A brand emails you four days after delivery.
"We loved the content, but it didn't quite capture the vibe we were going for. Would you be able to reshoot?"
This is one of the most common ways creators end up doing double the work for the same pay. The framing is soft: "didn't quite capture," "refinement," "just a few tweaks"… but the ask is clear. They want new content, and they're hoping you'll treat it as part of the original deal.
Knowing how much to charge for a brand deal reshoot or revision depends on one thing: whether the request falls within the scope you already agreed to, or outside it.
That line is worth knowing before a brand tests it.
The Difference Between a Revision and a Reshoot
These are not the same thing, and brands sometimes use them interchangeably on purpose.
A revision means adjusting content you already created. Color grade, caption edit, clip order, voiceover tweak. The footage exists. The labor is light.
Creator-side guides say a creator prices one round of this into her rate, and brand contracts usually cap revisions at two. Selah quotes with one included and bills each round after that.
A reshoot means returning to location, getting back in front of a camera, restyling, re-recording, re-editing. Starting over. The original content is being discarded. That's new labor, and new labor is a new deliverable.
The test: does the brand's request require you to produce anything new from scratch? If yes, it's a reshoot, not a revision.
What "Didn't Capture the Vibe" Actually Means
When a brand says the content "didn't capture the vibe," they're usually telling you one of three things:
- The brief was vague and they didn't know what they wanted until they saw what they didn't want
- Internal stakeholders disagreed on direction after you delivered
- The content was fine and they're hoping to get a second piece at no cost
All three are scope creep. None of them are your problem to absorb financially.
How Much to Charge for a Reshoot
The short answer: charge 35% of the piece's fee for a partial reshoot, and the full fee when you're redoing the whole piece or the brand has changed the brief. Published creator-side guidance puts a partial reshoot at 25–35% of the fee (Creators Agency), and Selah prices at the top of that range. It's one guide, not a market study, so treat the figure as a fair way to scope the work rather than a standard.
Here's the logic:
35% of the piece's fee applies when the reshoot is partial: same brief, same concept, same general direction, but they need different b-roll, a different opening line, or different product placement. You're redoing a portion of the work.
The full fee (100%) applies when you're rebuilding the piece from scratch, whether they want the whole thing again or the brief has changed: a different product angle, tone, format, or call to action. A complete do-over is a new deliverable, and the same guide prices it as a separate project at the full rate.
A worked example, for a creator whose Reel rate is $2,800: a partial reshoot is $1,000. A full redo, or a changed brief, is $2,800, the same as a new Reel. In a Selah quote, the piece you already delivered comes off the bill, so only the reshoot is charged.
The creative work you already did has value whether or not they use it. You're not being paid twice for the same result. You're being paid for the additional hours, the rescheduled shoot, and the cognitive labor of starting over.
When Revisions Exceed Scope
Creator-side guides put what a creator includes in her rate at one round, with two as the usual cap in brand contracts (Selah's default: one). A round means one consolidated set of feedback, one round of changes. Not a running thread of notes over two weeks.
After the included rounds, you have two options: deliver as-is, or charge for the extra round. A fair rate is 15% of your content fee per additional round, $400 on a Reel at $2,800. Published creator-side guides put it at 10–15% (Creators Agency, Selene the Lawyer), and Selah prices at the top of that range.
Signs You've Left "Revision" Territory
Watch for these signals that a brand's feedback is actually a reshoot request in disguise:
- "We need to reimagine the opening" — this means reshoot
- "Can we try a completely different setting?" — reshoot
- "The product should be the main focus, not a lifestyle element" — this is a creative direction change, not a tweak
- "We showed it to our team and they had a lot of notes" — multiple rounds of feedback, often from people who weren't in the original brief conversation
- "We need a cleaner version" — this sounds like a revision, but often means they want a different piece entirely
The framing is almost always soft because brands know that calling it a "reshoot" sounds like a new invoice. They're not wrong.
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How to Prevent This Before It Happens
The best time to handle reshoot pricing is before you shoot the first version. Your contract and your approval process are your protection.
Approval Process Upfront
Build a content approval checkpoint into your workflow. Before you film, send the brand a pre-production brief confirmation: the creative direction as you understand it, mood references if applicable, and a one-paragraph summary of your planned approach.
Get written sign-off. One email response saying "yes, this looks great" counts. This does two things: it catches misaligned expectations before you've done any work, and it documents that the brand approved your direction.
If they request a reshoot after this, you have clear proof that you executed against an approved brief. That changes the conversation significantly.
