The questions that come up first.
These are the answers we would give on a call. If your question is missing, ask it.
Starting
01 How does a project start?
You tell us what you want to make and where it needs to land. We talk it through, then send a one-page proposal: scope, shot count, and a fixed figure. Nothing is booked, and nothing is billed, until you have agreed to all three.
02 Can you just make one film?
Yes. Films are quoted per project, one at a time if that suits you. The ads are the exception: that runs monthly, because a single month of testing produces anecdotes instead of answers.
03 Where do you work?
We are based in West Hollywood and work across Los Angeles. Further afield is possible when a project justifies the travel. Ask, and you will get a straight answer instead of an optimistic quote.
The work
01 Do you write it, or do we?
Either. Most projects begin with CLNR Scripts, and you see the concept, script, boards and shot list before anyone is booked. If you arrive with a script already written, we will shoot that one.
02 Who actually turns up?
A small crew, cast for the film: cinema camera, proper lighting, recorded sound. Everyone on set is there because the film called for them, and the people who planned it are there on the day. The studio stays accountable for all of it.
03 Where do you shoot?
Wherever the film needs. Your premises, a location, or a stage hired for the project. Location, permit and stage costs sit outside the quote, and you hear about them before anything is booked.
04 How involved are we?
As involved as you want. You sign off the treatment, the boards and the shot list before the shoot, and the cut before it is finished. In between, we get on with it and spare you the daily update.
05 What do we get at the end?
The finished film, graded and mixed, cut for every platform that will carry it, plus stills pulled from the same session. All of it lands in a shared folder that stays yours.
06 What don't you do?
Long-form YouTube edits and podcast production. There are specialists for that, and you should use them. Google and search advertising also sits outside CLNR Ads.
Money and ownership
01 What does it cost?
Films are quoted per project, because the honest figure depends on the script, the crew it calls for and the number of days it takes. A published price would be wrong for almost everyone reading it. The ads carry a monthly fee. In both cases you get a fixed figure in writing before anything is booked, and advertising spend stays yours: it goes to the platform, never through us.
02 Are we locked into anything?
A film is a single project and ends when it is delivered. The ads run month to month with thirty days' written notice, which exists so that work already scheduled is not stranded halfway.
03 Who owns the film?
You do, permanently, including everything shot for you. We keep a copy so the next cut is quick, and we may show the work in our own portfolio unless you tell us in writing not to.
04 Do we have to take the ads?
No. Each service stands alone, and the films are built to earn their reach without a budget behind them. If you add the media later, the footage is already the right shape for it.
For editors
01 How do I get hired as an editor?
By cutting something, not by sending a résumé. Download the footage everyone gets, cut it your way, and send a link. Every submission is watched, and everyone hears back.
Still deciding? Tell us what you want to make, and we will tell you how we would approach it.
Start a project