UNIT 8 - Types Of Contracts

CONTRACTS

Fixed Term Contract

Fixed Term Contracts are contracts that last a certain amount of time and they can be set in advance. They can be made between businesses that want a long relationship with each other to boost both of their profits. They end when a certain task is completed e.g. a payment being fulfilled or when a event takes place. This can be seen as a form of "terms and conditions" as the person who agrees to the contract has to fulfil the stated writing in said contract. If the contracts says they have to work for a certain amount of time then that must be met or they'd be going against the original contract. In the example of a film set the actors within the production would fill out a contract to say that they will be filmed for a certain amount of time or up till the production is done being filmed. The contract shows the agreement between one party and the other as proof of the agreement/arrangement. The fixed term is a way to keep the deal legit/legally reliable. If the contracts agreements aren't met then it can be taken to legal actions. Another example that can be seen in the media industry can be with the director of a film, the editor would have to have a deadline by which they'd have to be done with editing for a film. The production team would give a deadline so everything is met by that specific time. This ensures that the whole production runs smoothly and is on time with all of its deadlines.

Freelance

Freelancers are workers that are self employed so they have no contracts with other parties to meet deadlines with or complete tasks with other than their own management. They are not committed to an employee so they have the freedom of working with whatever hours they want. They can hire people to work for them and form contracts with them but for themselves they do not have a higher contract with anyone else. They do not have strict hours they have to work from, for example a 9-5 job. They would be able to work on their own accord and do so without having the hassle of working for someone else. Freelancers can negotiate their own rates with companies who hire them. Companies are often prepared to pay freelancers a better rate than most. In affect the more experienced the freelance worker is in their field the more money they would get. Many freelancers in different sections of the media will work full time for years making contacts within their own industry. In terms of the media industry an example of a freelance worker would be a photographer/camera man, they would be able to work around their own hours and handle their own scheme of marketing. They would brand themsleves to their audience so their business grows. This would increase their profit and they wouldn't have the pressure of working to meet someone else's deadlines. Furthermore, another example of a freelance worker could be a graphics designer. They would be able to sell themsleves to a production company that would need them for a specific job, more specifically in post production when editing. Finally one last example of this would be a script writer. This job would take months of preparation and understanding of the actual production itself, script writers can have the idea of what to write themselves or be the people that actually write out the script. Again like the graphics designer they can be called out by a production company to do this specific job. Freelancers would't be under a fixed term contract as this means they'd have to fulfil the terms of another party and since freelancers are mostly independent this goes against the whole ethic of working as your own boss. Another reason why freelancers dont work under a fixed contract is that most of the time being in a contract such as this requires some form of payment to the other party, as freelancers are earning their own money this wouldn't be suitable for them on the most part.

Irregular Patterns

Irregular patterns are similar to freelance however instead of working the hours you want you are only required to work the hours you are needed. this can be seen in many roles within the media, for example if someone like an animator wasn't in for the pre production of a film someone who works an irregular pattern contract would be called in to fill in for them. They are often paid more than others as the hours they are required may be less flexible in comparison to others. People who work irregular patterns can be called up at times where the average employee wouldn't be able to come, this would (most of the time) require them to work late hours into the morning. Anyone who is under this form of contract when called up to help with any area of work within production it would require them to be of assistance as soon as possible. This would make the production run smoother and quicker if there are many people working at different times however someone under this form of contract will have to be dedicated to this as it can affect their lives.