PRIMOGAFFER
A Jared Films Company
A Jared Films Company
Jared Paul – Jared Films
Gaffer · Chief Lighting Technician · Owner-Operator
Gaffer · Chief Lighting Technician · Owner-Operator
Am Kornfeld 19
91056 Erlangen
Germany
91056 Erlangen
Germany
VAT Identification Number
VAT identification number pursuant to § 27a German VAT Act (UStG):
DE360176315
VAT identification number pursuant to § 27a German VAT Act (UStG):
DE360176315
Consumer Dispute Resolution
We are neither willing nor obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
We are neither willing nor obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
Last updated: August 2026
These General Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) apply to all services and equipment provided by Jared Paul – Jared Films, including services offered under the PRIMOGAFFER brand (“Contractor”).
PRIMOGAFFER is a sub-brand of Jared Films and does not constitute a separate legal entity.
These Terms apply exclusively to contracts with entrepreneurs (“Unternehmer”) within the meaning of § 14 of the German Civil Code (BGB), legal entities under public law and special funds under public law. They do not apply to consumers.
Unless otherwise expressly agreed in text form, these Terms form part of every quotation, booking and agreement between the Contractor and the Client.
A. GENERAL TERMS
1. Scope
1.1 These Terms apply to services provided in connection with film, television, commercial, photographic and other audiovisual productions.
Services may include, in particular:
◦ Gaffer / Chief Lighting Technician services
◦ Lighting Technician services
◦ lighting planning and preparation
◦ pre-light and technical preparation
◦ owner-operator services
◦ provision of lighting, grip, electrical and related equipment
◦ transportation and equipment logistics
◦ sourcing and coordination of additional crew and equipment
◦ standalone equipment hire (“Dry Hire”)
1.2 Individual agreements contained in a quotation, booking confirmation, deal memo or other agreement in text form take precedence over these Terms.
1.3 Terms and conditions of the Client shall only apply where expressly accepted by the Contractor in text form.
2. Quotations and Bookings
2.1 Quotations are non-binding unless expressly stated otherwise.
2.2 A booking becomes binding once the relevant date, scope and commercial terms have been confirmed by both parties in text form, including by email.
2.3 The agreed scope is determined by the respective quotation or booking confirmation and may include labour, equipment packages, individual equipment, additional crew, transportation, preparation and other services.
2.4 Changes to the confirmed schedule, location, production requirements, crew requirements or equipment requirements may result in additional charges.
3. Options / Holds
3.1 Dates may be held as an option where expressly agreed.
3.2 An option does not constitute a confirmed booking.
3.3 If another Client requests a confirmed booking for a date already held on option, the Contractor may request confirmation or release of the existing option within a reasonable period.
3.4 If the Client does not confirm the booking within that period, the Contractor may release the date.
B. LABOUR & GAFFER SERVICES
4. Labour Rates and Industry Conditions
4.1 The labour rate applicable to an engagement is the rate stated in the respective quotation, booking confirmation or deal memo.
4.2 Unless otherwise expressly agreed, working conditions, working-time calculations and applicable labour supplements shall be based on the current recommendations and working conditions published by IG Licht & Bühne Rhein-Main (IGLB RM) applicable at the time of the engagement.
4.3 The individually agreed labour rate shall take precedence over any minimum or recommended rate published by IGLB RM.
The applicable IGLB RM conditions primarily serve as the basis for working hours, overtime, supplements, travel time, breaks and related working conditions where no different arrangement has been agreed.
5. Standard Working Day
5.1 Unless otherwise agreed, a standard labour day consists of 10 working hours.
5.2 Working time includes all production-related time during which the Contractor is required to work, remain available to the Production or perform production-related duties.
Depending on the engagement, this may include:
setup and preparation
lighting work
shooting
lighting changes
company moves
wrap
loading and unloading
movement of production vehicles
other production-related duties
6. Overtime and Supplements
6.1 Unless otherwise agreed, overtime is calculated from the agreed 10-hour day rate in accordance with the current IGLB RM conditions.
At the time of publication of these Terms, the applicable overtime supplements include:
◦ 11th and 12th working hour: +25%
◦ 13th working hour: +60%
◦ 14th working hour and beyond: +100%
◦ night work between 22:00 and 06:00: +25%
6.2 Supplements for Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and consecutive working days shall likewise follow the current IGLB RM conditions unless otherwise agreed.
6.3 Where the current IGLB RM conditions change, the conditions applicable on the respective production date shall apply unless a different arrangement has already been agreed for the engagement.
