TERMS & CONDITIONS

 

Hatiwave Studios Ltd

Registered in England and Wales
Company Number: 17088199
Registered Office: Hatiwave Studios, 61 Bridge Street, Kington, HR5 3DJ, United Kingdom
Contact Email: ben@hatiwave.com
Website: www.hatiwave.com

Last updated: 23 September 2026

 

These Terms & Conditions apply to services supplied by Hatiwave Studios Ltd (“Hatiwave”, “we”, “us”) to the person, filmmaker, production company, organisation or other party booking those services (“the Client”).

A project-specific quotation, service agreement or written scope may contain additional terms. Where there is a conflict, the project-specific agreement will take priority for that project, except where doing so would affect rights that cannot legally be excluded.

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1. OUR SERVICES

Hatiwave provides professional post-production audio services including dialogue editing and restoration, ambience and world building, Foley, sound effects and sound design, music integration, original scoring, re-recording mixing and delivery.

Website calculators provide an estimated project range only. Final pricing is confirmed after Hatiwave has reviewed the project requirements, available materials and agreed scope.

Unless otherwise stated, quotations are valid for 30 days from the date of issue.

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2. FULL POST-PRODUCTION

Full Post-Production includes the agreed editorial stages required to take a project from supplied production audio through to a finished soundtrack.

Depending on the agreed project scope, this may include dialogue restoration and editorial, ambience and world building, Foley, character movement, sound effects and sound design, music integration, original scoring where commissioned, re-recording mix, quality control and agreed final deliverables.

Hatiwave will determine the appropriate level of editorial detail required by the film and agreed scope. We do not undertake unnecessary work purely to fill tracks where it does not benefit the story.

Full Post-Production currently includes up to five consolidated revision rounds, unless otherwise stated in the project agreement.

 

3. MICRO BUDGET & TAILORED SERVICES

Micro Budget & Tailored Services allow Clients to book selected areas of sound post-production rather than a complete soundtrack.

Only the services listed in the agreed project scope will be completed.

Where Re-recording Mix is not selected, Hatiwave is supplying prepared editorial elements rather than a finished soundtrack.

Editorial stems will normally be supplied as organised mono and/or stereo files running from 00:00 to the full agreed picture length and prepared for import into an appropriate mixing session.

The Client or their appointed mixer remains responsible for final balancing, EQ adjustments, dynamics, spatial placement, automation, arrangement, stereo or surround routing and final master delivery.

Editorial decisions will be made with the story and intended final result in mind, but further adjustments may naturally be required during the final mix.

Tailored projects currently include up to three consolidated revision rounds, unless otherwise agreed.

 

4. STUDENT FILMS, PROOF-OF-CONCEPTS & SHORT PROJECTS

The fixed £150 Student / POC package applies to eligible projects of up to 5 minutes.

The package includes basic dialogue cleanup, ambience and world building, key Foley and sound effects, integration of supplied music and a final stereo mix.

The package includes one consolidated revision round.

ADR, extensive forensic dialogue restoration, original composition, 5.1 surround mixing and other work outside the stated package are not included unless separately agreed and quoted before work begins.

Projects exceeding five minutes will require a separate quotation or selection of another Hatiwave service.

 

5. REVISION ROUNDS & CHANGES OF SCOPE

A revision round means one consolidated set of reasonable feedback relating to the agreed creative direction and project scope.

Clients should provide feedback in a clear and consolidated form wherever reasonably possible. Multiple messages containing related feedback may be treated as part of the same revision round.

A revision is not the same as a change of scope.

New or replacement scenes, picture changes, newly supplied performances, additional deliverables, substantial changes to previously approved creative direction, additional scoring, significant restructuring or work not included within the original agreement may require an additional quotation and revised schedule.

No additional chargeable work will be undertaken without first discussing it with the Client.

 

6. PROJECT MATERIALS & PICTURE LOCK

The Client is responsible for supplying all project materials reasonably required to complete the agreed work in an appropriate and usable format.

This may include the correct picture version, production audio, frame rate, timecode information, music, reference material, scripts, cue sheets and relevant delivery specifications.

Unless specifically agreed otherwise, projects should be supplied at picture lock.

Changes to the picture after work has begun may require audio reconforming, additional editorial or remixing. Where this creates additional work, Hatiwave may revise the fee and completion date after discussing the changes with the Client.

The Client is responsible for ensuring that the supplied picture version, frame rate and other technical information are correct.

The Client should retain independent backups of all original production and project files supplied to Hatiwave.

 

7. PRODUCTION AUDIO & RESTORATION LIMITATIONS

Hatiwave will perform dialogue restoration and other technical work with reasonable care and skill.

