North Star Documentary Studio Ltd
Registered/Business Address: North Star Doc Studio, 14-16 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7SU, UK
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 20 7846 3927
1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the services provided by North Star Documentary Studio Ltd ("we", "us", "our"). By engaging our services, requesting a quotation, signing a statement of work, paying an invoice, or otherwise instructing us to proceed with a project, you ("Client", "you", "your") agree to be bound by these Terms.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use our services. Any additional or conflicting terms proposed by the Client shall have no effect unless expressly agreed in writing and signed by an authorised representative of North Star Documentary Studio Ltd.
These Terms apply to all documentary production and related services we provide, including where services are delivered remotely, on location, or through third-party platforms and suppliers.
2. Scope of Services
North Star Documentary Studio Ltd provides documentary-studio services, which may include, without limitation:
- Documentary development and research;
- Story production and field directing;
- Interview filming and location shooting;
- Scriptwriting and narrative structuring;
- Post-production editing and colour grading;
- Sound design and audio mixing;
- Subtitling and delivery for broadcast and digital platforms.
The exact scope, deliverables, timeline, budget, review process, and technical specifications for each project will be set out in a quotation, proposal, statement of work, production agreement, or other written confirmation issued by us and accepted by the Client.
Any services not expressly included in the agreed scope are excluded unless separately agreed in writing. We reserve the right to refuse instructions that are unlawful, unsafe, unethical, defamatory, or that would materially conflict with our professional standards or legal obligations.
3. User Obligations and Responsibilities
The Client agrees to:
- Provide accurate, complete, and timely information, materials, access, approvals, and feedback required for the project;
- Ensure that all content, materials, locations, participants, releases, clearances, and permissions supplied by the Client are lawful and do not infringe any third-party rights;
- Obtain all necessary consents, licences, filming permissions, location permissions, talent releases, and regulatory approvals that are the Client's responsibility unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing;
- Cooperate promptly with reasonable requests relating to production, scheduling, review, and delivery;
- Review drafts, edits, and deliverables within the timeframes we specify and provide consolidated feedback where applicable;
- Not use our services, outputs, or communications to engage in unlawful, misleading, harmful, discriminatory, or defamatory conduct;
- Ensure that any supplied materials are backed up and retained by the Client, as we do not guarantee indefinite storage unless expressly agreed.
The Client is responsible for the accuracy and legality of any materials or instructions it provides. We are entitled to rely on Client instructions unless we reasonably believe they are unlawful, unsafe, or materially inconsistent with the agreed scope.
4. Payment Terms and Conditions
All fees, rates, retainers, milestone payments, expenses, and payment schedules will be set out in the relevant quotation or agreement. Unless otherwise agreed in writing:
- Invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date;
- All fees are exclusive of VAT and any applicable taxes, unless stated otherwise;
- We may require a non-refundable deposit or retainer before commencing work;
- We may suspend work if any invoice remains unpaid after the due date;
- The Client must reimburse pre-approved production expenses, travel costs, accommodation, equipment hire, archive licensing, music licensing, transcription, subtitling, and third-party vendor costs incurred on the Client's behalf;
- Late payments may accrue statutory interest and recovery costs where permitted by law.
Any estimate or quotation is based on the information available at the time and may change if the scope changes, additional revisions are requested, delays occur due to the Client, or third-party costs increase. We will notify the Client where a material cost variation is anticipated.
Where work is billed on a milestone basis, each milestone will be deemed accepted unless the Client provides written notice of material issues within the review period specified in the relevant agreement.
5. Cancellation and Refund Policy
The Client may cancel a project by written notice. Cancellation fees may apply depending on the stage of work completed, resources committed, and third-party commitments made on the Client's behalf.
- Deposits and retainers are non-refundable unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing;
- If cancellation occurs after work has begun, the Client remains liable for all work performed, committed costs, and non-cancellable third-party charges up to the date of cancellation;
- If the Client postpones or reschedules production with less than reasonable notice, additional charges may apply to cover downtime, crew rescheduling, and rebooking costs;
- We may cancel or suspend services if the Client materially breaches these Terms, fails to pay, or creates unsafe or unlawful working conditions.
Refunds, if any, will be limited to amounts we determine are fairly attributable to unperformed services, less any non-recoverable costs already incurred. Completed work, custom creative development, and third-party licensing fees are generally non-refundable.