7. Breaks
7.1 Breaks shall be provided in accordance with applicable law and, where applicable, the current IGLB RM working conditions.
7.2 For commercial and advertising productions (Werbefilm), meal and break time shall be included in the working day and shall not be deducted from working time.
7.3 For other types of production, the treatment of breaks shall follow the applicable IGLB RM conditions unless otherwise agreed.
7.4 Where a required break cannot be taken due to production requirements, the corresponding time shall be treated in accordance with the applicable IGLB RM conditions.
8. Rest Period / Turnaround
8.1 Production schedules shall provide a minimum continuous rest period of 11 hours between the end of one working day and the beginning of the next working day.
8.2 If the Client or Production requests the Contractor to resume work before completion of the 11-hour rest period and the Contractor agrees to do so, each commenced hour by which the required rest period is infringed shall incur an additional labour surcharge of +200% of the applicable hourly labour rate.
8.3 The turnaround surcharge applies in addition to any otherwise applicable overtime, night, weekend or public-holiday supplements unless otherwise agreed.
8.4 The surcharge is an additional labour charge and does not constitute permission to disregard applicable working-time or safety requirements.
8.5 Payment of the surcharge does not oblige the Contractor to accept a shortened rest period.
The Contractor may refuse or suspend work or driving where insufficient rest would, in the Contractor’s reasonable assessment, create an unsafe working condition.
9. Travel and Production Vehicles
9.1 Travel and production-vehicle working time shall be calculated according to the applicable IGLB RM conditions unless otherwise agreed.
9.2 The operation or movement of production vehicles constitutes working time.
9.3 Required shuttle transportation also constitutes working time where production vehicles remain at the production location or are transported separately.
9.4 Unless otherwise agreed, travel outside Frankfurt am Main is calculated according to the actual travel time in accordance with the applicable IGLB RM conditions.
9.5 Where driving is not the Contractor’s primary activity, operation of a production vehicle may form part of the Contractor’s duties up to and including the 12th working hour.
From the 13th working hour onwards, the Production shall arrange suitable transportation of production vehicles.
9.6 Regardless of the number of working hours completed, the Contractor may cease or refuse driving whenever the Contractor reasonably considers themselves no longer fit to drive safely.
The Production shall then arrange suitable transportation.
10. Preparation, Pre-Light and Wrap
10.1 Production-related preparation may be charged as labour where applicable.
This may include:
◦ technical and lighting planning
◦ equipment preparation and testing
◦ loading
◦ sourcing or collection of additional equipment
◦ pre-lighting
◦ equipment returns
◦ unloading
◦ post-production equipment checks
10.2 Additional preparation resulting from changes requested after confirmation of the production may be charged separately.
C. ADDITIONAL CREW
11. Additional Freelance Crew
11.1 At the Client’s request, the Contractor may assist in sourcing, recommending or coordinating additional lighting technicians, grips, drivers or other freelance crew.
11.2 Unless expressly agreed otherwise, additional freelance crew sourced or coordinated by the Contractor shall be engaged for the respective Production as independent crew members.
The mere fact that a crew member was recommended, sourced, scheduled or coordinated by the Contractor does not by itself make that person an employee or subcontractor of the Contractor.
11.3 Crew rates, working conditions and other costs are determined by the respective quotation, booking confirmation or individual crew agreement.
11.4 The Contractor shall not be responsible for acts or omissions of independently engaged crew members solely because the Contractor recommended, sourced or coordinated them, except to the extent that the Contractor is legally responsible for their conduct.
11.5 Once additional crew has been confirmed, cancellation or reduction of such crew may result in cancellation charges.
Cancellation fees or other commitments actually incurred towards such crew as a result of a Client-initiated cancellation or change shall be payable by the Client.
D. OWNER-OPERATOR EQUIPMENT
12. Owner-Operator Equipment
12.1 Equipment supplied in connection with the Contractor’s own engagement as Gaffer, Chief Lighting Technician or Lighting Technician is considered Owner-Operator Equipment.
12.2 Owner-Operator Equipment may be supplied as:
◦ a predefined equipment package;
◦ a custom equipment package;
◦ individual equipment items; or
◦ a combination thereof.
12.3 Unless expressly agreed otherwise, Owner-Operator Equipment is provided in connection with the Contractor’s overall production service and does not constitute standalone Dry Hire.
13. Equipment Packages
13.1 The contents and price of an equipment package are determined by the respective quotation, equipment list or booking confirmation.
13.2 Package pricing applies to the package as a whole.
The fact that individual items contained within a package are not used during the production does not entitle the Client to a reduction of the agreed package price.
