- Original Poster
- #1
Hi, Im a freelance filmmaker and I was due to begin filming with a large national organisation as part of a big public arts project that began installation in February/March this year. The project itself got underway in part last year (as these things take a long time to plan and fabricate).
The terms of the employment were communicated to me by the lead artist via email, but the filming schedule was due to be laid out by the organisation themselves in January or February 2020. In February this year, the lead artist informed me that in a meeting the organisation had decided to go with another filmmaker - this despite the late change giving me no opportunity to book in other work when the main part of filming was due to happen in March and April, and my turning down work to do this project.
I contacted the organisation to find out what was going on and was told not to worry as this filming was simply to do with their marketing and there was a separate budget for my part of the project - to document the artwork in a 'behind the scenes' film (a role that I have fulfilled several times, so I understand well what is required).
Then they appeared to backtrack a bit and said that we did not have a contract - despite that being laid out in my initial budget and apparently agreed in 2019. To date they have simply obfuscated and refused to answer in full my enquiries about what my film contract will entail. We have not signed an official agreement/written contract and now the entire project has been postponed. I have tried to get some confirmation about what is happening - are they cancelling my employment, postponing it or simply denying that I was ever going to be employed? The lead artist and the organisation are saying different things - he maintains that they have simply changed their mind, they are saying nothing.
How do I proceed? Do I have a claim of broken contract - they previously agreed the amount based on the amount of days filming and a rough timetable in a budget meeting with the artist - or am I wasting my time?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. I can provide more detail if needed.
The terms of the employment were communicated to me by the lead artist via email, but the filming schedule was due to be laid out by the organisation themselves in January or February 2020. In February this year, the lead artist informed me that in a meeting the organisation had decided to go with another filmmaker - this despite the late change giving me no opportunity to book in other work when the main part of filming was due to happen in March and April, and my turning down work to do this project.
I contacted the organisation to find out what was going on and was told not to worry as this filming was simply to do with their marketing and there was a separate budget for my part of the project - to document the artwork in a 'behind the scenes' film (a role that I have fulfilled several times, so I understand well what is required).
Then they appeared to backtrack a bit and said that we did not have a contract - despite that being laid out in my initial budget and apparently agreed in 2019. To date they have simply obfuscated and refused to answer in full my enquiries about what my film contract will entail. We have not signed an official agreement/written contract and now the entire project has been postponed. I have tried to get some confirmation about what is happening - are they cancelling my employment, postponing it or simply denying that I was ever going to be employed? The lead artist and the organisation are saying different things - he maintains that they have simply changed their mind, they are saying nothing.
How do I proceed? Do I have a claim of broken contract - they previously agreed the amount based on the amount of days filming and a rough timetable in a budget meeting with the artist - or am I wasting my time?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. I can provide more detail if needed.
