What the Folder Structures and Naming Module Now Covers
A look at how the Folder Structures and Naming module is laid out this autumn: the worked example, the exercises that follow it and what students leave with.
Daniel Whitfield · · 5 minutes to read
Why this module sits near the start
Folder Structures and Naming is the module most students open first after the asset review, and for good reason. Every later topic depends on it. Metadata is easier to add when clips live in predictable places, version tracking only works when file names carry the right information, and permissions are far simpler to draw when the hierarchy mirrors how a team really works.
This autumn we have reworked the module so that the structure comes before the vocabulary. Students first look at a messy sample drive, note what slows them down, and only then see a clean hierarchy. The contrast does more teaching than any rule list could.
Prerequisites are modest. You need access to a sample project drive, or a copy of one of your own past shoots, and a willingness to rename things. No special software is required beyond what you already use to browse files.
The worked example at the centre
The core of the module is an original worked example: a mid-sized shoot with two camera operators, separate audio, graphics, music, a rough cut and a final delivery. The example shows a top-level layout with numbered folders so they sort in the order people actually work, from incoming material through to exports and archive.
Each level is explained in plain terms. Why raw footage sits apart from working project files, why exports get their own branch, and why a small folder for documents such as release forms and shot lists saves time later. Nothing is presented as the one correct answer.
Students are encouraged to treat the example as a template to bend. A documentary team will need folders for interviews and archive material, while a commercial team may want one for client feedback. The module shows where those branches attach without breaking the logic underneath.
- Numbered top-level folders that sort in working order
- Raw footage kept apart from project files
- A separate branch for exports and deliverables
- A documents folder for releases, shot lists and notes
Naming conventions that survive a busy week
Naming is where good intentions usually fail, so the module spends real time on it. A convention has to be short enough to type, strict enough to sort, and clear enough that a colleague who was not on the shoot can read it. We walk through the common building blocks: project code, date, scene or subject, version and a short description.
We also cover the small decisions that cause large problems later. Spaces and special characters, inconsistent date formats, the word final used three times on three different files, and capital letters that sort differently on different systems.
Students write their own convention in the exercise, test it on twenty sample files, and then swap with a classmate who tries to break it. The exchange tends to expose gaps quickly, and fixing them on paper costs nothing compared with fixing them across a shared drive.
- Project code, date, subject, version and description as building blocks
- Consistent date format so files sort chronologically
- No spaces or special characters in file names
Learning activities and pace
The module is built around short readings, a guided walk through the worked example, and three practical exercises. The first is redesigning a messy sample hierarchy. The second is drafting a naming convention. The third is migrating a small set of files into the new structure and recording what had to change.
Most students finish in a few focused sessions, though you can move at your own pace. The exercises are cumulative, so each one feeds the next, and the third produces a short written note you can show a colleague as a starting point for a conversation about your own shoots.
Instructors are available for questions throughout. Marcus Delgado leads the module content, and I contribute the sections that connect naming to version control, since the two are tightly linked in daily use.
Realistic outcomes
Completing the module will not reorganise your archive for you, and it carries no certificate. What it gives you is a structure and a naming convention you have tested yourself, plus the reasoning to defend them to a team that may resist change.
Teams that apply the approach usually notice the effect first in handovers. A new editor can find the right folder without asking, and exports stop being scattered across desktops. Those gains depend on everyone following the convention, which is why the module also covers how to introduce it gently.
If you later want help applying the structure to a live library, any hands-on file handling is scoped and agreed separately, so you know exactly what is included before work begins.
How it connects to the rest of the programme
Once your hierarchy and naming convention are settled, the other modules build on them directly. Metadata and Tagging adds searchable detail to the files you have named. Version Tracking uses the version field you defined. Access Permissions maps who may touch which branch of the tree.
For that reason we suggest completing this module before the others, even if your most pressing problem lies elsewhere. A weak foundation makes every later technique harder to apply, while a clear one makes them feel almost obvious.
The Folder Structures and Naming module now leads with a messy drive, moves to an original worked example, and ends with a convention you have written and tested yourself. It asks for a sample project and a little patience, and it offers a practical base for everything else in the programme. Open it when you are ready to put your next shoot in order.
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