Raw Footage Handoff Checklist: Everything Your Editor Needs

Handing off raw footage to an editor sounds simple—just share the files, right? In practice, a disorganized handoff can cost your editor hours of detective work before they cut a single frame. For marketing teams producing video content regularly, a clean raw footage handoff is one of the highest-leverage habits you can build. It shortens turnaround times, reduces back-and-forth, and protects against expensive mistakes like a re-shoot nobody wanted.

This checklist covers everything an editor needs to receive, understand, and immediately start working with your footage.

Before You Even Leave the Shoot

The handoff starts on set, not in the cloud. A few habits during production will save everyone time downstream.

Label cards and drives on the spot

When a camera card fills up, label it immediately with a marker or tape: camera letter, date, and card number (e.g., A-2024-09-12-C1). Do the same for any field drives. Mixing up cards after the fact is a surprisingly common way to lose footage or create continuity confusion.

Log your takes in real time

A simple shot log—even a Google Sheet or a notes app—should capture:

Scene or segment name
Take number
Camera (if multi-cam)
Whether the take was good, NG (no good), or a circle take (director's pick)
Any notes about audio issues, flubs, or lighting changes

This log becomes gold for an editor who wasn't on set. It tells them where to focus first.

Back up before you hand anything over

Never hand over your only copy. Before the drive leaves your hands, verify that at least two copies exist on separate physical media or cloud locations. This is non-negotiable.

Video File Organization: The Folder Structure

Good video file organization is the single biggest gift you can give an editor. A consistent, logical folder structure means they spend time editing, not searching.

Here's a folder structure that works for most productions:

PROJECT_NAME/
├── 01_RAW_FOOTAGE/
│   ├── A_CAM/
│   ├── B_CAM/
│   └── DRONE/
├── 02_AUDIO/
│   ├── BOOM/
│   └── LAVS/
├── 03_ASSETS/
│   ├── MUSIC/
│   ├── GRAPHICS/
│   └── LOGOS/
├── 04_DOCUMENTS/
│   ├── SHOT_LOG/
│   ├── SCRIPT/
│   └── BRIEF/
└── 05_EXPORTS/

A few rules that make this structure actually work:

Use underscores, not spaces in file and folder names. Spaces cause problems in some editing applications and command-line tools.
Keep camera original files in their native container. Don't transcode before handing off unless you've agreed on a proxy workflow with your editor ahead of time.
Don't rename individual media files from their camera-generated names unless you have a clear system. Renaming clips inconsistently is a frequent source of broken links in project files.

The Handoff Document: What to Include

A folder of files isn't a handoff—it's a pile. A short handoff document turns that pile into a project. This doesn't need to be long; one page is usually enough.

Project brief summary

Include the deliverable specs upfront:

Final video length (e.g., 90-second cut + 30-second social cut)
Aspect ratios needed (16:9, 9:16, 1:1)
Platform destinations (YouTube, Instagram, internal use)
Deadline for first rough cut

Technical specs

Tell your editor what they're working with:

Camera(s) used and codec (e.g., Sony FX3, XAVC-S, 4K 25fps)
Frame rate and resolution for each camera
Audio setup (dual-system audio? Scratch audio on camera? Wireless lavs?)
Color profile (S-Log, HLG, Rec.709, etc.) — this matters for color grading

Music and assets

If you have licensed music, include the license file alongside the audio files. Editors need to know if a track is licensed for the platform you're publishing on. Include brand guidelines or any graphics templates if relevant.

Interview timecodes or selects

For interview-heavy content, consider providing rough timecodes of the best answers. This is the single most time-saving thing you can do if interviews ran long. Even a note like