This page exists so nothing about working with CINEM is a surprise: how the free demo works, what happens at each stage, when payments are due, and how long each type of project typically takes. Read this before you enquire, not after.
If you're considering a website, web app or mobile app, the first step is not a contract — it's a demo. We build a working preview of what your project could look like, and you review it against your own standards before deciding whether to move forward.
The commercial trigger is completed work, not an arbitrary date. These rules apply unless the signed proposal deliberately replaces one of them.
Milestone invoices are due within seven calendar days unless the signed proposal states another period.
Milestone 1 becomes payable only when the agreed scope is demonstrably 50% complete and available for review.
Milestone 2 becomes payable when the full agreed scope is complete and ready for production handover.
Work may pause while an undisputed invoice is overdue; the delivery date moves by the length of that pause.
Taxes, bank charges and third-party platform fees are paid by the party identified in the proposal.
Final production credentials, transferable source files and ownership handover occur after the final cleared payment.
For website, web app and app projects, we build a working demo first — no payment, no signed contract. You see real work before deciding anything.
You approve the demo, we agree the final scope, price and delivery date in writing. This is the point a project formally starts.
We build to the agreed scope. You get progress updates and can review work in motion, not just at the end.
Final delivery, source files, credentials and a walkthrough. Support windows are listed on each service's page.
These clauses are the standard baseline. The signed proposal records the client name, project scope, governing law and any negotiated changes, and takes priority if there is a conflict.
Clause 1
The signed proposal defines the product, pages, features, integrations, deliverables, exclusions and acceptance criteria. Anything not written into that scope is not included by implication. Estimates assume the client supplies required content, access and feedback on time.
Clause 2
A request that changes an approved flow, adds a feature, introduces a new integration or materially expands content is a scope change. CINEM will describe the impact on price and timeline in writing. No additional charge is incurred until the client approves that change.
Clause 3
Each milestone is presented for review against the written acceptance criteria. The client has five business days to provide one consolidated response. A deliverable is accepted when approved in writing, used in production, or no material scope-based defect is reported within that review period.
Clause 4
The client must provide accurate copy, brand assets, legal text, credentials, third-party approvals and a decision-maker with authority to approve work. Delays in these items move the delivery date by the same period and may require a revised production slot.
Clause 5
After final cleared payment, custom source code, approved design files and project-specific assets transfer to the client. CINEM retains ownership of pre-existing tools, reusable libraries and internal methods while granting the client a perpetual licence to any such elements embedded in the deliverable. Unless the proposal says otherwise, CINEM may identify the completed public project in its portfolio without disclosing confidential information.
Clause 6
Both parties must protect non-public business, technical and customer information using reasonable safeguards and disclose it only to people who need it for delivery. Credentials must be shared through an agreed secure channel. Each party remains responsible for its own privacy, employment and regulatory obligations.
Clause 7
Hosting, domains, app stores, payment processors, AI models, stock assets and external APIs are governed by their providers. Their fees are excluded unless expressly listed. CINEM is not responsible for a provider outage, policy change or account suspension, but will reasonably assist with mitigation under the agreed support scope.
Clause 8
For thirty days after launch, CINEM will correct reproducible defects that cause the delivered product to differ materially from the approved scope, at no extra charge. New features, content changes, third-party changes and problems caused by client edits fall outside this warranty and are quoted separately or handled under a support plan.
Clause 9
Either party may terminate for a material breach that remains uncured for ten business days after written notice. CINEM may pause work for an overdue undisputed invoice or missing client dependency. On termination, the client pays only for approved work completed and committed non-cancellable costs; completed paid work is handed over in its current state.
Clause 10
Neither party is liable for indirect, special or consequential losses. Except for fraud, deliberate misconduct, confidentiality breaches or unpaid fees, each party's aggregate liability is limited to fees paid under the relevant project. Neither party is responsible for delay caused by events reasonably outside its control. The signed proposal states the governing law and dispute forum for the client's jurisdiction.
Your signed proposal will insert the parties, exact scope, price, dates, jurisdiction and approved exceptions.
We don't invoice on a calendar — we invoice on completion. Half when the work is verifiably half done, the rest when it's finished. Nothing is due before the demo, and nothing is due until there's something to show for it.
When the project reaches 50% completion
Once the build is verifiably halfway through the agreed scope, we invoice the first half of the total project fee. Work continues once this is settled.
When the project reaches 100% completion
The remaining half is invoiced at full completion. Final source files, production deployment and account handover follow once this is settled.
"Completion" at each milestone is defined against the written scope agreed in step two of the process above — not a subjective estimate. For retainer-based services (social media, marketing, PR), this milestone structure doesn't apply; those run on a standard monthly billing cycle instead, detailed in the proposal.
These are typical timelines for a well-scoped project once step two — scope and agreement — is signed off. Larger or more complex builds are quoted individually during that step.
| Service | Typical timeline | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Website Development | 7–10 days | Custom marketing sites and corporate websites, engineered from scratch for speed and search. |
| Custom Software Development | 15 days | Bespoke systems for operations that off-the-shelf software cannot handle. |
| Mobile App Development | 20–30 days | Native and cross-platform iOS and Android apps, from concept to store approval. |
| Everything else | Varies by scope | Web applications, integrations, AI systems and retainer services are timed individually — see each service page for its typical range. |
Once the final payment clears, all source code, design files and assets produced for your project transfer to you outright. There are no ongoing licence fees.
Feedback rounds are built into the development stage against the agreed scope. Changes outside that scope are quoted separately rather than absorbed silently — you'll always see the number before agreeing to it.
Timelines assume timely feedback on our end and yours. If a project is cancelled after Milestone 1 is paid, work completed to that point remains delivered and billable; nothing is charged for work not yet done.
Tell us what you're building. If it's a website, web app or app, we'll come back with a working preview before asking you to sign or pay anything.
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