Eligibility and Application

Standby accepts self-produced, non-commercial productions by individual makers or non-profit organizations only. Work for hire or any form of commercial work is not eligible. Projects funded by the individual, a non-profit organization, a foundation, or a government agency usually qualify to access Standby's services. To register download our application form (PDF formatted & Word formatted) and email, fax, or snail mail it to us. If you have already worked on an approved project you may send us a letter regarding your new project.

Scheduling

When you use Standby, you must conduct all initial transactions with the Standby Program staff. Do not contact the studio directly regarding transactions for your project unless you are instructed to do so.

Inform the scheduling person of all source formats. The more you can tell us about your technical needs the better we can serve you. Let us know the names of all the people who will attend your session so that they can be registered with studio security.

Deadlines

We operate on a standby basis. This means that we are subject to being bumped by commercial projects. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that any project will be completed by a specific deadline. If you do have a deadline, inform the scheduling person; we will try to accommodate your needs as best we can. You may want to make secondary arrangements in the event that we cannot accommodate you within a certain time frame. Scheduling 2 weeks in advance is suggested. Keeping a window free around this time is also important. Give yourself enough time to allow for bumping and other unexpected delays.

Access Fee

Standby charges an annual access fee of $75. The fee must be paid prior to the beginning of a job. If you are doing only a one time small dub job and are not planning on using Standby again within a year, you may choose to pay the $35 dub fee instead of the $75 annual fee.

Deposit

We must receive an advanced deposit large enough to cover the cost of all anticipated work, unless the facility is willing to extend Standby credit, in which case payments are due upon completion of the work. We recommend $800 to $1,000 deposit for each full day's session, depending upon the number of extras you need. Time cannot be held and work will not be done without sufficient funds on deposit. Personal checks must be submitted at least one week in advance. There is a $25 service charge on all bounced checks.

Billing

After the edit your editor will fill out a job card and ask for your signature. Look it over carefully before you sign. Your signature is verification of the accuracy of the job card. The editor will then send the job card to our office, where we will issue an invoice and deduct the cost of the job from your account. If at the end of your project you have money in your account we will issue you a refund check at your request. At some of our co-operating facilities, the editor may not obtain your signature at the end of a job session. You are still responsible for payment for all services rendered.

Tape Stock

Tape stock is available at the studio however; it generally costs 2 to 3 times what it costs in stores. So bring your own stock for mastering and for dubs.

Tape Storage

Bring to the edit session all video and audio materials needed for your edit including the rough cut. Tape storage is available on a very limited basis only. You will be asked to take all materials with you at the completion of your edit. You are responsible for the organization of your materials; neither Standby nor the studio assumes liability for these materials or for their safe storage. All materials that you bring to the studio must be labeled (both tape and box) with your name, phone number, project name and the Standby Program's name.

Cancellations

Please let us know as far in advance as possible if you need to cancel or postpone your edit date. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Failure to give us this consideration will result in a charge for one hour of editing time. Excessive or persistent lateness will also be charged as edit time.

Set-up

When you start an edit session the editor has to set-up the room for your particular needs. You may be charged for this set-up time even if the editor starts before you arrive. Set-up time may take as much as an hour or as little as ten minutes, depending upon your needs and the complexity of the work.

Breaks & Overtime

Editors at Standby observe union working conditions. All edit sessions may be limited to a length of seven hours, during which time your editor is allowed to take a one-hour lunch break. The editor may choose to break up this time, taking shorter breaks more frequently; s/he will inform you of break periods. Overtime may be charged for work performed beyond this limit.

Please treat your editor with respect. You will be working as a team during the duration of your edit and will make the working relationship difficult and unproductive if you put undue amounts of pressure on your editor. Providing food for the editor during the session is a standard courtesy and is always appreciated.

Credits

The Standby Program is a non-profit organization; as such our continued visibility is crucial to maintaining the private and public funding we receive. We strive to keep our fees to artists as low as possible for access and fiscal sponsorship services. In exchange we ask that you give Standby as prominent a credit as possible. Where possible we ask that you include Standby's logo, which we can send to you as an electronic file.

For post-production services:

Post Production Services
(specify: Video Editing, Color Correction, Audio, etc)
Provided by
The Standby Program
At Name of Participating Studio

Please don't forget to credit the editors who worked on your project as well.

For fiscal sponsorship:

Fiscal Sponsorship Provided by
The Standby Program
www.standby.org

To help us continue making our services available credit should appear in the credit rolls of videos, films, in exhibition materials, on websites and promotional materials.