or acknowledged before the shoot day.

This guide explains what a deal memo is, what it should contain for a Miami booking, how it differs from a contract, and how producers and crew can use it without turning a two-day shoot into a legal exercise. It is general guidance; for a specific agreement, especially with union crew or across state lines, a lawyer or a payroll service is the right source.

Deal memo versus contract

A production services contract is the agreement between a client and a production company: scope, deliverables, payment schedule, rights. A deal memo is the agreement between the production and one crew member for one job. It is shorter, it is issued per person, and it is written so that a gaffer can read it in two minutes at the end of a scout. Larger productions and union shoots use formal deal memos as standard; smaller Miami shoots often skip them, which is where the trouble starts. The habit worth building is: no deal memo, no booking.

What goes in it

The basics

• Production name, client (if disclosable), producer's name and contact.
• Crew member's name, position (gaffer, first AC, sound mixer), and whether they are booked as an individual or through their company.
• Dates: shoot days, plus any prep, scout or wrap days, each listed separately with its own rate if different.
• Location or locations, and the general call time. The call sheet gives the exact time later; the deal memo gives the expectation.

Money

• Day rate, and what a day is: 10 hours is common for Miami non-union commercial work, 12 for some. Say which.
• Overtime: the rate after the base day (1.5x is common) and any second threshold (2x after 12 or 14 hours). How this is billed in practice is covered in our guide to overtime, turnaround and the ten-hour day.
• Turnaround: the minimum rest between wrap and the next call, and what is paid if it is not met.
• Half-day and cancellation terms: whether a booking cancelled within 24 or 48 hours is paid in full, half, or not at all. This is the clause crew care about most and the one producers most often leave out.
• Kit or equipment rental: what gear the crew member supplies, the daily rental for it, and whether it is on a separate invoice.
• Expenses: mileage beyond a set radius, parking, tolls, per diem for travel days, and whether receipts are required.
• Payment terms: net 15, net 30, or on receipt; who to invoice and in what format. Our notes on getting paid as freelance crew in Miami cover the invoicing side.

Responsibilities and cover

• Insurance: whether the production's policy covers the crew member's kit while on set and in transit, and up to what value. If it does not, say so; the crew member can decide whether to bring the gear.
• Workers' compensation status: whether the crew member is engaged as an independent contractor or through a payroll company as a temporary employee. This has legal and tax consequences in Florida and is worth stating plainly.
• Safety: a line acknowledging the production's safety expectations, which on Miami exteriors means heat, water and electrical protocols; see our set safety guide.
• Confidentiality: a short clause if the client requires it, covering footage, scripts and social media posting from set.
• Credit: whether and how the crew member will be credited, if credits exist on the deliverable.

Signatures

A signature line for both parties, or an email acknowledgement ("Confirmed, terms as attached") that is kept with the production file. A deal memo that was sent but never acknowledged is better than nothing, but not by much.

Miami-specific points worth including

• Weather days. In the rainy season, state what happens if the shoot is called off for weather on the morning of: full day, half day, or a hold fee. Crew who have turned down other work expect something.
• Distance. Miami-Dade is large and the crew pool lives everywhere from Homestead to Aventura. A mileage radius (often 30 miles from downtown) settles who gets travel and who does not.
• Bilingual sets. If the shoot runs in Spanish or the crew member is booked partly for language skills, say so; it may affect the rate and it prevents surprises.
• Boats and water. Work on vessels carries different insurance and safety terms; if any part of the shoot is on the water, the deal memo should say so and note what cover applies.

Using it without friction

Keep a template with the standard terms filled in and change only the specifics per booking. Send it with the booking confirmation, not after the shoot. If a crew member pushes back on a term, that is the moment to discuss it, not the invoice stage. For repeat crew, an annual master deal memo with per-job confirmations by email is efficient and common. And read the ones you receive: experienced crew often send their own terms, and a producer who ignores them has agreed to them.

Crewing with Miami Video Producers

Every crew member we book gets a deal memo before the shoot, with rate, day length, overtime, cancellation, kit rental, insurance cover and payment terms stated, and we keep the acknowledged copies in the production file. It takes a few minutes per booking and has removed almost every payment dispute from our wraps. If you are hiring crew directly and want a template that reflects how Miami sets actually work, or if you would rather we crew the job, get in touch. More on how we run productions is on the about page, and the rest of our crew guides are on the blog.