What to send your video editor: a raw footage checklist
A great edit starts before the edit. The files and notes you send decide how fast it goes and how good it looks.
This is the checklist I wish every brand had in hand before sending me footage.
1. The footage itself
- Original files, not screen recordings and not files compressed through a chat app
- All takes, including the ones you think are bad. The best moment is often in a "bad" take
- Vertical and horizontal if you shot both
- Clean audio. If you recorded sound separately, send that too
- B-roll: product close-ups, hands, packaging, the product in use
2. The brand basics
- Logo files (the clear, high-quality versions)
- Fonts, or the font names
- Brand colours
- A link to a few videos or ads you like, and why
3. The brief (short is fine)
- Where will this run? Reels, TikTok, paid ads, YouTube, your site
- What is the goal? Sales, sign-ups, awareness
- Who is it for? One sentence about the viewer
- One key message. If the viewer remembers one thing, what is it?
- Anything that must be included: an offer, a legal line, a product name
- Anything to avoid
4. Music and sound
- Do you have licensed music, or should the editor suggest options?
- Any sounds or voiceover that must stay?
5. How feedback works
- One person gives feedback for the whole team, so notes do not conflict
- Notes are timestamped, for example "0:07, make the text larger"
- Everyone knows the deadline
6. Organise the folder
A shared folder with clear names saves time:
Brand name / Project name /
01 Footage
02 Brand assets
03 Brief
04 Music
Small things that make a big difference
- Shoot a little longer at the start and end of each clip
- Film the product from a few angles
- Keep the camera steady and the light consistent
- Record a clean line of audio even if you plan to add music
Summary
- Send originals, all takes, and clean audio.
- Include brand assets and a short brief.
- Have one person give feedback, with timestamps.
- A tidy folder saves everyone time.
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