Asset Identity, Naming, and Versioning
A filename must help a person recognize a file. It does not have to carry the complete history of the asset. Store that history in the production database, manifest, or other tracking record.
This distinction matters once a file leaves the system that named it. Two facilities can use the same filename for different material. A file can also be renamed without changing the asset it contains.
Give every asset a stable identity
An asset ID identifies the logical asset. Its identifier scope names the system or authority
within which that ID is unique. HBL_010_020 can be unique inside the Harbor Light production
database without being unique across the film industry.
Record both values when material will cross departments, facilities, or tracking systems:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Asset ID | HBL_010_020 |
| Identifier scope | North Pier Pictures / Harbor Light production database |
| Recipient ID | Netflix Content Hub asset ID, Disney record ID, or another assigned value |
Do not replace the production ID when a recipient assigns another ID. Record the relationship between them.
Separate the kinds of change
The word version can describe several different relationships. Track them separately.1
| Field | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Revision | Changed work intended for the same use | v012 corrects v011 |
| Variant | Related work intended for another context | Domestic, censored, localized, or alternate ending |
| Representation | The same content in another technical form | EXR sequence, ProRes QuickTime, review H.264, or IMF track file |
| State | Current workflow decision | WIP, in review, approved, rejected, delivered, or superseded |
| Provenance | Who made the asset, from what source, when, and why | Vendor, source revision, change note, date, and approver |
An approved revision can have several representations. A ProRes file made from an approved EXR sequence is not automatically a new creative revision. A censored edit is a variant because it is intended for another use. Approval is a state, not part of the revision number.
Distinguish assets, compositions, and packages
An asset is a picture, audio, timed-text, project, or metadata object used to make or represent the work. An asset group is a set managed as one unit, such as a VFX turnover.
A composition is the set of instructions that assembles assets into a presentation. An IMF CPL is a composition. A new CPL can reorder resources, use different frame ranges, select another language, or create another ending without duplicating all of the underlying track files.
A package gathers assets, compositions, and package metadata for transfer or delivery. Do not use a package name as the only identity for every asset inside it.
Use filenames as labels
Build a filename from the fields people need while working. A useful pattern can include:
- Project or title code
- Asset or shot ID
- Task, purpose, or variant
- Revision
- Frame number or extension
For example:
Use letters, numbers, underscores, hyphens, and periods. Avoid spaces and characters that fail on another operating system. Keep names short enough for the complete delivery path.
Follow the recipient's required filename convention for delivery. Netflix, Disney, broadcasters, labs, and platforms use different controlled fields. Their masks are delivery requirements, not a universal naming standard.
Publish new media as a new revision
Once an approved asset has been delivered and hashed, do not replace its media under the same asset ID and revision. Publish a new revision and a new manifest.
Record these fields for every published asset:
- asset ID and identifier scope
- revision, variant, representation, and state
- filename, path, byte size, checksum, and checksum algorithm
- source or derived-from asset ID
- source and record timecode or frame range where applicable
- language and territory where applicable
- picture, audio, or timed-text properties
- package, CPL, and recipient IDs where applicable
- creator, creation date, change reason, approver, and approval date
Use the Asset and Delivery Manifest Specification and the worked Asset and Delivery Manifest.
Keep company terms in context
Some common delivery terms belong to one company:2
| Term | Context |
|---|---|
| NAM and GAM | Netflix archival-master terminology |
| IMF-A, IMF-D, ISM, DPO, DTO, Proxy-C, and Proxy-D | Disney mastering and conformance terminology |
| Revision, variant, representation, state, and provenance | MovieLabs concepts that work across companies and workflows |
Use company terms when discussing that company's specification. Use the general vocabulary in production records that must survive a change of buyer or vendor.