Audio restoration is dependent on the quality and availability of the source recordings.

Severe clipping, distortion, microphone handling noise, clothing rustle, body noise, missing dialogue, excessive background noise, poor microphone placement and other recording problems may not always be capable of completely transparent repair.

Where appropriate, Hatiwave may recommend alternative boom or lavalier sources, wild lines, ADR or another solution.

Hatiwave does not guarantee that technically compromised source audio can always be restored invisibly, but will use reasonable professional judgement to achieve the strongest result reasonably available from the supplied material.

 

8. MUSIC SUPPLIED BY THE CLIENT

Where music is supplied by the Client, the Client confirms that they hold, or have obtained, all licences, permissions and rights necessary for the intended use of that music.

The Client is responsible for confirming that any music licence covers the intended:

Film, programme, commercial or other production;

Media and platforms;

Distribution methods;

Promotional use;

Duration of use;

Licence term;

Geographic territories; and

Worldwide distribution where applicable.

Hatiwave is not responsible for determining whether a Client-supplied music licence is adequate for the intended release unless checking or sourcing those rights has specifically formed part of Hatiwave’s agreed scope.

Where commercially released or otherwise copyrighted music is supplied by the Client, Hatiwave may proceed on the basis that the Client has obtained the necessary permissions unless we have been informed otherwise.

If a project later expands into additional territories, platforms, broadcasters, distributors, advertising uses or other exploitation outside the original licence, the Client is responsible for confirming that the music remains correctly licensed.

Hatiwave may refuse to incorporate material where there is a reasonable concern that the Client does not have the necessary permission to use it.

 

9. MUSIC SOURCED BY HATIWAVE

Where Hatiwave is commissioned to source licensed music, we will do so based on the intended use, platforms, distribution methods and territories communicated to us by the Client.

Any third-party music remains subject to the licence terms imposed by its rights holder, music library or licensing provider.

Hatiwave will provide the relevant licence information or documentation available to us.

Once this information has been supplied, the Client is responsible for retaining the documentation and complying with the licence conditions.

Hatiwave does not guarantee indefinite storage of third-party music licences or related documents following completion and archival of a project.

If the Client’s intended distribution subsequently changes, the Client is responsible for checking whether additional or replacement rights are required.

 

10. ORIGINAL MUSIC & CUSTOM SCORE

Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, copyright in original compositions and recordings created by Hatiwave remains with Hatiwave Studios Ltd and/or the relevant composer or creator.

Once all agreed fees have been paid, the Client will receive a licence to use commissioned original music as part of the agreed film, programme, commercial or other production.

Unless otherwise agreed, that licence also permits use of the music as incorporated into reasonable trailers, promotional material, festival submissions, broadcasts, streaming releases, physical releases and other distribution of the agreed project.

Unless the project agreement states otherwise, this licence will be perpetual and worldwide for exploitation of the agreed project.

The Client does not acquire ownership of the composition, master recording or underlying intellectual property solely because the music was commissioned.

Standalone soundtrack release, reuse in another film or production, resale, relicensing, library distribution or exploitation independently from the agreed project requires separate written permission unless already included within the project agreement.

If a broadcaster, distributor, financier, platform or other third party later requires an assignment of copyright or another form of music rights, this must be discussed and agreed separately.

 

11. BOOKING & PAYMENT

Following an enquiry, Hatiwave will discuss the project, review available material where appropriate and agree the scope, fee, deliverables and expected schedule.

A project is considered booked once the required agreement has been accepted and the required initial payment has cleared.

Unless another arrangement is agreed in writing, Clients may choose either:

Option 1 — 100% Payment
The full agreed project fee is paid before work begins.

Option 2 — 50/50 Payment
50% of the agreed project fee is paid before work begins, with the remaining 50% payable before final delivery.

Review copies or work-in-progress material may be supplied before the final balance is paid.

Final masters, stems, final deliverables and the final licensed right to use Hatiwave-created deliverables may be withheld until all sums due under the project agreement have cleared.

Where an invoice remains unpaid, Hatiwave may suspend further work and/or delivery until payment is received.

For qualifying business-to-business contracts, Hatiwave reserves all statutory rights relating to overdue commercial payments.

 

12. CLIENT CANCELLATION & REFUNDS

A Client may request cancellation of a project at any point.

Where cancellation takes place after work has begun, Hatiwave will calculate the reasonable value of work already completed together with any non-recoverable third-party costs or commitments directly associated with the project.

Amounts already paid will be applied against those sums.

Where the amount paid exceeds the reasonable value of completed work and unavoidable costs, any remaining refundable balance will be returned to the Client.

