Terms & Conditions
These terms set out the agreement between you (the "Client") and Quiet Light Films ("we", "us", or "the Studio") when you engage us to create a film. We have written them as plainly as we can. If anything is unclear, please ask us before signing, we'd rather explain than rely on small print.
1. Introduction
By commissioning a film, accepting a written quote, or paying a deposit, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms. These Terms apply alongside any individually written project proposal; where the two conflict, the proposal takes precedence for that specific project.
2. The services we provide
We produce memorial films, legacy interview films, and family documentary tributes on a bespoke basis. Each project includes some combination of: a discovery call, remote interview(s), gathering and review of family materials, editing, music licensing or composition, revisions, and digital delivery, as described in the proposal.
We are not a public-records research service, a forensic restoration lab, or a legal genealogist. Where a project would benefit from such specialists, we will say so and may suggest partners.
3. Engaging us
- A project begins with a written proposal that lists the scope, deliverables, timeline, and total fee.
- A non-refundable deposit of 30% confirms your booking and reserves your timeline.
- Until a deposit is received, dates and availability cannot be held.
- Either party may withdraw before the deposit is paid, in writing, with no obligation.
4. Your materials
You ("the Client") warrant that you have the right to share with us, and to have us include in the film, all photographs, recordings, written materials, music recordings, and any other content that you provide.
Where third-party music is requested, we will either license it on your behalf (cost added to invoice) or commission an original score. We will not knowingly include unlicensed copyrighted material in a delivered film.
We will store your materials securely while a project is active. After delivery, we keep a private archive for 12 months, long enough to make a re-cut or re-encode if needed, and then permanently delete it, unless you ask us to keep it longer.
5. Revisions & delivery
Each tier includes a stated number of revision rounds. A "round" is a single consolidated set of notes from the Client, returned within 14 days of receiving the cut. Additional rounds beyond those included are charged at our standard hourly rate, agreed in writing in advance.
A project is considered delivered when the final file is uploaded to your chosen delivery destination and a download confirmation is received. Should an agreed memorial date or hard deadline be at risk, we will tell you as early as possible and offer a remedy.
6. Fees & payment
- 30% deposit due on booking (non-refundable, see §7).
- Balance due before final delivery, or in instalments where agreed.
- Invoices are payable within 14 days.
- We accept bank transfer and major credit cards via Stripe. Card payments include a small processing fee.
- All fees are stated in USD unless the proposal says otherwise, and are exclusive of any sales tax or VAT.
7. Cancellation & pauses
We understand. Grief and family circumstances are not predictable, and these Terms are written with that in mind.
- You may pause a project at any time, for any reason, at no cost. We will hold your materials and resume when you're ready.
- Should you wish to cancel before editing has begun, the deposit is retained; nothing further is owed.
- Should you cancel after editing has begun, an honest pro-rata fee will be assessed against work already completed, deducted from any unpaid balance, never invoiced on top of the deposit.
- We may, in rare circumstances, decline or withdraw from a project (for example, where the subject matter falls outside our practice). In that case any deposit is refunded in full.
8. Ownership & rights
Upon final payment, you receive an exclusive, perpetual, worldwide licence to use, share, screen, and distribute the finished film for any personal or family purpose, with no watermarks or restrictions.
We retain the right to keep a copy of the finished film for our archive, and, only with your written permission, to include short, anonymous extracts in a private portfolio shown to other prospective families. We will never publish a film publicly without your written consent.
You retain ownership of all materials you provide. We claim no rights over your photographs, recordings, or family content.
9. Confidentiality
Everything shared with us during a project, names, photographs, recordings, conversations, the existence of the project itself, is held in strict confidence. We do not discuss families or use their names in marketing without explicit written permission.
10. Liability
We carry professional indemnity insurance and take every reasonable measure to protect your materials. In the unlikely event of loss or damage to materials you have provided, our total liability is limited to the fees paid for the project to that point.
We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, nor for delays caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control (illness, internet outages, postal failures, force majeure).
11. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute will, where possible, first be addressed by good-faith discussion; failing that, the courts of England and Wales will have non-exclusive jurisdiction. Nothing in this clause limits any statutory rights you have as a consumer.
12. Contact
If you have a question about these Terms, write to hello@quietlightfilms.com. We reply personally, usually within one working day.
[ Placeholder: company name, registered address, and company number to be added once incorporated. These Terms are a starting template; please have a solicitor review before use in production. ]