To let a client choose between edit options, create a poll pinned to the exact timecode, like “Keep the drone shot or cut to the interview?” Give two to five options, hide the results until people vote, and close the poll once there's a winner. The client gets a quick, clear choice, and the answer stays within what's possible.
The short version
- Pause on the moment the decision is about.
- Start a poll there, or across a section, or on the whole video.
- Write a short question with two to five options.
- Choose whether to hide results until people vote.
- Send the review link.
- Close the poll when you have a decision.
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Why give a client options instead of asking open questions?
Open questions invite open answers, and open answers aren't always doable. Ask “what do you think of the ending?” and you might get three paragraphs and a new idea that needs footage you don't have. Offer two endings you can actually deliver and you get a decision in ten seconds.
Options also help clients who aren't sure how to put a feeling into words. Picking between two things is much easier than describing a third. And when the team votes, the decision is theirs, so you're not the one making the final call alone.
Which decisions work well as a poll?
A poll works best when there are a few clear, deliverable choices. Some that come up all the time:
- Music: keep this track, or try something else?
- Keep or cut: the drone shot, the second testimonial, the blooper at the end.
- The story: keep a section, trim it or cut it, especially in interviews.
- The ending: three possible last shots.
- The mix: is the dialogue level right? Too loud, just right or too soft.
- The title: two or three wordings.
- The thumbnail: A, B or C.
- The structure: a cold open, or straight in.
- The look: grade A or grade B.
How do you set up a poll, step by step?
Setting up a poll in SceneNote takes about a minute.
- Pause on the moment the decision is about, or select a section for a range.
- Choose Poll instead of a note.
- Write the question and two to five options.
- Choose whether to hide results until each person has voted.
- Post it. Reviewers vote without an account, and can add a note to say why.
- Close the poll once there's a decision, which locks the result.
Anyone on the review link can ask a poll, not just you. That's handy when two reviewers disagree and one of them wants to put it to the group.
How do you write a good poll question?
A good poll question is short, names the moment, and offers options you're happy to deliver. A few that work:
Keep the drone shot here, or cut to the interview?
Which track for the opening? A: piano / B: the upbeat one
Which ending? 1: the wave / 2: the handshake / 3: the logo on black
Cold open, or start with the title card?
Try not to add an option you'd rather they didn't pick. They will.
How do you show each option?
If the options need to be seen rather than described, show them. Two ways to do that:
- As versions. Cut each ending as its own version, then pin the poll on the latest one and say which version is which.
- As an image set. For thumbnails, title cards or grade looks, put the stills in an image set and ask the poll there. How to send images alongside a video for review covers it.
What does this look like on a real project?
For me, the best thing about polls is that they take you out of an awkward spot. As the editor, you sometimes have to be the bad guy and shut ideas down when they just aren't doable. It's an uncomfortable place to be when you're trying to keep a client happy.
A poll changes that. You set the options, so every choice on the table is one you can actually deliver. Then the team votes, and the decision is theirs rather than yours. You save face, because it becomes an internal decision, not one you had to make on your own.
It's also a bit more fun. People love giving their opinion, and a poll still lets them, just in a controlled way. Not every opinion is workable, so limiting the options solves both problems at once.
How to handle common problems
The client picks “neither”
If the client says neither option works, ask what's missing with a reply under the poll, rather than inviting a whole new idea. Often it's one detail (“A, but shorter”), which you can do.
The vote is split
If reviewers split down the middle, the decision-maker settles it. @mention them under the poll and ask. That's why it helps to agree up front who has the final say.
The client asks for option D
If the client suggests something that isn't on the list, it's worth considering, but check what it costs first. If it needs new footage or another round, say so in a reply before agreeing to it.
FAQ
Do reviewers need an account to vote?
No. Reviewers vote without an account. They type a name the first time they vote or leave a note.
Can reviewers see how others voted?
Only if you let them. You can hide results until each person has voted, so nobody just follows the boss.
Can a poll cover the whole video?
Yes. A poll can be pinned to one moment, a section, or the whole video, for questions like “Which title works best?”
How many options can a poll have?
A poll has two to five options. Two or three usually gets the quickest answer.
What's the quickest way to get a decision from a client?
Ask a poll pinned to the moment, with two to five options you're happy to deliver. Hide the results until people vote, and close the poll once there's a decision.
Put the choice on the timeline.
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Kiril Dobrev
Filmmaker · part of the team behind SceneNote
Kiril Dobrev is a filmmaker with 15 years of experience and a passion for documentary and travel. He’s spent a lot of that time in the editing room, obsessing over how to make his workflow better, and the feedback loop has always been a big part of that. Post-production still hasn’t had a good enough answer to it. SceneNote was born from that, with one simple idea: make feedback better.
More guides by Kiril →