7 ways video editors collaborate with clients

Why should a video editor collaborate with clients at all?

A video editor collaborates with clients because the video is for them, and the decisions along the way need their input. It usually makes the work better, and it's a sign of a professional: keeping clients in the loop, showing them progress and involving them at decision points shows you have a structure and a method.

• The video is for them. Ask the client, or whoever the video is for, whether they're happy. It sounds obvious, but it's easy to go quiet for a week and come back with a cut nobody asked for.
• Decisions need their input before you go further. The structure, the music, which take, which look: each one shapes everything after it. A quick check at each point saves redoing the work later.
• It gives them ownership. Involving clients in decisions, even in small ways, makes them part of the process. They're more likely to enjoy it and to value the finished film, and that reflects well on you.
• You see the edit through your own lens. Every editor does. Inviting other people's ideas often gets you past it, and leads to better work.
• It saves time in the long run. Checkpoints and revision rounds bring big changes out early. A change that arrives after picture lock can be hard to make, and can undo work you've already moved on from.
• An approval is your record. If each version ends with an approval, you know what was signed off and when. When someone later wants to change something that was already approved, you have that record to point to, which saves a lot of hassle.

In the editors' threads we've read, the pain that comes up most is feedback scattered across email, WhatsApp and calls. Each of the seven ways below keeps it in one place and makes it easy for the client to say what they think.

1: Why send one review link instead of a file?

Send one review link instead of a file because the client can open it straight away and leave notes right on the video. A file has to be downloaded, played somewhere else and written about in an email.

• It opens in the browser, on a computer or a phone, with nothing to install.
• There's no account. On SceneNote, reviewers just type their name the first time they leave a note.
• It's the same link every round. New versions go on the same link, so nobody hunts through old emails for the latest cut.

How to share a video for review and sign-off covers setting it up.

2: How do you get client notes on the exact frame?

Get client notes on the exact frame by letting them pause and comment on the video itself, so every note is pinned to its moment. “The bit in the café” becomes a note on 1:35 that you can jump straight to.

• Timestamped notes for one moment.
• Range notes for a whole stretch, like a section where the music is too loud.
• Drawing on the paused frame, for “this thing here”.
• Voice notes, up to 60 seconds, for clients who'd rather talk than type.

How to get clear feedback on a video from a client goes further.

3: Why brief the client before they press play?

Brief the client before they press play because what they're told decides what notes come back. If nobody says the grade isn't done, someone will tell you it looks flat.

In SceneNote, a pre-watch note shows on the player before the reviewer presses play. Keep it short and cover three things:

• What this cut is: “First assembly, for story only.”
• What isn't done yet: “The grade isn't done yet, so it will look flat, and the music is temporary.”
• What you need from them: “Does the order of the interviews work for you?”

How to present a cut to a client professionally has a template you can copy.

4: How do you turn open questions into choices?

Turn open questions into choices by giving the client two or three options and a poll to pick from. “What do you think of the ending?” invites a paragraph. “Ending A or ending B?” gets a decision.

• Show the options, in the cut or as clear descriptions.
• Add a poll on that moment, so everyone votes in the same place.
• The result stays on record, next to the moment it's about.

How to let a client choose between edit options walks through it.

5: How do you keep every version in one place and sign off clearly?

Keep every version in one place by adding each new cut as a version on the same link, and sign off clearly with an approval that records who approved and when.

• Each round is a version (v1, v2, v3), and each keeps its own notes.
• Older versions become read-only when a new one goes up, so new notes always land on the latest cut.
• The client presses Approve when they're happy. Their name and the date are recorded where everyone on the link can see them.
• Close feedback when you're done. It stops new notes and replies until you reopen it.

How to manage versions of a video edit explains versions in more detail.

6: Why review stills and thumbnails next to the video?

Review stills and thumbnails next to the video because they're often part of the same job, and the client should judge them in the same place. A YouTube thumbnail, a poster, graded stills or a set of social covers all get the same kind of notes as the cut.

An image set in SceneNote works like a video project. The client pins a note on the exact spot, drags an area or draws on the image, and votes in a poll if you're offering options.

How to send images alongside a video covers it step by step.

7: How do you take client notes straight to your timeline?

Take client notes straight to your timeline by exporting them as markers for DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro. Most of the time the review room is all you need, but on a long cut with a lot of notes, markers let you work through them in timeline order.

How to get client notes into your editing software covers every option, including a CSV for a spreadsheet.

Which SceneNote tool fits which moment?

Each moment in a client collaboration has a tool that fits it.

What does this look like on a real project?

Bryn NorthFilmmaker and creative director, since 2013 · SceneNote team

I check in with the client at every big creative decision: the rough structure, the voiceover, the music, the grade, and again before the final polish. There's nothing worse than spending days on the final tweaks, the grade and the sound design, getting it looking perfect, and then the client wants a big part of the structure changed. Not asking has definitely cost me in the past.

The catch is that clients find it hard to picture the finished film without colour and sound, because those are the things that make a film feel good without you noticing. So when I send a first draft, I leave a pre-watch note saying it won't feel polished yet and that I only want notes on the story or the voiceover for now. They don't get distracted, and we lock the big decisions in early.

And clients do make the work better. As filmmakers we can get caught up in how cinematic a shot is or how beautiful a track is, and lose sight of what the film is actually for. The client knows exactly what they need it to do. I'll always go back and forth and defend my creative choices, but the client has the final say.

Before SceneNote it was email, WhatsApp and calls, scattered over days, and I'd miss things. Now there's one source of truth. They draw on the frame instead of sending me screenshots, and they leave a voice note when tone matters. Being able to make a sound effect with your mouth instead of typing it out is a huge win. And when they hit Approve, I know I'm done and can do the final export.

How to handle common problems

The client answers by email instead

Some clients will always reply by email. If they've switched on email alerts, replying to a SceneNote email puts their reply under the note, so it still lands in the project. If they send you a separate email, add their points to the project as notes yourself, so everything stays in one list.

Five people's notes contradict each other

Ask the client to agree who has the final say before the round starts. When two notes pull in different directions, reply under them, @mention both people and ask them to settle it. If it's a genuine choice, turn it into a poll. How to manage feedback from multiple reviewers has more.

The client goes quiet before the deadline

Send a short nudge with the link and one clear question, rather than “any thoughts?”. On Pro, you can also set a feedback deadline, and SceneNote sends reviewers a reminder the day before.

FAQ

What's the simplest way to collaborate with a client on a video edit?

Send one review link, brief the client before they watch, ask at each decision point with clear choices, keep every round as a version on the same link, and finish with an approval on record.

Related guides

Bryn North

Filmmaker and creative director · part of the team behind SceneNote

Bryn North is a filmmaker and creative director who has been making films since 2013, mostly documentaries and travel films, with a soft spot for stories about cultural heritage. He has directed, shot and edited launch films for DJI, worked with brands like Audi and Samsung and with a number of tourism boards, and some of his personal travel films have had millions of views. Working with a new client almost every month, he found that most of the job was communication, and that every client gave feedback differently. SceneNote is his answer: one simple way for clients to leave detailed notes and talk them through.

More guides by Bryn →