A delivery may contain a main film, a short edit and several language versions, each with related text files. A caption file can look correct when opened on its own while belonging to a different cut. The buyer needs a reliable way to pair each text asset with the exact video it accompanies.
The W3C captions guidance describes captions as text synchronised with audio, including relevant non-speech information. That relationship makes version matching part of the content check, not merely a filename task.
Identify the intended pair
The delivery record should connect each caption file to its video version and language. Do not rely on similar names alone if the naming system has changed during production.
Where a short edit removes or rearranges material, it needs a caption treatment that follows that edit. A file created for the full film should not be assumed suitable because the opening words happen to match.
Ask the producer how the supplied pairing has been checked and what the organisation needs to do when importing the assets into the intended destination. Confirm the actual workflow rather than assuming every player handles files in the same way.
Check synchronisation in context
Review captions while playing the associated video. Look at the beginning, consequential edit points and the ending, as well as any sections changed late in production. A timing mismatch can appear only after a removed passage or altered opening.
Check that the words reflect the final audio, including names and qualifications that changed during review. An older text file can restore a superseded claim even when the picture and narration have been corrected.
Do not treat readable text as proof that all intended information is present. The appropriate scope of caption content and any access requirements should be agreed with the responsible people for the audience and destination.
Preserve the pair through publishing
A correct delivery can become mismatched during upload if the publishing team selects the wrong text asset. Give that team a clear mapping rather than a folder of loosely related files.
After import, inspect the actual viewing experience using the agreed check. The producer's local test does not establish that the organisation selected the correct file or that the destination presents it as intended.
If a video is replaced later, review its companion captions at the same time. Even a small edit can change timing or wording beyond the frame that visibly changed.
A hypothetical version error
A fictional business receives a full case study and a shorter presentation cut. The presentation cut starts with a different opening, but the full-film caption file is attached during upload. The text becomes increasingly out of step after the opening section.
The delivery map identifies the correct pair, and the publisher checks the replacement in the actual player. The issue is resolved by restoring the intended relationship, not by manually shifting an unrelated caption file until part of it appears to fit.
Keep the pairing record current
Record the approved video identity, caption identity and any replacement relationship. When one component changes, update the pair rather than leaving the other asset to be inferred.
A dependable caption handover preserves the meaning of the finished film across its text and audio layers. It gives the buyer a clear basis for using the right assets together instead of treating all files from the same project as interchangeable.
Discuss the brief
Contact Live Images with the proposed audience, production needs and intended use. Confirm suitability, scope and availability for the particular brief.
Editorial note
Original production-planning guidance prepared with AI assistance. Examples are hypothetical, not completed Live Images projects. Search intent is an editorial hypothesis, not measured demand. This draft remains unpublished.