Enhance Your Content with Annotations

Last updated: November 6, 2025

Annotations are brief, structured descriptors that enrich your videos with context, improving searchability, discovery, and licensing outcomes.

Troveo creates these annotations using a mix of automated methods and human experts; when unique context resides with the rights holder, we’ll request this information to ensure complete, high-quality metadata.

How to get started:

  1. Download the template (it includes your video file names). This may take a few minutes to export. Recommended: Download and use Excel before opening or editing your templates, particularly if your account includes a high volume of content ingested.

  2. Fill in details about each file under the highlighted columns.

  3. Re-upload the sheet to update your content’s metadata.

If you have any questions, please review the step-by-step instructions, or file a support ticket. 

Step-by-Step guide

Step-by-step instructions: how to fill out the Movies & Series annotation template

Annotations help Troveo and buyers better understand what’s in your videos — making them easier to search, discover, and license.

This guide explains how to complete the Finished Movies & Series annotation template you can download from your portal. You only need to fill out the columns highlighted in yellow. 

Recommended: Download and use Excel before opening or editing your templates, particularly if your account includes a high volume of content ingested. It may take a few minutes for the template to export. 

How to Fill the Required Columns

Content Type

What to add: The content category of the video. If your video does not match any of the available drop-down options, leave the field blank.


How to fill:

  • Select the best fit from the drop-down menu. 

  • If your video does not match any of the available drop-down options, leave the field blank. You do not need to add an annotation for that row.

Title

What to add: The official or most recognized name of the content.

How to fill:

  • Enter the title exactly as it appears in official listings or credits.

  • Avoid extra punctuation or internal codes.
    Example: Wonders of the Ocean

Year Produced

What to add: The year the title was completed or first released.
How to fill:

  • Use a four-digit year format (e.g., 2021).

  • If unsure, estimate the closest possible year and note in comments if approximate.
    Example: 2021

Country Produced

What to add: The country where the primary production company is based.
How to fill:

  • Select the corresponding country from the drop-down menu, or select “Other” if none apply. 

Contains Mature Content 

What to add: Whether the video includes scenes of graphic violence, explicit sexual content, strong language, nudity, or themes like drug use.

How to fill:

  • Mark Yes if any mature content scenes appear.

  • Mark No if not.

  • If unclear, write Unknown.
    Tip: Include stylized or animated violence (e.g., in cartoons).

Genre

What to add: The primary category describing the style or subject of the video.
How to fill:

  • Select the best fit from the drop-down menu. Choose one main genre (e.g., Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Nature, News, etc.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Renaming or deleting system columns. 

Once you’ve filled the information out on your template, you can re-upload the file to your portal through the Upload Spreadsheet button on the Annotations tab.