13.3 Additional equipment requested before or during production may be charged separately.
13.4 The Contractor may substitute individual items with technically comparable equipment where reasonably necessary due to availability, maintenance, technical failure or operational requirements, provided that the agreed functionality is not materially reduced.
14. Subrentals
14.1 Owner-Operator Equipment and equipment packages may consist of equipment owned by the Contractor as well as equipment sourced from third-party rental companies or other suppliers.
14.2 Where additional equipment must be sourced specifically for a Production, the corresponding rental, transportation, preparation and handling costs may be charged to the Client as agreed.
14.3 Once third-party equipment has been ordered or otherwise committed, non-refundable rental or cancellation charges resulting from a Client-initiated change or cancellation shall be payable by the Client.
15. Handling of Owner-Operator Equipment
15.1 Equipment supplied by the Contractor must be handled professionally and used only for its intended purpose.
15.2 The Client shall ensure reasonable protection of equipment against theft, loss, weather, water, fire, impact, improper handling, unattended public access and other foreseeable risks within the Production’s control.
15.3 Equipment may only be operated, rigged or modified by suitably qualified personnel.
15.4 The Contractor may prohibit or stop any use of equipment which the Contractor reasonably considers unsafe, inappropriate or likely to damage the equipment.
16. Damage to Owner-Operator Equipment
16.1 The Client shall be responsible for loss of or damage to Owner-Operator Equipment to the extent that such loss or damage is attributable to the Client, its personnel, contractors, locations, vehicles or other circumstances within the Client’s or Production’s sphere of responsibility.
16.2 Where equipment is damaged by an independently engaged crew member or another person working on the Production, responsibility shall be determined according to the respective contractual relationship, responsibility for the damage and applicable law.
The mere fact that such crew member was recommended, sourced or coordinated by the Contractor shall not by itself transfer responsibility for that crew member’s conduct to the Contractor.
16.3 Normal wear and tear, inherent defects and technical failures not caused by improper handling, negligence or external damage are excluded.
16.4 Any loss, damage or significant malfunction shall be reported to the Contractor immediately.
16.5 Where the Client is responsible for damage, reasonable repair costs and directly associated costs may be charged.
16.6 In the event of loss, theft or damage beyond economical repair, the responsible party may be charged the reasonable cost of obtaining a technically equivalent replacement.
Where an equivalent used replacement is not reasonably available, the reasonable cost of obtaining a new replacement item of equivalent specification and functionality may be charged, subject to applicable law.
16.7 Reasonable and demonstrable replacement-rental or loss-of-hire costs directly resulting from damage or loss for which the Client is responsible may additionally be charged to the extent permitted by law.
E. STANDALONE EQUIPMENT HIRE / DRY HIRE
17. Application
17.1 Equipment supplied without the Contractor being engaged to operate or supervise that equipment constitutes Dry Hire.
17.2 Sections 17–23 apply additionally to Dry Hire.
18. Rental Period
18.1 The rental period is determined by the respective quotation or booking confirmation.
18.2 Equipment must be collected and returned at the agreed dates and times.
18.3 Extensions require prior approval by the Contractor and may result in additional rental charges.
18.4 Late returns may be charged at the applicable rental rate for each additional commenced rental period.
Reasonable additional losses resulting directly from the late return, including costs relating to a subsequent confirmed rental, may additionally be charged where legally permissible.
19. Inspection and Acceptance
19.1 Equipment is supplied in operational condition unless otherwise stated.
19.2 The Hirer shall inspect the equipment upon receipt and notify the Contractor without undue delay of any apparent defect, missing item or discrepancy.
19.3 The Contractor shall likewise inspect returned equipment within a reasonable period.
The absence of an immediate damage report at the moment of return shall not prevent the Contractor from reporting damage which could not reasonably have been identified during the initial return process.
20. Use of Dry-Hire Equipment
20.1 The Hirer shall use the equipment professionally and only for its intended purpose.
20.2 The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that equipment is operated by appropriately competent personnel.
20.3 Equipment may not be materially modified, opened, repaired or altered without prior approval from the Contractor.
20.4 Equipment may not be sub-hired or transferred to third parties without prior approval from the Contractor.
20.5 The Hirer shall comply with manufacturer instructions and applicable safety requirements.
21. Risk, Theft, Loss and Damage
21.1 During the rental period, the Hirer is responsible for the proper safekeeping and protection of the equipment.
21.2 The Hirer shall be responsible for loss, theft or damage occurring during the rental period to the extent attributable to the Hirer or persons for whom the Hirer is responsible.
