Pick a length by the job
Plan around one audience and one action, rather than filling every second available.
- 15–30 seconds: one message, hook and action for a short promotion.
- 30–60 seconds: a focused launch introduction or product benefit.
- 1–3 minutes: a fuller explanation, campaign story or real demonstration.
- For each export, check the actual placement, ratio, safe zone and caption behavior in the platform specifications guide.
Name the placement
A platform can support several placements. A YouTube film and a YouTube Short need different framing. An event screen may use a custom shape rather than a standard video ratio.
Plan important content
Faces, product details, subtitles and calls to action need space around interface overlays. Tell the studio what must remain visible, rather than assuming one crop will work everywhere.
Check the source material
A tightly framed horizontal shot may not contain enough information for a vertical version. Supply wider references or agree a different scene where necessary.
Agree how many versions
Single-video pricing covers the chosen format. Additional ratios or alternate edits are separate scope. For a campaign package, agree how its deliverables are distributed across channels.
A near-4:3 film and the cost of cropping
They Picked the Wrong House places three small visitors opposite a host across a doorway. The source is 1934 × 1440 pixels, close to 4:3. A vertical adaptation needs a shot-by-shot check so that a face or action is not cropped out. Decide which relationship each frame must preserve before choosing a crop; an additional ratio may require reframing or a different shot.
See how framing changes the story
These studio samples use four shapes: 9:16 for One Candle, Five Friends; roughly 3:4 for Beyond Distance and A Golden Afternoon in Amsterdam; roughly 4:3 for Window Light and A Day at the Cake Counter; and 16:9 for Clarity, at Speed and The City, Unhurried. The portrait logistics video keeps attention on each step of the shipment. The wider mood film leaves space for the room and light. Choose a frame that supports your story and intended placement, then plan additional versions around it.
AI Brand Film: Beyond Distance
One ceramic cup, followed from order approval to delivery. This vertical film for a fictional logistics company connects warehouse scans, container loading, and ocean freight through the story of a single shipment.