Maintain a source register for video footage

Classify footage by how it was obtained

The deliverable is a register that traces each asset ID to its origin and uses. Classify clips as purchased, supplied without payment, recorded in-house or generated. For generated clips, retain the service, generation date and selected file rather than one undifferentiated folder named after the service.

Treat questions about depicted products, logos or people separately from obtaining the file. Downloading a clip or paying for it does not by itself establish that every proposed distribution is covered. Unresolved conditions should remain visible in the register until a decision is made.

Link every clip to durable evidence

Useful fields include asset ID, source URL, creator, acquisition date, terms review date, evidence location, proposed use and reviewer. For an original recording, include the shoot and project reference. For a generated clip, link the saved prompt and available generation history.

If processed variants receive separate IDs, retain the parent asset ID. Cropping and colour adjustments should not sever provenance. Match the names used in the editing project to the register, so a selected timeline clip can be traced back to the exact acquired or generated file.

Review the intended use before inserting footage

Separate a candidate collection from material approved for publication. Before inserting a clip into the final edit, compare the proposed medium, advertising, client delivery, language versions and later revisions against the recorded conditions. Hold unresolved assets outside the approved collection.

Where attribution is required, identify both the text and its intended location, then verify it in the released file or description. Record timeline appearances as well. A later replacement is much easier when the register identifies where the footage appears rather than simply saying that a project used it.

Example: three sources in one short video

In a fictional product video, F-101 is an original wide shot, F-102 is purchased background footage and F-103 is a generated abstract transition. Each has its own source record. Use the verified product recording to communicate the product’s actual shape and function.

If F-103 introduces a different product shape, exclude it from explanatory scenes. Successful generation and suitability for a factual demonstration are different decisions. This example illustrates the relationship between a register and an editing choice; it is not a report of a tested production or a promise about a generator’s accuracy.

Use the register for replacements

If the source page disappears, review the retained evidence and describe what can still be established. Do not silently carry an uncertain permission into the next project. Once replacement is required, use the asset ID to list video versions and destinations affected.

After changing the footage, review captions and narration for references to the removed scene. Compare the corrected local file with each published version. Return the outcome to the register, including destinations still awaiting replacement, so a completed edit is not confused with completed public correction.

Keep the register proportionate to the production

A spreadsheet and organised folders can support a small set of videos. Where filming, editing and approval belong to different people, define who adds an asset and who authorises publication. Budget separately for acquired footage, generation, storage and editor access.

The purpose is not to write a long essay about every temporary file. The register should explain the provenance of material actually used in a public video and expose unresolved conditions before release. If the backlog is large, establish complete records for selected assets first, then work through the wider candidate archive.

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