A version matrix lists every final video your project needs, with the purpose and requirements for each one. Use it before filming to agree which material can be shared, which scenes need alternatives and who approves every deliverable.
Start with the approved message and actual destinations. A request for one film plus social cutdowns still leaves decisions about length, framing, captions, language and audience. Those decisions affect what the production team needs to capture.
Define a deliverable as a complete combination
Give each requested version its own row. Record the audience, message, destination, frame shape, duration requirement, language and caption treatment. Avoid assuming that two aspect ratios and two languages amount to only two files.
If a requested version has no named user or destination, leave it as a proposal until the commissioning team decides whether it belongs in scope. More exports add review and delivery work even when they share footage.
Build the matrix before the shot list
The following is a blank specification sheet. Repeat the row for each agreed version; it is not a package or a promised quantity of deliverables.
| Version field | Decision to record |
|---|---|
| Identifier and purpose | A unique version name and the viewer question it answers. |
| Content | Main message, approved source material and any different opening or ending. |
| Destination | Actual publishing location, format specifications and upload owner. |
| Picture and sound | Aspect ratio, duration requirement, language and intended playback context. |
| Accessibility deliverables | Caption format and other requirements confirmed by the responsible team. |
| Review | Accuracy reviewer, final approver and required review sequence. |
| Delivery | File specification, deadline, receiving owner and status. |
Find the differences that change the shoot
Read across the rows with the director or producer. A vertical composition may need a different camera position or more space around a subject. A shorter edit may need a direct answer that the long interview never supplies. A different audience may need another demonstration rather than a new title card.
Turn those differences into an explicit capture list. Note alternate lines, product details, supporting footage and clean backgrounds needed for graphics. Confirm who supplies the product, location access and factual references.
For the whole project sequence, see the production process guide. The matrix adds detail to the deliverables section of that brief.
Track changes without losing the approved baseline
Keep a dated copy of the agreed matrix. When a new version is requested, record what changed and ask the producer to confirm the effect on editing, approvals, delivery and cost. Do not silently add the request to an old row that everyone believes is approved.
Use the scope comparison worksheet to discuss what is included. A version matrix describes the requested work; the agreed quote and scope establish what will be delivered.
Check every row at delivery
Match each exported filename to its row. Watch the actual file, check its dimensions and audio, read the captions and confirm that the intended approved message appears. Record the final approver and date beside that version.
For captions, W3C's guidance notes that automatic text needs accuracy checking. Keep caption review attached to the matching edit so an older caption file is not paired with a revised sequence.
Give the publishing owner the approved files and the current matrix. Ask them to confirm the upload and playback at the intended destination. Production delivery and publication are separate steps.
Bring the initial matrix when you talk with a producer. It gives the conversation a specific set of filming and editing requirements.
The original CMS record did not identify an individual author. This substantive revision was prepared and checked by Viva Media with AI assistance. No individual authorship or personal review is asserted.
