Hey guys,
I'm a young guy who is just starting out in this industry and I am currently doing lots of free work. At the moment, I am doing everything from location recordings to the final mixes for short films.
I have just finished the final mix for a short film with a client (i'm working for free), which they were very pleased and impressed with. This client is an older gent who is trying to launch his career as an actor through the submission of the short film I worked on into countless film festivals. He has many connections with very respectable and well known people in the industry, which is quite intimidating (but has the possibility of opening up the opportunity of paid work), which makes me concerned about upsetting him.
My dilemma started today, when I received an email from him asking for stems and an OMF file of all my work that I have just completed. His reasoning being that they can come in handy when rendering the final film and as a backup in case something goes wrong and they need to go back to it. This client has very little understanding of post sound and it truly frightens me, thinking about what my name could be associated with if I hand these files over..
Am I just naive and it is common for stems to be given for rendering? If not, what is the best way to politely say that I am unwilling to give these files, but I am happy to make any necessary changes? What is the best way to go about this? Does anyone have past experience with this sort of situation? Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Lewis