In short
- Check against your own quote: every agreed video and file should be there.
- Play each file on the devices and screens where it will really be used.
- Read every name, title, number and caption on screen.
- Write open items in one list and agree how and when they are fixed before you accept.
Before you accept the final video, check three things: that every agreed file is there, that each one plays properly where you will use it, and that everything shown or written on screen is correct. Put anything open in one list and agree how it will be fixed before you sign off.
Why does acceptance need its own check?
Accepting often marks the end of the editor’s work and sometimes the start of a payment or an archive. After that, changes can be harder to ask for. A calm, structured check at this point is cheaper than discovering a spelling error after the video is posted.
Acceptance is also different from giving feedback on a draft. At draft stage you shape the film. At acceptance you confirm it matches what was agreed. See how to give useful feedback on a draft for the earlier stage.
Check 1: Is everything that was agreed there?
Open your quote or written agreement and list every output. Then compare it with what arrived.
| Item to confirm | Question |
|---|---|
| Each video | Is every agreed video present, such as a highlight film, a full recording and short clips? |
| Versions | Are all language, length and format versions delivered? |
| Captions or subtitles | Included if agreed, and in the formats you need? |
| Raw footage or extras | Delivered only if they were part of the agreement |
| Names of files | Clear enough to tell versions apart? |
| Delivery method | Do the links work, and do you know when they expire? |
If a video is missing, say so early. If something was never agreed, treat it as a new request, not an error.
Check 2: Does it play where you need it?
A file can look perfect on the editor’s computer and fail elsewhere. Test each one on:
- The actual screen or projector for the event, if it will be shown in a hall.
- A phone and a laptop, if people will watch at home or at work.
- The platform you will upload to, if it is for social media or a website. Upload privately first.
- A computer with a slower connection, if viewers will stream rather than download.
Look and listen for jumps, frozen frames, sound that goes missing or changes volume, black bars at the edges, and sound out of step with lips. Ask the editor if you are unsure whether something is a fault.
Check 3: Is the content correct?
Read the screen as carefully as you watch it.
- Names and titles. Compare each with your written list. Titles such as “Dato’”, “Dr.” or “Ustaz” are easy to get wrong.
- Logos and graphics. Right version, right colours, not stretched.
- Numbers and dates. Prices, dates and statistics shown on screen should match your source.
- Captions and translations. Read in the language you know and ask a fluent speaker to check the rest. See checking subtitles and translations and names, titles and logos.
- Moments and people. Are the key speeches and people you listed included? If a moment is absent, see when essential footage is missing.
What do I do with open items?
- Write them in one list with timecodes and say which file each belongs to.
- Mark each as a fact to correct, a technical fault or a new request.
- Send the list once, and ask the editor to confirm what is covered by the agreement and what is not.
- Check the corrected files with the same list before you accept.
The final video acceptance checklist gives you a form for this. If the changes involve charges, video revisions, corrections and scope-change charges explains how these are usually separated.
What we confirm before delivery
- How long you have to review the files, and how acceptance is confirmed.
- Which corrections are covered, and which count as new work.
- How long the delivery links work.
- Whether we keep a copy of the files, and for how long.
After you accept, store copies safely. Our guide to keeping and reusing event recordings explains how.
If you have raw footage to be edited and want the acceptance checks written into the scope, see editing your event footage.
If you are about to commission an edit and want the acceptance checks written into the scope, send us the outputs you expect and where the video will be played.
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