Contract Language That Protects You
Your contract should include three things on this topic:
1. Revision rounds clause
"This agreement includes [one] round(s) of revisions. Each round consists of one consolidated set of feedback and one corresponding revision. Additional revision rounds are billed at 15% of the base content fee per round."
2. Reshoot clause
"If the Client requests content that requires re-production (new filming, re-recording, or material re-editing that constitutes a new deliverable), this will be scoped and priced as an additional deliverable at the rates outlined in this agreement."
3. Brief approval clause
"Creator will provide a pre-production summary for Client approval prior to filming. Approved briefs cannot form the basis of a reshoot request at no additional cost."
These clauses don't make you difficult to work with — they make the engagement clearer for both sides. Brands that have worked with professional creators before will recognize this as standard. Brands that push back on basic scope language are worth noting.
You can read more about what approval rights mean for your contract in this breakdown of content approval clauses — and how to price the rights brands gain through them.
How to Push Back When a Brand Asks for a Free Reshoot
You don't need to be confrontational. You need to be clear.
Here's a template you can adapt:
Hi [Name],
Thanks for the feedback — I'm glad the content landed well overall. I want to make sure we get this right for you.
Based on what you're describing, this sounds like it goes beyond the revision rounds included in our agreement (we've used them at this point). Reshooting the [opening/setting/full piece] would involve [X hours] of additional production time.
I'm happy to proceed with a reshoot scoped at [35% of the original fee], which I can turn around by [date]. Let me know if that works, or if you'd like to hop on a quick call to align on direction first.
Looking forward to it.
The tone is warm and collaborative. The message is specific: this is additional work and it has a price. You're not refusing — you're scoping.
If the brand comes back and says "but the first version didn't work, so we shouldn't have to pay again," the response is simple: you delivered against an approved brief. That's the job you were hired to do. A new brief is a new job.
For more on navigating pushback like this, the full brand deal negotiation playbook has the math and the language to counter from a position of strength.
What About Usage Rights When the First Version Gets Scrapped?
If the brand scraps the original content and commissions a reshoot, the reshoot replaces it. They've lost the right to use the original version in their campaigns, and the usage rights you license cover the version they actually run. That's how Selah quotes it: the piece you're re-filming comes off the quote, you're charged for the reshoot, and usage is priced once, on the delivered piece.
The exception is a brand that wants to keep the original and add a new version. That's two pieces of content, and if they intend to run both as ads or repurpose them beyond the original agreed scope, each needs its own usage rights pricing. Don't bundle the new version into the original's usage clause. If you're unsure how usage rights interact across multiple pieces, here's how to price them in a multi-deliverable deal.
The Bigger Picture
Brands test the reshoot boundary because creators tend to capitulate. You already did the work. You want the relationship to stay positive. You don't want to seem difficult. So you reshoot for free.
Then you do it again on the next deal, with a different brand, because you never built the habit of charging for it.
Reshoots are labor. Second shoots cost time, equipment, energy, and often childcare, travel, or location fees. Charging for them is professional, not combative. A brand that respects your work will understand that. A brand that doesn't was always going to be difficult.
Most guides online skew toward keeping brands happy at the creator's expense. Selah is built for the creator side: you should be paid what you're worth — on the first shot and the second one.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does a brand reshoot request count as a new deliverable or part of the original deal?
A reshoot is a new deliverable whether or not you've used your revision rounds. Revisions adjust what you already filmed; a reshoot means filming again. Price it separately: 35% of the piece's fee for part of it, the full fee for a complete redo.
How much should I charge for a brand deal reshoot revision?
A fair price for a partial reshoot (same brief, some new footage) is 35% of that piece's fee. A complete redo, or a brief the brand has changed, is a new deliverable at the full fee.
How many revision rounds should I include in my brand deal?
Creator-side guides say one round is what most creators include in their rate, and two is the usual cap in brand contracts. Selah's default is one. Each round should be one consolidated set of feedback, not a running thread of notes. After the included rounds, a fair price is 15% of your content fee per additional revision round.
What if the brand says the content didn't match the brief?
Ask whether you received written approval of your pre-production approach before filming. If you did, you delivered against an approved brief. If the brief itself was unclear, that's a shared risk — but the solution is a reshoot scoped and priced as new work, not a free do-over.
What should my contract say about reshoots?
Include a revision rounds clause (number of rounds included, cost per additional round), a reshoot clause (any re-production is priced as a new deliverable), and a brief approval clause (pre-production sign-off is required before filming). These three together close most of the scope creep gaps.