Where the reasonable value of work already completed exceeds the amount paid, Hatiwave may invoice for the outstanding amount properly attributable to work already supplied.

Hatiwave will take reasonable steps to reduce avoidable losses following cancellation.

Loss of production funding, changes to financing, abandonment of the production or a decision not to continue the project are treated as Client cancellation and do not automatically create an entitlement to a full refund.

As a project progresses, the refundable balance will naturally reduce.

Where completed work and unavoidable costs equal or exceed payments already received, no refund may remain due.

Cancellation charges will not be used as an arbitrary penalty and will instead reflect work actually undertaken, commitments entered into and other genuine losses resulting from the cancellation.

 

13. CONSUMER CANCELLATION RIGHTS

Where the Client is acting as an individual consumer rather than wholly or mainly for business purposes, statutory cancellation rights may apply to contracts agreed online, by email or otherwise at a distance.

Where those rights apply, the Consumer will normally have 14 days from entering into the service contract to cancel without giving a reason.

Where a Consumer wishes Hatiwave to begin providing services during that cancellation period, Hatiwave may require an express request from the Consumer confirming that work should begin early.

If the Consumer subsequently cancels after requested work has begun, the Consumer may be required to pay a proportionate amount for services supplied up to the point of cancellation.

Where the agreed service has been fully performed during the cancellation period following the Consumer’s express request for early performance and acknowledgement that their cancellation right will be lost once the service has been fully completed, the statutory cancellation right may cease.

Nothing in these Terms limits or removes cancellation rights or other statutory protections that apply by law.

 

14. DELIVERY DATES & DELAYS

Hatiwave will provide an expected completion date or working schedule when the project is agreed.

Unless specifically described in writing as a fixed deadline, completion dates should be treated as reasonable project estimates.

Client delays including late picture lock, missing files, incorrect files, replacement media, changes to scope, delayed feedback or changed delivery requirements may result in the project schedule being moved.

Where a Client-caused delay materially affects Hatiwave’s existing bookings or availability, a revised completion date will be agreed where reasonably possible.

If Hatiwave becomes aware of a significant delay on our side, we will inform the Client as soon as reasonably possible and propose a revised completion plan.

Where an expressly agreed fixed deadline is materially affected by circumstances within Hatiwave’s control, Hatiwave and the Client will work together to agree an appropriate remedy.

Any statutory rights relating to performance within an agreed or reasonable time remain unaffected.

 

15. EVENTS OUTSIDE REASONABLE CONTROL

Neither party will be treated as deliberately breaching the project schedule where performance is prevented or materially delayed by circumstances genuinely outside their reasonable control.

This may include serious illness or incapacity, major equipment or infrastructure failure, widespread service outages, natural events, fire, flood, power failure or other exceptional circumstances that could not reasonably have been avoided.

The affected party should notify the other as soon as reasonably possible and take reasonable steps to minimise the impact.

Where such circumstances make completion impractical, the parties may agree to reschedule or terminate the remaining work, with fees adjusted fairly to reflect work already completed and unavoidable costs.

 

16. CREATIVE APPROVAL, DISSATISFACTION & COMPLAINTS

Hatiwave will perform all agreed services with reasonable care and skill and in accordance with the agreed project scope and creative brief.

Film sound necessarily involves creative and subjective decisions.

Hatiwave cannot guarantee that every creative choice will match every personal preference where the agreed service has otherwise been properly performed.

If a Client believes that delivered work does not meet the agreed scope, brief or expected professional standard, they should notify Hatiwave and identify the specific areas of concern.

Hatiwave must be given a reasonable opportunity to review those concerns and, where appropriate, correct them.

Included revision rounds exist to address reasonable creative feedback within the agreed scope.

Where work meets the agreed brief but the Client later changes creative direction, requests substantially different work or wishes to replace previously approved decisions, this may constitute additional scope rather than correction of defective work.

A request for a refund based solely upon a change of creative preference does not automatically create an entitlement to a refund where the agreed services have been performed with reasonable care and skill.

Where Hatiwave has genuinely failed to perform the agreed service with reasonable care and skill or has otherwise failed to meet applicable legal obligations, any statutory remedies available to the Client remain unaffected.

 

17. DELIVERY & PROJECT FILES

Final deliverables will be those identified in the project agreement, accepted quotation or agreed written scope.

Unless specifically agreed otherwise, Hatiwave’s internal DAW sessions, templates, presets, processing chains, project-management documents, source libraries, working files and proprietary production tools are not included as deliverables.

The Client is responsible for downloading and safely backing up all final supplied files.

Hatiwave will normally retain reasonable project files for 90 days following final delivery.

After this period, files may be archived or permanently deleted and Hatiwave does not guarantee that a project can subsequently be restored.

