Post-Production Pipelines: Naming, Versioning, and Archives

Post-production breaks when teams can’t find, trust, or reproduce the work. The fix isn’t another storage array; it’s a rigorously designed pipeline where naming, versioning, and archiving make every file traceable from ingest to delivery. This playbook is a production-ready standard SpectrumMediaLabs can adopt today.

What “good” looks like

Deterministic: Any deliverable can be rebuilt from logged sources and settings.
Discoverable: A newcomer can locate the right file in under 60 seconds.
Portable: Projects move across apps, OSes, and facilities without path surgery.
Auditable: Rights, approvals, and provenance are embedded and queryable.
Cost-aware: Hot, warm, and cold tiers keep budgets predictable.

1) Project scaffolding (folders that scale)

Use the same folder skeleton for every job. Create it from a template script—never by hand.

/SML/{show}/{season}/{episode}/{project_code}
/00_admin
/01_ingest
/02_sources
   /camera_ORIG
   /audio_ORIG
   /gfx_ORIG
/03_proxies
/04_edit
   /a_projects
   /b_sequences
   /c_assets
/05_vfx
   /shots/S010/S020/...
/06_color
/07_audio
/08_outputs
   /mezzanine
   /deliveries
   /thumbnails
/09_archive
/_logs
/_manifests

Tokens

show e.g., ad_spectrum, doc_series
project_code e.g., SML-2025Q4-042 (year-quarter-ordinal)
S### scene, E### episode, S010 sequence, SH030 shot

Lock the skeleton in your MAM/DAM as a “starter kit.”

2) Naming: human first, machine perfect

A name should answer what, where, which, when, and who—without opening the file.

File name contract

{show}_{ep?}_{seq?}_{shot?}_{task}_{desc}_{tech}_{ver}_{status}_{date}_{owner}.{ext}

Field glossary

task = edit|vfx|grade|mix|titles|qc
desc = short slug (“cold_open”, “lowerthird”, “gfx_pack”)
tech = 1920x1080p23.98_REC709_P3D65_24b_48k
ver = v001..v999 (zero-padded for lexicographic sort)
status = wip|revA|appr|final|locked
date = YYYYMMDD (UTC)
owner = initials or team code

Examples

ad_spectrum_E01_S010_SH030_vfx_dustCleanup_3840x2160p23.98_ACEScct_v014_revB_20251006_js.mov
ad_spectrum_titles_opener_edit_sequence_1920x1080p29.97_REC709_v007_appr_20250912_km.prproj

Regex (lint rule)

^[a-z0-9]+(_[A-Z]\d{2})?(_S\d{3})?(_SH\d{3})?_[a-z]+_[a-z0-9\-]+_[0-9x\.p_]+_v\d{3}_(wip|rev[A-Z]|appr|final|locked)_\d{8}_[a-z]{2,4}\.[a-z0-9]{2,4}$

Automate a pre-commit check that blocks non-conforming names entering /04_edit and beyond.

3) Versioning: how many, how often, and by whom

Workfiles vs exports

Workfiles (NLE, AE, Resolve): v### increments on save milestones.
Exports (mov/wav/exr): v### increments only when content changes, not when metadata-only changes (e.g., timecode burn-in).

Status gates

wip → revA/B/... (internal review) → appr (stakeholder approved) → final (delivered) → locked (freeze; only archival moves allowed).

Change log (sidecar)

For any appr, create a JSON sidecar with provenance:

{
  "asset": "ad_spectrum_E01_S010_SH030_vfx_dustCleanup_..._v014_appr_20251006_js.mov",
  "sources": [
    "SML/02_sources/camera_ORIG/A001_C001_0923XY.r3d",
    "SML/05_vfx/shots/S010/SH030/matte/mattepaint_v005.tif"
  ],
  "app": "Nuke 15.2",
  "luts": ["show_luts/aces/ODT_Rec709.icc"],
  "notes": "Client approved dust removal; hold frames 140-150.",
  "approver": "cdavis",
  "checksum": {"xxh64":"19f8..."}
}

4) Metadata: sidecars and embedded tags

Embedded: Use QuickTime com.apple.quicktime.description, XMP for stills, iXML/BWAV for audio.
Sidecar: Mirror core fields in *.json to avoid application lock-in.
Minimum fields: project_code, concept_id (if applicable), rights_license_id, camera, color_space, fps, audio_layout, creator, approval_state, checksum.

5) Proxies, mezzanine, deliverables (and how to name them)

Originals (ORIG)

Camera cards cloned bit-for-bit with checksums to /02_sources.
Folder name preserved exactly as media recorded.

Proxies (PROXY)

DNxHR LB or ProRes Proxy, 1/2 or 1/4 res, timecode + reel/name preserved.
Naming mirrors source with _PROXY token:

A001_C001_0923XY_PROXY_1920x1080p23.98_REC709_v001.mov

Mezzanine (MEZ)

High-quality master for downstream (e.g., ProRes 422 HQ, 10-bit).
Include show, seq/shot (if applicable), and mix version:

ad_spectrum_E01_master_MEZ_3840x2160p23.98_REC709_MIXv03_v021_final_20251006.mov

Deliverables (DELIV)

Platform-specific. Lock a canonical matrix in /00_admin/specs.

ad_spectrum_E01_30s_DELIV_YT_1920x1080p29.97_REC709_MIXv03_v004_final_20251006.mov
ad_spectrum_E01_30s_CAPTIONS_DELIV_YT_enUS_v002_final_20251006.srt

6) Color, audio, and timecode hygiene

Color pipeline: Declare ACEScct or Rec.709 per project; never mix per sequence. Version LUTs: show_look_v003.cube.
Audio layout: Prefix with channel map: MIXv03_2.0 (stereo), MIXv02_5.1 (order L R C LFE Ls Rs). Embed iXML with track labels; export stems: DIA, MUS, SFX.
Timecode & rate: Freeze at ingest; ban frame-rate reinterpretation on timeline. Retain source Start TC in sidecars.

