Kung Fu Joe on Facebook

handshake binding?

Contributed by Glen Berry

I'm getting ready to edit an independent feature and I have just found an editor that is willingto do the work for next to nothing. The problem is that I'm getting some interest from some indepedent distributors and I'm not so sure I want to go with this editor anymore. If I shook hands on the deal am I obligated to honor it?

Her answer, in a nutshell, was that you are bound by performance, not a handshake. If he had done the work (any work) on your project then yes, it would be binding. However, the handshake by itself does not constitute a legal agreement.

Berry is the founder of the Northwest Film School and the creator of Film Underground, a popular and successful network of Moviemaking web sites that includes Cyber Film School.

A former member of the Whatcom Film Association Board of Directors, he also has twice served as the director of the Northwest Projections Film Festival. An award-winning filmmaker, Berry specializes in post production and is currently employed as an editor and post production supervisor on professional independent productions. Berry has written for “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Filmmaking,” “MovieMaker Magazine,” Cyberfilmschool.com and Filmfestivals.com. He also has served as an expert source for international newspaper and radio media outlets.

Return to KB Index