What belongs in a commercial's deliverables list?
A commercial’s deliverables list should name every file the client will receive: the master, each cutdown, each aspect ratio, textless versions, caption files, the audio mixes and stems, stills, and any language versions. Each line needs its technical details, where it will run, and who signs it off. Agree the list at the quote, because every forgotten line turns into rush work at the end.
Why does the list matter so much?
Because “deliverables” are where scope hides.
A brief that says “a 30-second film plus social cuts” can mean three files or thirty. Storyflow’s guide advises giving each line “a spec, a destination and an approver”, and replacing every plural with an exact count. “Social cuts” is not a deliverable. “One 9:16 cut, 15 seconds, burned-in captions, for Instagram Reels” is.
The list also protects the end of the project. Formats, caption files and textless versions are quick to agree in week one and slow to produce in the last two days, when the edit is locked and the team is tired.
What should the list contain?
Use this as a starting checklist and delete what you do not need.
| Deliverable | What to specify | Typical destination | Who approves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master (hero film) | Length, resolution, frame rate, codec, aspect ratio | TV, cinema, website, archive | Brand or agency creative lead |
| Cutdowns | Each length as its own line (for example 30, 15 and 6 seconds) | Pre-roll, social, digital out-of-home | Agency, then brand |
| Aspect ratio versions | 16:9, 1:1, 4:5, 9:16, each per length | Social platforms, retail screens | Agency, checked against the platform spec |
| Textless versions | Master and key cutdowns without supers or end card | Future localization and reuse | Producer |
| Captions and subtitles | Separate files (such as SRT or VTT) and/or burned-in versions, per language | Social, web players, broadcast | Client, for spelling and timing |
| Language versions | Which markets, voiceover or subtitles, who supplies translations | Local markets | Local market lead |
| Audio | Full mix, plus stems (dialogue, music, effects) if agreed | Broadcast, future re-edits | Producer, sound engineer |
| Stills and thumbnails | Number of frames, size, graded or not | Press, social, website | Brand |
| Licensing proof | Music and stock licenses, with territory and term | Client records | Producer |
| Project archive | What is included and what is not (raw footage, project files) | Studio archive, client if agreed | Producer |
Two lines are missed most often: the textless master, which makes every later language version cheaper, and caption files, which are often expected but rarely quoted.
How do you specify formats without getting lost?
Write one line per length per aspect ratio, then group them.
A campaign with a 30-second master, two cutdowns and four aspect ratios already has twelve video files before languages. Haunted Basement’s guide lists the common ratios (16:9 for horizontal, 1:1 square, 4:5 portrait, 9:16 vertical) and contrasts a high-quality ProRes master with lighter H.264 files for the web. Get the exact specs from the media agency or the platform, and copy them into the list rather than linking to a page that may change.
Decide early whether vertical versions are recut or reframed. A recut for 9:16 is an edit with its own round of review; a reframe is quicker but can cut off supers and products. That choice changes the time and the cost, so it belongs on the list. If you work in CGI, moving the virtual camera instead of cropping is often possible, but it still has to be planned.
Should captions be a deliverable?
Yes, list them as files, not as an afterthought.
Captions help people watching without sound and people who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) has applied since June 28, 2025 to a defined set of products and services, and its definitions mention subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing in the context of access to audiovisual media services. Whether it applies to a particular campaign is a question for your client, not for the edit suite. For production the practical point is simple: agree in the list which languages get caption files, whether they are burned in or separate, and who checks spelling and timing.
When and how should each deliverable be approved?
Approve the master first, then the versions against it.
- Lock the master. Picture, grade and mix approved, with a clear version number.
- Build the versions from the locked master. Changes to the master after this point ripple into every version, so treat them as a new round.
- Review versions as a set. A client can check twelve formats faster side by side than one by one.
- Check captions and languages with someone who reads the language, not just the producer.
- Run a final technical check on every file: length, specs, audio, spelling, end card.
How rounds work in each stage is covered in what counts as a revision round, and how to give notes that hold up in video feedback an editor can act on.
How do you hand everything over?
As one organized delivery with a manifest, not as a string of links.
- Name files consistently: project, deliverable, length, ratio, language, version.
- Include a short manifest (a text or PDF file) that lists every file against the deliverables list.
- Use a link that expires, with a passphrase for unreleased work.
- Check that every recipient has actually downloaded before the link expires.
- Keep your own archive copy. A delivery link is not an archive.
Platforms such as Kadrenta, made by the same team behind The Production Brief, keep the agreed hand-overs as Deliverables inside the project and send files up to 50 GB through a download page with a lifetime of 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, an optional passphrase and a pick-up count. Whatever tool you use, the goal is the same: the final hand-over should be part of the project record, so that six months later you can still see what was delivered, in which version, and when.
If you track all of this in a spreadsheet and it is starting to creak, read when a video studio outgrows spreadsheets.
Frequently asked questions
Is raw footage part of the deliverables?
Only if you agree it. Many studios exclude raw footage and project files by default and offer them separately, so write the choice down either way.
Who writes the deliverables list?
The production company or studio usually drafts it from the brief, and the agency or brand confirms it. The media agency or the channels often supply the technical specs.
What if the media plan changes after the quote?
Update the list and treat new items as new deliverables with their own time and cost. A new placement often means a new format, which means new work.
How long should delivery links stay active?
Long enough for every recipient to download, usually one to two weeks. Keep your own archive copy, because a link is not an archive.