6. Liability Limitations
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.
Subject to the foregoing, North Star Documentary Studio Ltd shall not be liable for:
- Indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential losses;
- Loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss of goodwill, loss of business, or loss of anticipated savings;
- Delays or failures caused by inaccurate instructions, Client delay, third-party suppliers, venues, performers, crew illness, weather, travel disruption, technical faults, or force majeure events;
- Claims arising from content supplied or approved by the Client;
- Unauthorized use, alteration, or distribution of deliverables after transfer to the Client;
- Any failure of platforms, broadcasters, distributors, or digital services outside our reasonable control.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with the services, whether in contract, tort, negligence, or otherwise, shall be limited to the amount paid by the Client to us for the specific service giving rise to the claim during the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to liability, or such other amount as may be expressly agreed in writing.
The Client is responsible for obtaining appropriate insurance for productions, locations, participants, equipment, and any business risks associated with the project, unless we expressly agree otherwise.
7. Intellectual Property Rights
All pre-existing intellectual property, methodologies, templates, tools, know-how, software, workflows, and materials owned or licensed by North Star Documentary Studio Ltd remain our property or the property of our licensors.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, intellectual property in commissioned outputs transfers to the Client only upon full payment of all sums due, and only to the extent specified in the relevant agreement. We may retain ownership of underlying project files, source materials, rushes, project timelines, editable project formats, and production notes unless expressly included in the deliverables and paid for in full.
The Client grants us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use Client-provided materials solely for the purpose of performing the services.
Where permitted by law and not otherwise agreed in writing, we may use excerpts, stills, credits, or summaries of completed work for our portfolio, showreel, website, award submissions, and promotional materials, provided that doing so does not unlawfully disclose confidential information or restricted content.
The Client warrants that all materials supplied to us do not infringe the rights of any third party and that all necessary permissions have been obtained. The Client shall indemnify us against losses arising from any breach of this warranty.
8. Data Protection and Privacy
We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy laws. Where we process personal data in the course of delivering services, we will do so for legitimate business purposes, including project administration, production planning, communications, compliance, and delivery.
The Client is responsible for ensuring it has the lawful basis and appropriate notices, consents, and safeguards required for any personal data it supplies to us, including data relating to interviewees, crew, participants, clients, or other individuals featured in productions.
We may act as a data controller, data processor, or both depending on the nature of the engagement. Where required, the parties will enter into a separate data processing agreement or similar arrangement. We may retain records for as long as necessary for contract performance, legal compliance, dispute resolution, and legitimate business purposes.
For enquiries about privacy or data protection, contact us using the details in Section 12.
9. Force Majeure
We shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform our obligations where such delay or failure results from events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, fire, flood, storm, earthquake, epidemic, pandemic, public health restrictions, labour disputes, strikes, war, civil unrest, terrorism, government action, power failures, internet outages, equipment failure, travel disruption, venue closure, or failure of third-party suppliers.
If a force majeure event occurs, our obligations will be suspended for the duration of the event. We will use reasonable efforts to resume performance as soon as practicable. If the event continues for a prolonged period, either party may terminate the affected services by written notice, subject to payment for work performed and committed costs incurred up to the date of termination.
10. Changes to Terms
We may update or revise these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. The latest version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated to the Client, unless a different effective date is stated.
If the Client continues to use our services after updated Terms have taken effect, the Client will be deemed to have accepted the revised Terms. Where a specific project is already governed by a signed agreement, any conflicting changes will apply only to future services unless both parties agree otherwise in writing.
11. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
Subject to any mandatory legal rights, the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute, claim, or matter arising under or in connection with these Terms.
12. Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding these Terms or wish to contact North Star Documentary Studio Ltd regarding a project, payment, cancellation, privacy matter, or complaint, please use the contact details below:
- Company: North Star Documentary Studio Ltd
- Address: North Star Doc Studio, 14-16 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7SU, UK
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: +44 20 7846 3927
13. Severability Clause
If any provision of these Terms is held by a court or competent authority to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, lawful, and enforceable. If such modification is not possible, the relevant provision shall be severed from these Terms.
The remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. Any failure or delay by us to enforce any provision shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other right.