What you’ll take away
- Compare the delivery with expected recording groups, not only a total file count.
- Distinguish a missing source from an access problem before asking someone to resend it.
- Give the editor a clear list of available material and unresolved gaps.
Describe the shoot before checking the folder
In an illustrative interview shoot, the crew expects camera A, camera B, separate recorder audio, and a short set of workplace shots. A folder containing twenty readable camera A clips is not a complete delivery merely because twenty files were expected somewhere in the shoot. The useful question is which recording groups those files represent.
Write the expected groups in plain language. Include shoot date, camera or recorder identity, and where each group should be found. Use counts from the delivery record when available; label estimates as estimates. The assistant cannot infer that an unmentioned recorder existed.
Begin with access, not a search for nonexistent files
Point a Wideframe chat at the working folder or drive and open the preflight-media-check recipe. Paste its instructions into a new chat to add the task. The recipe checks whether the location is available and readable, checks the relevant connection for a cloud source, and compares readable media counts with your expectation.
An unmounted drive is a different problem from an empty camera folder. An expired account connection is different from a crew member forgetting to deliver the audio. Ask for the exact blocker so the next action is clear: mount the drive, restore access, complete the transfer, or request the missing material.
When the transfer itself has not happened yet, add and save bring-in-footage through its setup prompt in a blank Wideframe chat. Invoke it with the authorized cloud folder or mounted-drive path. The recipe records an expected inventory and reconciles what arrives; for local or external media its default is linked access, not a backup copy. Keep the source drive available and treat backup as a separate handoff requirement.
Make an incomplete delivery concrete
Suppose the working delivery has both camera folders but no recorder audio. The intended result is a specific note: camera material is available, the expected audio group was not found at the supplied location, and the editor should not assume the camera tracks are the final sound source. That is an example of a useful report, not a claim about a completed customer shoot.
Keep a separate line for material not yet confirmed. If the shoot producer says workplace shots were optional, their absence is an editorial constraint, not necessarily a transfer failure. Resolving that distinction helps the editor plan an achievable cut instead of waiting for footage that was never recorded.
Keep source identity visible through the handoff
Preserve camera and recording identity when organizing the working copy. Two cameras can reuse the same filenames; flattening their folders makes a simple list harder to interpret. A report should connect each issue to its actual path or recording group.
Do not rename or move sources merely to make the inventory look tidy while someone is investigating a discrepancy. First establish what was delivered. Descriptive organization can follow once the editor knows which sources are available and the production knows which gaps need action.
Catalog the material that is ready
For clip-level preparation, the public catalog-footage recipe describes an inventory with content analysis and transcripts, including unreadable or skipped-file reporting. Choose fields that help this edit: source identity, scene summary, spoken topics, and a clear problem note where a clip could not be processed.
A technical inventory and an editorial breakdown serve different purposes. The first establishes what can be accessed; the second helps the editor understand what the available footage contains. If a camera group is still missing, make that visible rather than presenting the catalog as coverage of the whole shoot.
Hand over a useful next action, not an all-clear label
Give the editor three short summaries: what is ready, what is unavailable, and who is resolving the outstanding delivery. For example, the editor may start reviewing the interviews while the producer obtains the separate recorder files. If the unavailable source is essential to the opening, say so in the brief.
Keep the original sources protected while problems are investigated. Readability and file counts are not checksum verification, backup certification, or permission to erase recording media. Those responsibilities remain with the production's offload and backup process.
Reuse the check with a new shoot manifest
Once saved, the readiness skill can be used on the next shoot. Reuse the structure of the request, but replace the path and expected recording groups every time. Yesterday's two-camera assumptions may be wrong for tomorrow's single-camera workshop.
The repeatable value is an understandable start to the edit: clear sources, concrete gaps, and a useful breakdown of the footage that actually arrived. The assistant helps surface those questions while the production team can still answer them.
Try this request
Check this shoot folder before I hand it to our editor. We expect camera A, camera B, separate recorder audio, and workplace B-roll. Report source-access problems and readable media counts for the supplied groups, then catalog the available clips and list anything unreadable or skipped.
Sources
Published by Wideframe. Product details are based on the documentation below; examples are not customer results or benchmarks.
- Wideframe: preflight-media-check · consulted 2026-09-18
- Wideframe: catalog-footage · consulted 2026-09-18
- Wideframe bring-in-footage recipe · consulted 2026-09-18
Check the footage before the edit begins
Bring one shoot folder and its expected camera and audio groups into Wideframe, then turn the available material into a clear editorial handoff.
Frequently asked questions
Provide the recording groups and delivery notes you do have, and say that the count is unknown. An inventory can describe what was found, but cannot establish that an undocumented shoot is complete.
No. Editing readiness is separate from copy-integrity verification and backup requirements. Use the production's verified offload process before making any source-media reuse decision.
It depends on the missing material. Reviewing available interviews may be productive; building a final sound edit without the expected recorder audio may create avoidable rework. Name the dependency in the handoff.