Payment Terms and Purchase Orders in Miami Video Production

Updated: July 27, 2026

The project has been approved, but the invoice has not yet been paid.

Payment friction between clients and production companies is rarely about anyone acting in bad faith. It is almost always a mismatch of expectations set at the start. The production company might assume a deposit is required before booking crew. Meanwhile, the client's finance team might require a purchase order first, with payment terms of thirty days. Nobody discussed these expectations until the invoice arrived.

Sorting this out at the proposal stage takes just one conversation and eliminates the most common source of friction in an otherwise good working relationship. This guide covers how production payment structures typically work, what a client's procurement process requires, and the specific points worth agreeing on in writing.

Why production asks for money upfront

This surprises clients who are accustomed to paying upon completion. The reason for this change is structural rather than a matter of trust.

A production company invests real money before filming begins. This includes booking and paying crew members who would incur cancellation fees. Equipment is also reserved and paid for, locations require deposits, and talent is contracted. Permits, which often come with fees, are also acquired.

Common structures:

• Fifty on booking, fifty on delivery. The most common arrangement for smaller projects.
• Thirds: on signing, on shoot completion, on final delivery. Typical for larger projects.
• Milestone-based: tied to defined stages, useful for long or phased work.
• Monthly retainer: for ongoing relationships, invoiced regardless of output in a given month.
• Pass-through costs upfront: where third-party costs such as talent, permits or location fees are billed separately as incurred.

Whichever applies, the deposit is normally what secures the date. Until it is paid, the date is usually not held, and that is worth knowing if your schedule depends on it. How this fits into pricing models generally is covered in the article on scope of work.

What the client's process needs

On the other hand, a corporate client may have requirements that a small production company might not anticipate.

• Vendor onboarding before any payment can be issued, which can involve tax forms, banking details, insurance certificates and a compliance questionnaire
• A purchase order raised before work begins, with the number quoted on every invoice
• Standard payment terms, frequently thirty days from a correctly submitted invoice, sometimes longer
• Invoice submission through a portal rather than by email
• Specific invoice formatting, including cost centre codes and matching line items
• Approval routing through people who were not part of the creative conversation

Vendor onboarding frequently delays the start of a first project. This process can take several weeks and typically cannot be expedited. It is entirely separate from the creative approval process. Initiate the onboarding process immediately after a supplier is selected, rather than waiting until the first invoice is due.

Reconciling the two

The tension is real: the production company needs funds before the shoot, while the client's system pays thirty days after receiving an invoice. However, workable resolutions do exist.

• Raise the purchase order early, covering the full project value, so the deposit invoice can be issued and processed against it immediately
• Invoice the deposit well ahead of the shoot date, allowing the full payment cycle to run before crew are committed
• Agree that the shoot date is confirmed on purchase order issue rather than on payment received, where the client's covenant is good
• Use a card payment for the deposit where the amount allows, since it bypasses the invoice cycle entirely
• Separate pass-through costs, so third-party payments that must be made immediately are handled distinctly from the production fee

The second point addresses the practical solution in most scenarios. If payment terms are thirty days and the shoot is scheduled for six weeks, invoicing the deposit now ensures that the funds arrive prior to any commitments being made. This approach means no one needs to alter their existing processes.

Say what happens if payment is late

It's best to agree on these terms in the contract rather than improvising. Reasonable provisions typically cover interest on overdue amounts and the right to pause work or withhold final delivery until payment is received.

What the invoice should contain

Most payment delays are administrative rather than due to disputes. You can reduce these delays by making your invoices easier to process.

• The purchase order number, prominently
• Line items matching the approved proposal, using the same wording.
• Pass-through costs are itemized separately with supporting documentation.
• Payment terms and the due date are clearly stated.
• Complete banking details
• The correct legal entity name for both parties is:
• The invoice was submitted through the required process, rather than being sent to an individual's inbox.

The line-item matching point causes more rejections than any other issue. If the proposal states "two shoot days" and the invoice says "principal photography," an automated system will reject the match, and no one will notice for about two weeks.

Scope changes need their own paperwork

Additional work agreed upon verbally during a project is a frequent source of dispute, as it is genuinely easy to lose track. The discipline is straightforward: any change to the scope must be documented with a written note specifying what changed, what the cost is, and who approved it, before the work is carried out.

For clients, that means an additional purchase order or an amendment, which takes time to raise. Building that into the timeline is better than discovering at the end that the extra deliverable cannot be invoiced. The mechanics of scope changes are covered in the piece on rush fees and urgent work.

How we work

We outlined the payment structure in the proposal, not the contract, so it is visible before anyone is committed. For clients with procurement requirements, we initiate vendor onboarding at the point of selection and invoice the deposit early enough so that standard terms can run without delaying the shoot.

Invoices include the purchase order number and use the same line-item wording as the approved proposal. Pass-through costs are itemized and documented. Any scope changes are confirmed in writing, along with their associated costs, before any work is commenced. This ensures that there are no unexpected additions on the final invoice that you have not already seen and approved.

Tell us your procurement process at the proposal stage and we will fit our billing to it. More on commercial terms in the production blog, or get in touch through the contact page.

The short version

Deposits exist because production requires real money to be committed before the shoot, and the date is typically held on payment rather than on agreement. Corporate clients need vendor onboarding and a purchase order first, which can take weeks. To reconcile these two requirements, it is advisable to raise the purchase order early and invoice the deposit well ahead of the shoot. Invoice line items should match the proposal wording, and any scope changes should be confirmed in writing before the work is done.

Start the vendor onboarding process on the day you choose the supplier. This step often delays the start of first projects more than any other.