Example 2 – Localized Instructional Videos
This naming convention was developed for a series of explainer videos published in many different languages, describing how to use the features of a device for a technology company. Aside from the many different languages the content needed to be translated to, each topic was animated with different visual elements (like colors to match the device user’s settings, or disclaimers); or was rendered in different resolutions to match platform usage. These would be released with periodic frequency whenever the client updated or released a new feature for said device. One feature might have up to 30 different deliverables, so in a small round of 5 features, that could represent about 150 deliverables.
To produce this vast amount of deliverables, handlers would capture the device and ingest its footage into a motion graphics program, where a team of animators would add all the different elements for each version. The animated renders would then be reviewed by different QC teams (for feature, visual, and language). These QC teams would ensure that the renders met feature content needs, had no visual errors, and had appropriately translated or adapted specs for each localized version. Once each deliverable passed QC, they would be sent to the client’s different internal departments to be used for distribution across user devices and advertising platforms–so the naming convention needed to also align with their distribution workflows.
With this large number of different deliverables, the naming of files needed to quickly convey what elements the animators, QC, and client teams would find in the content of each version.
These are the guidelines developed to meet that challenge (details have been changed to protect proprietary information):
Naming Convention
Each instructional video, or topic, created in this project is delivered first in English US language, and to two different departments (Users, and Adverts) with their respective deliverable specs.
Each topic is also localized to as many languages or “localizations” as requested by each department. That is, the language, and the date/time/temperature format is adapted to a different region or locale. You will see a four letter localization code in each deliverable’s filename that refers to their specific localization (following the ISO-639 and ISO-3166 language and country code combination, as defined in this page). For example, enGB (English, Great Britain), frCA (Canadian French), itIT (Italian), etc. You may also read or hear the term “L10n”. This is a numeronym, or abbreviation of the word Localization, and in our workflow’s context refers to all deliverables except for enUS (English US).
The naming convention of each topic works as follows:
[topicDept]-[topicName]-[device]-[exportType]-[language]
For example:
usr-Unblock-HAL-BL-enUS.mp4 usr-Settings-HAL-RD-frCA.mp4 adv-Settings-HAL-9x16-itIT.mp41-[topicDept] there are two options for this: “usr” and “adv”. These correspond to the client’s departments.
2-[topicNamel] this is what the client calls the topic. The “topic name” column in the topics spreadsheet will tell you what this should be.
3-[device] is the device the topic is meant for. In our example “HAL” is the HAL 9000
4-[exportType] refers to the type of export, and its spec
- RD Red Background H264 MP4 450-600Kbps, no Audio
- BL Blue Background H264 MP4 450-600Kbps, no Audio
- 1×1 1×1 ProRes 4444 MOV w/Alpha & Disclaimer, no user input
- 9×16 9×16 ProRes 4444 MOV w/Alpha & Disclaimer, no user input
- GIF GIF 24fps 720×720 HQ Loop Forever, w/user input & Disclaimers
5-[language] is the language, or localization the topic is in.
- enUS – English US
- enGB – English, UK
- deDE – German
- esES – Spanish
- frFR – French
- frCA – Canadian French
- hiIN – Hindi
- itIT – Italian
- jaJP – Japanese
- zhTW – Taiwan/Traditional Chinese
- zhCN – Simplified Chinese
- svSE – Swedish
- daDK – Danish
- nnNO – Norwegian
- nlNL – Dutch