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First, define "round" first, or lose
A revision round is one consolidated set of feedback, delivered together, followed by one updated cut. Write that sentence into your contract. Without it, "round one" becomes a six-week trickle of emails from four stakeholders, each arriving after you've addressed the last. The consolidation requirement is doing more work than the number.
Why two is the industry's quiet standard
Round one catches the real problems: wrong shot, wrong emphasis, the CEO's name misspelled. Round two polishes. A third round almost never improves the film; it relitigates taste. Two included rounds respect the client's voice while forcing feedback discipline: when people know rounds are finite, they gather their notes, rank them, and send them once. Unlimited revisions produce the opposite: feedback becomes casual, deadlines evaporate, and the project ends by abandonment rather than approval.
Price the third round, don't forbid it
Some projects legitimately need more: new stakeholders appear, strategy shifts mid-edit. Fine: that's billable. "Additional rounds at $X" in the contract turns scope creep into revenue instead of resentment. Clients don't resent the line item; they resent surprises.
The script for the awkward moment
"Happy to make these changes! Quick heads-up: this would be round three, and the project includes two, so this round bills at $X per our agreement. Want me to proceed?" Sent cheerfully, this email works nearly every time, and roughly half the time the feedback shrinks to what actually matters, which was the point of the cap all along.
Make the count visible
Half of revision drama is that nobody knows which round they're in. Fix the bookkeeping: track rounds where the client can see them, timestamp the feedback, keep every version. When the count is visible, the conversation about round three starts itself.
The wording to put in your contract
Here is sample wording. Adapt it, and have a lawyer check it for where you work.
This agreement includes two rounds of revisions. A round is one set of notes, gathered together and sent at one time, followed by one updated cut. Extra rounds are billed at $150 an hour, quoted before the work starts. Notes received more than 10 business days after a cut is sent count as a new round.
Sample round pricing
| Job size | Included rounds | Each extra round |
|---|---|---|
| Under $5,000 | 2 | $250 to $400 |
| $5,000 to $20,000 | 2 | $400 to $800 |
| Over $20,000 | 2 or 3 | A quoted change order |
These are sample figures, so price a round from your own edit rate. A round at 3 hours of $120 is $360. The sum matters less than saying it before the job starts.
What counts as a round
| Situation | A round? |
|---|---|
| A single list of notes from the client | Yes |
| Three people sending notes separately over a week | One round, if you ask them to merge |
| A typo in a lower third you made | No, that is your fix |
| A new script line the client wrote | Yes, or a change order |
| The CEO seeing it for the first time at round three | Yes |
| A change to the approved script after shooting | A change order |
The script for round three
"Happy to make those changes. We have used the two rounds in the agreement, so this one is $360, and I can have it back by Thursday. Shall I go ahead?"
Say the price, and give a date. A client will often say yes, or find they can live with the cut.
In Cutvey the rounds are counted against what the client signed, and the extra round's invoice is drafted for you, to send or to skip. Our review guide covers how to get notes that do not need a third round.