7) Review & approval workflow

Export review screener to /08_outputs/review with slate, watermark, and burnt-in file name + timecode.
Collect notes in frame-accurate tools; export CSV/EDL/AAF to /04_edit/c_assets/notes.
On approval, flip status to appr, write sidecar, and publish to /08_outputs/mezzanine.
Only approved mezzanine becomes the parent for platform deliverables.

8) Conform and relink (online)

Maintain a conform manifest (CSV) mapping proxy → original; include checksums and duration.
Verify frame accuracy after relink with automated ffprobe checks: resolution, fps, duration, audio channels.
Lock online projects in /06_color with locked status when QC passes.

9) QC gates (automated + human)

Automated (pre-flight and post-export)

Naming regex pass
Checksums verified
Bitrate/codec/level match spec
LUFS/LRA for audio within bounds
Caption presence and sync (spot check 10% lines)
Color space flag consistent with spec

Human

Slates, titles, legal lines
Spelling, lower-thirds, safe-area
Artifact scan at fades/FX cuts
Sync drift under ±1 frame

Capture outcomes in _logs/qc_reports.

10) Archival strategy (3-2-1-1-0 done right)

3 copies of all irreplaceable data
2 different media types (e.g., NAS + LTO)
1 off-site/offline (cloud cold storage or vaulted LTO)
1 copy immutable (WORM or object lock)
0 errors after verification (hash match)

Tiers & retention

Tier	What	Where	RTO	Retention
Hot	active projects, proxies, workfiles	NAS/SSD	minutes	project lifetime
Warm	mezzanine, approved gfx/audio	object storage Standard-IA	hours	24 months
Cold	originals, project manifests, final deliverables	LTO-9 + Glacier Deep Archive	days	7–10 years (per contract)

Manifests
Every archive set includes manifest.json:

{
  "project_code":"SML-2025Q4-042",
  "copies":[
    {"type":"LTO9","barcode":"SML042A","checksum":"sha256:..."},
    {"type":"CloudGlacier","vault":"sml-archive","checksum":"sha256:..."}
  ],
  "file_count": 18472,
  "total_bytes": 1847392049923,
  "created_utc": "2025-10-06T11:32:00Z",
  "software":"SML-Archiver v1.4",
  "index":"manifest_index.csv"
}

Restore drills
Quarterly, randomly restore one project; time the RTO; record errors. If a tape or object fails verification, re-hydrate from the second copy and rebalance.

11) Rights, provenance, and compliance

Attach rights_license_id to every asset; store contracts in /00_admin/rights.
For generated/edited content, embed C2PA/Content Credentials where supported; log tool versions in sidecars.
Use “hold-until” and “expire-on” fields; nightly jobs move expired assets out of publish buckets.
Keep a do-not-use list (logos, faces, music) enforced by the exporter.

12) Automation you should actually build

Scaffold script (sml_new_project): creates the folder tree and seeds README/specs.
Name linter (sml_lint): validates filenames and moves misfits to /quarantine.
Version bumper (sml_bump): reads last v### and increments consistently across workfile & render.
Checksum daemon: writes xxh64 and sha256 at ingest; verifies on move/backup.
Spec-aware exporter: NLE/AE/Resolve presets that force codec, frame size, audio layout, color tags, and inject slates.
Archive packer: builds tar with parity files (PAR2) for long-term integrity.

13) Access and governance

Role-based ACLs: Editors access /04_edit; Colorists /06_color; only Ops can write /09_archive.
Locking: locked files are immutable; any change must create a new v###.
Audit trail: All moves/renames go to _logs/audit.csv (who, what, when, from → to, checksum).

14) KPIs to prove it’s working

Time-to-locate (median seconds to retrieve “latest approved” per asset class)
Rebuild fidelity (pass/fail of deterministic rebuild from manifests)
QC first-pass rate (automated + human)
Archive verification rate (hash matches on quarterly spot checks)
Storage mix (% hot/warm/cold against budget)

Targets after two months: ≤60s locate time, ≥95% QC first-pass, 100% archive verification on sampled sets.

Copy-paste standards (appendix)

1) Slate template

{show} • {runtime} • {fps} • {color_space}
SEQ/SHOT: {seq}/{shot} • MIX {mix_ver} • v{###} {status}
DATE: {YYYY-MM-DD} UTC • OWNER: {initials}

2) Caption file naming

{show}_{asset}_CAPTIONS_{platform}_{locale}_v###_{status}_{date}.srt

3) Audio stems

{show}_{asset}_STEM_DIA_v###.wav
{show}_{asset}_STEM_MUS_v###.wav
{show}_{asset}_STEM_SFX_v###.wav

4) Path tokens (README.md in each project)

{show} = ad_spectrum
{project_code} = SML-2025Q4-042
{color_space} = REC709
{fps} = 23.98

Bottom line

If you standardize names, versions, and archives, you buy back days of hunting, prevent expensive re-edits, and make compliance effortless. Lock the contracts above, automate the checks, and your post-production will become boring—in the best possible way.

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Post-Production Pipelines: Naming, Versioning, and Archives