Use this worksheet when reviewing a client's contribution to a project film. It helps the buyer and editor preserve context and identify statements needing confirmation. It should never be used to manufacture an endorsement or give a speaker words they have not agreed accurately reflect their experience.
Record what the speaker was responding to
Keep a reference to the original question and answer. Note the project, time period and part of the relationship being discussed. A comment about communication during one stage should not quietly become an endorsement of every aspect of the organisation's work.
Identify whether the speaker is describing personal experience, reporting information from someone else or making a measurable claim. These need different checks. “The team kept me informed” concerns that person's experience; a claim about a quantified programme improvement requires an appropriate factual basis as well.
Avoid selecting a statement solely because it sounds positive. Its usefulness depends on whether it helps the audience understand the work accurately.
Compare the excerpt with the complete meaning
Read or watch the proposed excerpt alongside the surrounding answer. Look for qualifications that have disappeared: a particular stage, a condition, an exception or a distinction between the speaker's role and someone else's.
A shorter sentence can be grammatically complete while broader in meaning. Ask what an unfamiliar viewer would reasonably think the speaker is endorsing. If that interpretation exceeds the original account, restore context, choose a different excerpt or leave the statement out.
Do not rely on small surrounding text to repair a fundamentally different impression. The ACCC's guidance on false or misleading claims includes testimonials among business communications and emphasises accuracy and the overall impression. This worksheet is a planning aid, not a legal assessment.
Check the pictures and introduction together
The image beneath a statement can change its apparent subject. Praise for one installed package placed over a wide view of the whole development may suggest a broader contribution than the speaker intended.
Check titles, branding and post copy as well. A headline such as “why they chose us again” needs a factual basis independent of a positive interview comment. Do not invent the surrounding relationship or suggest an ongoing endorsement when the agreed statement concerns a completed project.
Review each short version independently. A context sentence retained in the main film may be absent from an excerpt that is intended to stand alone.
Complete a testimonial context card
| Field | Detail to record |
|---|---|
| Speaker and relationship | Accurate role relevant to this project |
| Original context | Question, answer reference and time period |
| First-hand experience | What the person directly experienced |
| Proposed excerpt | Exact words or edit time reference |
| Qualification affected | Condition or limit removed by shortening |
| Accompanying picture | What the viewer sees while hearing the statement |
| Claim requiring evidence | Fact and responsible checking owner |
| Review question | The specific meaning or fact being confirmed |
| Publication status | Authorised version/use and unresolved issue |
Keep the original record accessible to the appropriate reviewers without circulating unnecessary personal information. A card can point to an approved location rather than reproduce the whole interview.
A fictional example
A fictional client says that coordination meetings helped them understand changes during the final handover stage. A proposed short edit removes the reference to that stage and introduces the quote as proof that every project was delivered without disruption.
The review card exposes two unsupported expansions: the period covered and the claim about all projects. The team returns to a narrower excerpt and accurate introduction, subject to the speaker and factual review arrangements. No actual client or Live Images result is described.
Make approval specific
Ask the relevant reviewer a defined question about the proposed statement in context. Record what they confirmed and any remaining limit. Do not interpret a general expression of enthusiasm as approval of every future use.
Send agreed editorial changes through the video feedback worksheet. If a suitable, accurate testimonial is unavailable, the story can use other supported evidence. A project film does not need an invented endorsement to explain worthwhile work.
Sources and editorial note
ACCC — false or misleading claims, checked 29 October 2026, supports the limited accuracy and overall-impression considerations for testimonial communications. The worksheet is not legal advice or a testimonial release form.
The worksheet and fictional example are original planning guidance. Confirm project facts, responsibilities and any proposed production changes with the appropriate people and the written scope. Prepared with AI assistance for Live Images.