Contract help...

[Clint_Smith]

Ok I searched the contract sticky and didn't see this situtation...nor did I find it in other research so here goes....

I have done all the Dance and Graduation photography for a small high school for the past two years. Everything was going good. However, at the beginning of this current school year, the high school got a new principal.

Fast forward to the week of the homecoming dance that I was scheduled to shoot. I get a call on Wednesday from the class sponsor...."Our dance has been moved to Friday night after the game, can you still shoot it?"

Seeing as how I was shooting a football game in Little Rock there was no way in the world I was gonna be able to make it. Some how they managed to find some hack outta Hot Springs to come down and shoot the dance. And that is a qualitative statement...I have seen the images...

From my understanding the new principal lives about 40 miles from the school and didn't want to come back on a saturday night for the dance, so she changed the day....pissing off the entire student body and putting me out of a very substantial amount of money.

I am scheduled to shoot the Prom and the Graduatin ceremony this spring...but I want a contract stating that I am gonna get paid something if I get a cancellation after a certian date. Does anyone have something to this affect in your stack of contracts?

Fortunately for the me the kids love my work (I have about 1/3 of the senior classes booked for this year) and voted to have me come back to do the prom and graduation. But I wanna cover my bases with the administration and not get handed a goose egg again.....

[ndsimm]

In my wedding contract, I have a cancellation clause that kinda descibes what you are talking about (if they cancel, they lose all funds paid to date), but it sounds like a standard issue cancellation clause would be in order. If I understand correctly, if you had a contract for the dance, you would have gotten paid or the principal would have driven 40 miles (which she probably would have done if you had the contract)

[Clint_Smith]

Originally Posted by ndsimm

If I understand correctly, if you had a contract for the dance, you would have gotten paid or the principal would have driven 40 miles (which she probably would have done if you had the contract)

well I never really thought of a contract with the school seeing as how all the cash came from the kids...so I am totally confused as how to approach writing something up...

[CaptainTom]

I am no lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn express once.

I might ask for a letter of commitment from the school. This would at least get the date and the commitment in writing. Since the school doesn't pay you directly, a contract probably wouldn't be possible. You could possibly sue the school if they somehow cause you to lose the potential income.
Basically I think you are pretty much at their mercy. You could get some up front money from the student council, have them enter into a contract with the clause about losing their money if the date or other circumstances change..... maybe that would cause enough pressure on the principal to stay with the game plan.