21.3 Normal wear and tear and technical failures not caused by improper use, negligence or external damage are excluded.
21.4 In the event of repairable damage, reasonable repair and directly associated costs may be charged.
21.5 In the event of loss, theft or damage beyond economical repair, the Hirer may be charged the reasonable cost of obtaining a technically equivalent replacement.
Where an equivalent used replacement is not reasonably available, the reasonable cost of obtaining a new replacement item of equivalent specification and functionality may be charged, subject to applicable law.
21.6 Reasonable and demonstrable replacement-rental or loss-of-hire costs directly resulting from damage or loss for which the Hirer is responsible may additionally be charged to the extent permitted by law.
21.7 Loss, theft or significant damage must be reported to the Contractor immediately.
In the event of theft, the Hirer shall report the incident to the police without undue delay and provide the relevant documentation to the Contractor.
22. Equipment Insurance
22.1 For higher-value rentals or where otherwise reasonably required, the Contractor may require proof of adequate equipment insurance prior to release of the equipment.
22.2 Such insurance may be required to cover accidental damage, loss and theft up to the applicable replacement value of the equipment.
22.3 The Contractor may refuse to release equipment where required proof of insurance has not been provided.
22.4 The existence of insurance does not by itself limit the Hirer’s contractual responsibility for the equipment.
23. Return of Equipment
23.1 Equipment must be returned complete, reasonably clean and in substantially the same condition in which it was supplied, excluding normal wear and tear.
23.2 Missing accessories, cables, cases, clamps, adapters or other components may be charged separately.
23.3 Excessive cleaning, restoration, drying, sorting or other work required as a result of the Hirer’s use may be charged according to the reasonable work and costs required.
F. CANCELLATION & POSTPONEMENT
24. Cancellation of Labour
24.1 A confirmed booking reserves the agreed dates specifically for the Client.
24.2 Unless otherwise agreed, cancellation of confirmed labour shall be charged as follows:
◦ more than 10 calendar days before the first booked working day: no labour cancellation fee, excluding costs already incurred;
◦ 5–10 calendar days before the first booked working day: 50% of the confirmed labour fee;
◦ less than 5 calendar days before the first booked working day: 100% of the confirmed labour fee.
24.3 A reduction in confirmed working or shoot days shall be treated as a partial cancellation.
24.4 Preparation, planning and other services already performed remain payable in full.
24.5 The Client remains entitled to demonstrate that no loss was incurred or that the actual loss was substantially lower than the applicable cancellation charge.
25. Cancellation of Equipment
25.1 Confirmed Owner-Operator Equipment and Dry-Hire Equipment are reserved specifically for the Client for the agreed period.
25.2 Unless otherwise agreed, cancellation charges for confirmed equipment shall be:
◦ more than 72 hours before the agreed equipment date or Dry-Hire collection: no cancellation fee;
◦ between 72 and 24 hours before the agreed equipment date or collection: 25% of the confirmed equipment fee;
◦ less than 24 hours before the agreed equipment date or collection: 100% of the confirmed equipment fee.
25.3 Failure to collect confirmed Dry-Hire Equipment without prior cancellation (“no-show”) shall incur 100% of the confirmed equipment fee.
25.4 A reduction of a confirmed equipment package or rental shall be treated as a partial cancellation.
25.5 Third-party subrentals and other externally committed costs shall be charged according to the cancellation costs actually incurred.
25.6 The Client remains entitled to demonstrate that no loss was incurred or that the actual loss was substantially lower than the applicable cancellation charge.
26. Crew Cancellation
26.1 Cancellation of independently engaged additional crew shall be subject to the cancellation conditions agreed with the respective crew member.
26.2 The Client shall bear cancellation costs actually incurred as a result of cancellation or reduction of confirmed additional crew requested for the Production.
27. Postponements and Weather Days
27.1 Unless a separate weather-day arrangement has been agreed, a postponement or weather-related cancellation may be treated as a cancellation of the originally confirmed booking.
27.2 Moving a Production to another date does not automatically waive cancellation costs applicable to the originally confirmed date.
27.3 Where possible, the Contractor may agree to transfer all or part of a cancellation charge to a replacement date at the Contractor’s discretion.
G. SAFETY & TECHNICAL MATTERS
28. Production Safety
28.1 The Client is responsible for providing safe and lawful working conditions at production locations within its control.
28.2 The Contractor shall be informed in advance of unusual hazards or production conditions relevant to the services, including work at height, work near or on water, hazardous locations, unusual electrical requirements, restricted access or similar circumstances.
