Managed Short-Form Clip Retainer (10-14 days)
A productized retainer that turns a client's long-form recordings into a fixed monthly batch of captioned, platform-ready clips using a chosen editing stack, with editor hours tracked against accepted deliverables. Time: 10-14 days.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
How do you implement it?
Managed Short-Form Clip Retainer (10-14 days)
A productized retainer that turns a client's long-form recordings into a fixed monthly batch of captioned, platform-ready clips using a chosen editing stack, with editor hours tracked against accepted deliverables.
- A signed retainer naming the monthly clip count and revision rounds, plus a named client approver with authority to accept or reject cuts. Source footage delivered on a fixed weekly schedule (raw files or a shared drive link), not ad hoc. Brand kit assets: fonts, lower-third templates, caption style, and approved music or SFX library. Written caption and subtitle language list, including any right-to-left or non-Latin scripts. A baseline count of editor hours currently spent per accepted clip so the retainer can be measured against it.
- 1.Kickoff call to confirm the monthly clip quota, revision rounds, and approval turnaround window
- 2.Collect brand kit, caption style, and music licensing constraints
- 3.Agree the source footage handoff cadence and storage location
- 1.Run the client's three most recent long-form recordings through the chosen platform's transcription and clip-selection pass
- 2.Time each step: upload, transcript generation, clip suggestion, caption burn-in, export
- 3.Log where the platform's suggested cuts needed manual correction
- 1.Build the caption and subtitle style preset in the chosen platform
- 2.Test caption accuracy against a 10-minute sample with heavy jargon or accents
- 3.Document the correction rate as a percentage of caption lines
- 1.Define the clip selection rubric: hook strength, standalone clarity, and brand-safety exclusions
- 2.Write the rejection criteria the client approver will use
- 3.Set the aspect-ratio and duration presets per destination platform
- 1.Produce a first batch of five clips end to end
- 2.Record editor minutes per clip at each stage
- 3.Flag any clip that required a full manual rebuild
- 1.Send the first batch for client review with a structured accept, revise, or reject form
- 2.Capture revision reasons in a shared log
- 3.Confirm the approval turnaround the client actually delivered against the agreed window
- 1.Apply revisions and re-export
- 2.Compare first-pass acceptance rate against the baseline
- 3.Adjust the selection rubric based on the rejection reasons logged
- 1.Document the delivery workflow as a written runbook with named owners
- 2.Set up the monthly reporting sheet: clips delivered, clips accepted, editor hours, revision rounds
- 3.Define the escalation path for missed source footage
- 1.Run a second batch under the runbook to test repeatability
- 2.Measure whether editor hours per accepted clip dropped from the day 5 baseline
- 3.Identify the single largest remaining manual step
- 1.Present the measured hours-per-accepted-clip change to the client
- 2.Agree the monthly quota the retainer will carry
- 3.Lock the reporting format and delivery calendar
The agency charges for a fixed monthly clip quota while the actual cost is editor hours, so every hour removed from caption correction, silence trimming, or clip selection widens the margin without changing the invoice. Because the retainer is priced per accepted deliverable rather than per hour, the agency keeps the gain from any workflow improvement it builds. The setup fee covers the rubric, presets, and runbook that make the second month cheaper to deliver than the first.
- A written clip selection rubric with explicit rejection criteria. Caption and subtitle style presets configured in the chosen platform. A delivery runbook naming owners, handoff cadence, and escalation path. A monthly reporting sheet tracking clips delivered, clips accepted, editor hours, and revision rounds. A baseline-versus-current comparison of editor hours per accepted clip.
The client has accepted a full monthly clip quota through the documented runbook for one complete cycle, and the reporting sheet shows editor hours per accepted clip measured against the pre-engagement baseline.