Client: Guide owner: Version: Updated:
One page. A style guide turns every new editor's first week from improvisation into execution, and it is what lets three different subcontractors produce work that looks like one studio made it. Doubles as the subcontractor brief.
From the onboarding call: two videos the client loves, one they hate.
| Loved (match this) | Hated (avoid this) |
|---|---|
| Rule | Setting |
|---|---|
| Font / style | |
| Position and safe margins | |
| Punctuation and casing | |
| Emphasis treatment (key words) |
| Rule | Setting |
|---|---|
| Music source and license tier | |
| Music volume bed (under dialogue) | |
| Sound effects: yes / no / which | |
| Loudness target |
The things that are wrong with every draft if missed. Write them down once; stop discovering them.
1.
2.
3.
4.
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Named feedback owner (one person) | |
| Feedback turnaround expected | |
| Delivery day and format | |
| Rounds included before billing extras |
When this guide goes to a trial editor: paid trial in the thirty to fifty dollar range on the same short test piece; judge against the written standard (hook placement, caption accuracy, pacing, sound, delivery time). Do not trust portfolio reels; the trial shows what arrives on your deadline, in your style. Structural defenses: never one editor for one client, keep a tested backup on the bench, review everything before the client sees it, tie subcontractor pay to the same deadlines the client contract imposes on you.