Working for abroad from here is not just a matter of invoicing in another currency. It changes what you sell.
Two services, not one
That is the first decision to make.
Shooting sells for more but depends on a product that has to reach you. Editing sells for less per unit but repeats, can be scheduled and suffers no logistical hazard.
A book made of both is far more stable than one made only of shoots, especially when the client is abroad and shipments take weeks.
Add a third line if you can: subtitles and localised versions, which sell to brands running campaigns in several countries.
The currency and the moment of payment
That is the technical part, and it is settled before the first job.
Three elements in black and white: the currency the price is expressed in, the payment method, and who bears the transfer and conversion fees.
Add the calendar: a deposit on order, the balance on delivery, and a short term. The longer the term, the further the amount actually received drifts from the amount agreed.
The regime applicable to a service invoiced to a client established abroad, the statements to include and the reporting obligations depend on your situation and are checked with an accountant, before the first invoice. It is the least entertaining part of the trade and the one that determines whether a good job stays a good job.
What reassures a distant client
Four things, and none of them concerns your equipment.
A response time announced and kept.
A quote saying exactly what is delivered, in how many files and in what format.
A tidy delivery: named files, a clear folder, a one-page document explaining what to use where.
And a first job delivered ahead of the promised date. That detail is worth more than ten reassuring messages.
The calendar is not yours
That is the most frequent trap.
Your client's commercial seasons are inverted or shifted: their back-to-school is not yours, nor is their year-end, and their holidays fall when you are working.
Two consequences. Ask for the campaign calendar at the first exchange, so you know when they will need you. And take advantage of the gap: your quiet periods are often their busy ones.
Finally, note both countries' public holidays in the same diary. A delivery scheduled for a day when nobody is working at the client's end amounts to three days lost.
What loses jobs
Three mistakes, all avoidable.
Silence. A remote client reads the absence of news as a problem, when it is often a shoot in progress. A two-line message at each stage is enough.
Pricing too low, which downgrades the supplier instead of making them attractive.
And the raw delivery, with no organisation or explanation, which forces the client to do work they thought they had bought.
The exchange rhythm that prevents bad surprises
| Moment | What you send | What it cuts off |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | The quote and the schedule | Vagueness about the price |
| Halfway | A ten-second clip | A disagreement found too late |
| Delivery | The complete pack and its list | Files going back and forth |
What the contract must state when two countries meet
The currency, the language of the contract, the governing law and where a dispute is settled, to be confirmed with a lawyer.
What is translated and what is not
The quote and the contract are written in the client's language. File names stay in plain characters, with no accents and no spaces.
Building income that does not depend on one currency
That is the final aim, and it is built slowly.
The right balance has three parts: local clients, who pay fast and speak your language, foreign clients for shoots, and a share of editing or post-production that runs all year.
Check that spread twice a year. The day a single one of those three parts covers your fixed costs, the other two become income, and currency swings stop being a daily worry.
