What Should Be in Your Video Deliverables List

A surprising number of video quotes never say what's actually being delivered. They say "final video" and leave it there, with nothing about formats, file quality, ownership, or what happens when you need a different version six months later.

It's much easier to sort this out before the shoot than after. Here's what I'd want spelled out.

Formats and aspect ratios

A single landscape (16:9) file rarely covers how video gets used now. If it's going on social media, you'll probably need vertical (9:16) and square or 4:5 versions too.

This matters more than people think, because a good vertical version is a re-edit, not a crop. Framing and pacing that work in landscape often fall apart when you slice a vertical strip out of the middle. Faces end up cut off, text doesn't fit, and the shots that looked great wide suddenly show nothing.

If vertical versions are part of the plan, I need to know on the shoot day so I can frame with both in mind. On the Hnry Sole Trader campaign, for example, the hero film came with a set of shorter cuts for YouTube pre-roll, landscape social and portrait social. That only works cleanly when it's planned from the start.

A master file you actually keep

The files you upload to your website and Instagram are compressed. They look fine on a phone, but they aren't what you want to keep long term.

Ask for a high-resolution master of every final edit and store it somewhere safe. If you ever need to re-export for a new platform, show it on a big screen at an event, or hand it to another editor, the master is what you'll need.

Captions

Most social video is watched with the sound off, so captions aren't optional anymore. There are two types, and it's worth knowing which you're getting:

• Burned-in captions are part of the picture. They always show, they can be styled to match your brand, and they can't be turned off.
• Caption files (SRT) are separate text files uploaded alongside the video. Viewers can switch them on or off, and they're better for accessibility and for YouTube search.

Often the right answer is both: burned-in for social cutdowns and a caption file for the main version on your website or YouTube.

Raw footage and usage rights

These two get skipped the most, and they're where awkward conversations happen later.

Raw footage. Is it included? Some clients want every clip for their internal team to use later. Others never need it. Neither is wrong, but it affects price and storage, so it should be agreed upfront.

Usage rights. What are you allowed to do with the video? Internal use only, your website and organic social, or paid advertising too? For a set period or indefinitely? If there's licensed music, its licence has its own terms that might be narrower than the video's.

Ask what you can't do with the files, not just what you can.

A checklist to send before booking

Copy this and ask your videographer to fill in the answers:

1. Which aspect ratios are included, and are vertical versions re-edited or cropped?
2. Will I get a high-resolution master of each final edit?
3. Are captions included? Burned-in, a file, or both?
4. Is raw footage included? How long will it be stored?
5. What usage rights come with the finished video and the music?
6. How many rounds of changes are included?

None of this is complicated, and a good videographer should be happy to answer it in writing. Setting out formats, files and rights before the shoot takes five minutes and saves a much longer conversation later. If the answers come back vague, ask again until they aren't. It's your video, and you should know exactly what you're allowed to do with it.