Long-term archival may be available by separate agreement.

 

18. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN SOUND WORK

Once the project has been paid for in full, the Client may use the agreed finished Hatiwave audio deliverables as part of the agreed project and its normal distribution, exhibition, promotion and exploitation.

Hatiwave retains ownership of its pre-existing sound libraries, recording libraries, templates, workflows, presets, techniques, software configurations and other reusable production assets.

Third-party assets remain owned and licensed by their respective rights holders.

Unless specifically agreed otherwise, isolated sound assets supplied as part of a soundtrack may not be extracted for resale, standalone library distribution or use in unrelated productions.

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of Hatiwave’s reusable intellectual property, internal production systems or underlying tools.

 

19. CREDIT

Credit wording should accurately reflect the work undertaken by Hatiwave.

Where a credit is agreed as part of the project agreement, the Client will use the agreed wording where the production carries applicable credits.

Depending on the work completed, appropriate wording may include:

Sound Design & Re-recording Mix — Hatiwave
Dialogue Editor — Hatiwave
Sound Designer — Hatiwave
Additional Sound Editorial — Hatiwave
Sound Post-Production Support — Hatiwave

The final wording may be adjusted to accurately reflect the project scope.

A limited or tailored service does not imply that Hatiwave was responsible for areas of the soundtrack outside the agreed scope.

 

20. CONFIDENTIALITY & PORTFOLIO USE

Hatiwave will treat unreleased project material as confidential and will not intentionally publish or publicly share unreleased footage or audio without permission.

Project material may be shared with suitably qualified Hatiwave personnel, freelancers or subcontractors only where reasonably necessary to complete the agreed services.

Hatiwave will not assume permission to publish Client footage simply because work has been commissioned.

Where the Client grants portfolio permission, Hatiwave may use agreed clips, stills, audio examples, credits, before-and-after comparisons or other agreed material after public release of the project.

Any embargo, non-disclosure agreement or other agreed confidentiality requirement will take priority.

 

21. SUBCONTRACTORS

Hatiwave may engage suitably skilled freelancers, composers, editors, mixers or specialist subcontractors where appropriate to the project.

Where this occurs, Hatiwave remains responsible for managing and supplying the agreed Hatiwave service.

Project materials will only be supplied to subcontractors where reasonably necessary for them to carry out their assigned work.

 

22. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS & THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY

The Client is responsible for supplying any specific distributor, broadcaster, festival, platform, cinema or delivery specifications that Hatiwave is required to meet.

Hatiwave will prepare deliverables to the agreed specification using reasonable care and skill.

Hatiwave cannot be responsible for rejection caused solely by requirements that were not supplied or disclosed before delivery.

Hatiwave is not responsible for alterations, transcoding, remastering, remixing or other changes made to Hatiwave’s supplied masters by a Client or third party following delivery.

 

23. LIABILITY FOR CLIENT-SUPPLIED MATERIAL

The Client confirms that they have permission to provide Hatiwave with all film, audio, music, images and other materials required for the project.

Hatiwave is not responsible for defects inherent in supplied materials, missing or corrupt source files, rights infringements arising solely from unauthorised Client-supplied material, or alterations made by the Client or another third party after Hatiwave’s delivery.

This does not apply to the extent that a loss has been caused by Hatiwave’s own breach, negligence or failure to exercise reasonable care and skill.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricts a Consumer’s statutory rights.

 

24. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

The version of these Terms accepted when a project is booked will apply to that project.

Hatiwave may update its website Terms & Conditions from time to time.

Later changes to the website Terms will not retrospectively alter an existing project agreement unless both parties expressly agree to the change in writing.

 

25. ENTIRE AGREEMENT & WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

The accepted project agreement, agreed quotation, written project scope and these Terms together form the agreement between Hatiwave and the Client for the relevant project.

Any material change to the agreed scope, price, deliverables or project terms should be confirmed in writing.

Email and other agreed written electronic communication may be used for project approvals, revision requests and confirmation of agreed changes.

 

26. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be treated as removed or limited only to the extent necessary.

The remaining provisions will continue to apply.

 

27. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms and any project agreement are governed by the laws of England and Wales, subject to any mandatory legal protections that apply to the Client.

Nothing in these Terms is intended to remove or restrict rights that cannot legally be excluded.

 

28. CONTACT, CANCELLATIONS & COMPLAINTS

Questions about these Terms, formal cancellation requests and complaints should be sent to:

Hatiwave Studios Ltd
Company Number: 17088199
Registered Office: Hatiwave Studios, 61 Bridge Street, Kington, HR5 3DJ, United Kingdom
Contact Email: ben@hatiwave.com

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