28.3 The Contractor may refuse or suspend any instruction, equipment setup, rigging operation, electrical setup, driving or other activity reasonably considered unsafe or unlawful.
28.4 Such refusal shall not constitute a breach of contract where based on reasonable safety concerns.
28.5 The Contractor shall not be required to operate equipment outside its intended specifications or contrary to applicable safety requirements.
29. Technical Failure
29.1 Equipment supplied by the Contractor shall be prepared and maintained with reasonable professional care.
29.2 Technical failures may nevertheless occur despite appropriate preparation and maintenance.
29.3 Where reasonably possible, the Contractor will attempt to provide a replacement, alternative solution or reasonable workaround.
29.4 In the event of an unforeseeable technical failure not caused by a breach of the Contractor’s contractual duties, the Contractor shall not be liable for resulting production delays or consequential losses.
The liability provisions of Section 30 remain unaffected.
H. LIABILITY
30. Liability of the Contractor
30.1 The Contractor shall be liable without limitation for intentional misconduct and gross negligence and in all cases where liability cannot legally be excluded or limited.
30.2 Liability for injury to life, body or health and other mandatory statutory liability remains unaffected.
30.3 In cases of simple negligence involving an essential contractual obligation, liability shall be limited to foreseeable damage typical for the respective contract, to the extent permitted by law.
30.4 To the extent legally permissible, liability for indirect or consequential losses, including loss of profit, loss of opportunity or production downtime, is excluded except where covered by the preceding paragraphs.
I. PRICES, EXPENSES & PAYMENT
31. Prices and VAT
31.1 Prices are determined by the respective quotation or booking confirmation.
31.2 Unless expressly stated otherwise, all prices are net prices and statutory VAT shall be added where applicable.
31.3 Labour, equipment, mileage, transportation, additional crew, expenses and third-party costs may be stated and invoiced separately.
32. Expenses and Transportation
32.1 Mileage, fuel, parking, tolls, accommodation, flights, trains, freight and other production-related expenses may be charged separately where applicable.
32.2 Mileage shall be charged at the rate stated in the respective quotation or booking confirmation.
32.3 Where the production schedule makes safe return travel unreasonable, the Contractor may require suitable accommodation at the Client’s expense.
33. Payment
33.1 Invoices are payable within the payment period stated on the respective invoice without deduction.
33.2 Deposits or advance payments may be required for larger equipment bookings, subrentals, travel expenses or other significant advance commitments.
33.3 In the event of late payment, statutory default interest and other legally recoverable costs may be charged.
J. CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
34. Production Information and Permissions
34.1 Unless expressly agreed otherwise, the Client is responsible for obtaining necessary production permits, location permissions, parking permissions, road closures and other production approvals.
34.2 The Client shall provide accurate information regarding locations, access, power availability, production requirements, schedules and other circumstances relevant to the Contractor’s work and equipment.
34.3 Additional costs resulting from incomplete, incorrect or subsequently changed information may be charged separately.
K. CONFIDENTIALITY & REFERENCES
35. Confidentiality and Portfolio Use
35.1 Confidential production information shall be treated appropriately and expressly agreed confidentiality or non-disclosure obligations shall be observed.
35.2 Following public release of a Production, the Contractor may identify the Production, Client and the Contractor’s role as a professional reference where legally permissible and unless otherwise agreed.
35.3 Publicly released production material may be used for the Contractor’s portfolio and professional self-promotional purposes where the Contractor has the necessary rights or permission to do so.
35.4 Confidential, embargoed or unreleased production material shall not be published without appropriate permission.
L. FORCE MAJEURE
36. Force Majeure
36.1 Neither party shall be liable for failure to perform caused by circumstances outside its reasonable control, including natural disasters, governmental restrictions, major infrastructure failures or comparable events.
36.2 Services already performed and unavoidable third-party costs incurred prior to such an event remain payable.
M. GOVERNING LAW & FINAL PROVISIONS
37. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
37.1 These Terms and all contractual relationships between the Contractor and the Client shall be governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.
37.2 The place of jurisdiction shall be determined in accordance with applicable law.
Where an agreement on jurisdiction is legally permissible, Frankfurt am Main, Germany shall be the agreed place of jurisdiction.
38. Final Provisions
38.1 Individual agreements contained in a quotation, booking confirmation, deal memo or other agreement in text form shall take precedence over these Terms.
38.2 Amendments and additions may be made in text form, including email.
38.3 If any provision of these Terms is or becomes invalid or unenforceable, the validity of the remaining provisions shall remain unaffected.