Context and provenance Understanding any media file requires provenance. If SIVR-171-D.mp4 originates from a research repository (e.g., VR experiment 171, camera D), its value is evidentiary: timestamps, capture metadata, and accompanying logs would matter. In contrast, if the file is part of an artist’s series, the naming system itself could be an artistic device, inviting viewers to read formality against content. Consider how film archives label reels—each code a pointer to a production history. A concrete example: an ethnographic fieldworker might name interviews with a site code and interview number; SIVR-171-D.mp4 in that context would imply a recorded oral history tied to a particular locale and respondent. Without metadata, however, the file’s true origin is latent, and interpretation leans on genre expectations and contextual clues within the video itself.