Stop Over-Thinking the Edit Request: How to Give Clear Direction Without a Film Degree
Erik Hollen walks through the Studio edit request form so you can brief editors with precision and cut revision cycles. Specificity in the brief equals fewer rounds of changes.
Transcript
What is up, y'all? It is Eric over here at MarketScale, and we have a very, very important tip for you guys today, and it's all about how to make your edit requests clear. And you don't need a film degree. You don't need a media or even a marketing degree necessarily to be able to fill out an edit request using MarketScale Studio. And I'm gonna show you guys exactly how to do that. And I'm gonna share my screen, and we're gonna jump right over to the Proofing Room. So if you're not familiar with this, you're gonna start by hitting request edit now. First, you're gonna get inside the Proofing Room, though, and then you're gonna hit request edit now. So you're gonna pick your brand book. Right? We're gonna use market scale as an example. You're gonna pick a good title that is great for your video. I'm gonna call this test one for now. You're gonna wanna pick the video type. So if it's thought leadership, maybe it's a facility tour, maybe it's an explainer video, case study. We got all these different fields for you to select. I'm gonna pick thought leadership, and then I'm gonna go landscape because this is gonna end up on my website. Right? So craft your clip. Don't just skim by this and say see notes. We wanna know what is the outcome. Right? Not the process, but in one sentence, craft your clip. That says exactly what the finished video should make someone think, feel, or do, your audience. Right? The examples field. This is honestly your biggest time saver because what you can do here is you can link to previous videos that you've done in MarketScale Studio, and editors can actually pull project files from them. And they can be able to use assets from those videos. Right? So let's say you've done a video and you're like, man, I love the text callouts from those. Boom. Throw that in there. If you love the look and feel of the music, right, from another video, boom, put that in there and describe. What did you like? What do you wanna pull from? Right? Maybe there is a YouTube video that you wanna reference, and you're like, you know, I I know we're not gonna, like, necessarily copy this, but I love what they did on the YouTube video and explain why. Right? Our editors work best off of examples. Another thing, and we're gonna get kinda out of this edit request here. Make sure to if you've got a video link that you have in mind, make sure you let us know that. If it if it is more than two minutes, let us know how long you're thinking. Try to let us know and then the vibe check. It's very important. If you've got additional notes and files, maybe you need to attach a partner logo. This is a great place to do that. You can do it in the brand book, but it might be easier if you just throw it in here. That way it's in the task. If you need to attach things that maybe it's like a one off thing that maybe does not belong in a brand book. So one other thing is comments in here. So once you make your edit request, you can still make comments in the proofing room. Super important to use the timestamps. Use the time codes here. So let's say at a minute fifty eight, I wanna start the video here. I make a comment. Boom. It's right here, and it's time stamped. And then I wanna say, actually, I wanna end it here. This is where I wanna end the video. I would highly recommend doing this with your media. It's gonna remove any ambiguity on when you wanna start and finish. And you, as a client, are picking exactly where you want the video to start and finish, maybe where you want things cut. Use it and make sure that you're granular in your feedback and in your instructions. And the more you are, the less revisions you're gonna have. I promise you, and I guarantee it.
Overview
In this four-minute walkthrough, Erik Hollen covers every field in the MarketScale Studio edit request form — from selecting a brand book and video type to writing a single-sentence outcome in the Craft Your Clip field. He also explains how to attach reference videos, use the vibe check, upload one-off assets, and leave timestamped comments in the proofing room to mark exact start and end points. The goal throughout is reducing revision cycles by front-loading clarity.
What Is This?
An edit request brief is the structured set of instructions a contributor submits to a video editor before production begins — the more specific and complete that brief, the less back-and-forth is needed to reach a finished cut.
What You'll Learn
- Select the correct brand book so editors apply the right visual identity from the first cut
- Choose a video type that aligns with your intended distribution format and audience
- Write a single-sentence outcome in the Craft Your Clip field to anchor the edit
- Link reference videos in the Examples field so editors can pull matching project files and assets
- Use the vibe check to communicate tone and style without relying on subjective language
- Attach one-off logos or files and leave timestamped proofing room comments to define precise clip boundaries
Key Insights
- A one-sentence outcome statement in the Craft Your Clip field does more to align an editor than a paragraph of vague notes
- Reference videos are not suggestions — linking them gives editors direct access to project files and proven asset combinations
- Timestamped proofing room comments eliminate ambiguity about start and end points, which is the single most common source of unnecessary revision rounds
- Specificity at the brief stage compresses the overall production timeline because editors make confident decisions rather than conservative guesses
Deep Dive
Most edit requests stall not because the editor lacks skill, but because the brief lacks direction. When a contributor selects a brand book inside the Studio form, they are not just choosing a color palette — they are giving the editor a complete visual system that covers typography, motion style, lower-third treatment, and logo usage. Skipping this step or choosing the wrong book forces the editor to make assumptions, and assumptions create revision rounds.
The video type field works in a similar way. Different formats — social cut, long-form interview, product explainer — carry different pacing conventions, aspect ratios, and audience expectations. Naming the type upfront means the editor starts with the right template and the right instincts for the cut.
The Craft Your Clip field is where many contributors over-think things. Erik Hollen's guidance is simple: write one sentence that describes the desired outcome. Not a mood board, not a list of scenes — one sentence that captures what the finished video should accomplish. Paired with two or three reference videos in the Examples field, that sentence gives an editor everything needed to make creative decisions independently.
Finally, timestamped comments in the proofing room remove the last layer of ambiguity. Rather than writing 'trim the intro,' a contributor can drop a comment at 0:08 and another at 0:23 and note exactly what should be removed. This level of precision is not pedantic — it is respectful of the editor's time and a reliable way to reach a final cut faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Craft Your Clip field and why does it matter?
The Craft Your Clip field is a single-sentence prompt inside the Studio edit request form where you describe the desired outcome of the finished video. It matters because a concise outcome statement gives editors a clear creative anchor, reducing the likelihood that the first cut misses the mark and requires significant changes.
How do I use timestamped comments in the proofing room?
While reviewing your video in the proofing room, pause playback at the exact moment you want to flag and leave a comment — the timestamp is recorded automatically. Use pairs of comments to define a start point and an end point, and add a brief note explaining the change you want so the editor has both the location and the intent.
Do I need to attach a brand book every time I submit an edit request?
Yes, selecting a brand book is a required step in the form because it tells the editor which visual identity system to apply to your project. If your organisation has multiple brand books — for example, one for a flagship brand and one for a sub-brand or event — choose the one that corresponds to the specific video you are requesting.
Related Topics
Once you are comfortable submitting a clean edit request, it is worth exploring how to structure your raw footage uploads so editors can locate the best moments quickly. You may also want to review MarketScale's guidance on proofing room workflows, which covers how to consolidate feedback from multiple stakeholders before sending consolidated revision notes to your editor.
#VideoProduction #EditRequest #StudioPlatform #ContentOperations #VideoEditing #MarketScale #PlatformBasics #B2BContent #ContentWorkflow #VideoStrategy
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