A brand puts great effort into a 60-second ad, then finds the platform wants a 15-second version and that skippable formats reward a point made in the first five seconds. So the 60 seconds are chopped to 15 from the front, and the story ends just as it starts. A short ad isn't the first few seconds of a long one. It's the same material told again. That retelling is post-production work.
What each length can carry
- 6 seconds: one image, one line, the brand name. A reminder, not an explanation. Best for people who have seen the longer version, or to build recall.
- 15 seconds: one selling point and one call to action. The most used length on social and video platforms, and the hardest to cut: every second has to earn its place.
- 30 seconds: one small story: situation, product, benefit, call to action.
- 60 seconds and over: the brand story or a full product introduction, for the website, launches and viewers willing to watch.
Which lengths you need depends on your media plan and each platform's current specifications. Those change, so confirm before production.
Cutting short versions from the master
- Decide the one thing the short version says. A 60-second film with three selling points keeps one at 15 seconds. Or make three 15s, one each.
- Open on the strongest image. The long version can build; the short one starts with the product or the most arresting shot.
- Show the brand early. Many viewers skip within seconds. A logo that appears only at the end may never be seen.
- Rework the sound. Voice-over is recut or re-recorded shorter. The music needs a passage with its own beginning and end, not a fade.
- Rewrite the on-screen text. Fewer words, larger, on screen long enough to read.
- A complete end frame. The call to action and brand hold for a second or two.
Best planned from the start
How well short versions cut is half decided at script and shoot. If you haven't filmed yet, tell the director and crew:
- Mark the shots the short versions will need, and make sure they stand alone.
- Film product close-ups and logo shots in several lengths and angles.
- Record voice-over in sections, plus one short tagline that works alone.
- Leave room in the frame for vertical and square crops; see ad videos in multiple aspect ratios.
If the shoot is done, short versions can usually still be cut, with fewer shots to choose from.
Versions for testing
At the same 15 seconds, a different opening or tagline can perform differently. Running several versions and moving budget to the stronger one is common practice. We make the versions. Campaign settings and reading the results are for your team or your media agency, and we can't promise ad performance. Where footage is thin, AI visuals can supply alternative openings; see testing ad variations with AI video.
What to send us
- The master's project material: camera originals, music, voice-over, fonts and graphics. A finished export alone can be cut, but with subtitles and logo already burned in there is far less room to adjust; see re-editing an old video.
- The version list: length, size, platform and language of each.
- The point of each short version: which selling point stays and what the call to action is.
- The music licence: whether it covers advertising and every platform involved.
- The go-live date.
Other business video types are in commercial video editing for businesses.
FAQ
Chipscat didn't edit the original. Can you make only the short versions?
Yes. Send the original footage, or at least a clean version without subtitles and logo, plus the original music file.
Can six seconds really say anything?
One thing. Treat it as a reminder and run it alongside longer versions.
Does a short version need new voice-over?
Not always. Many short versions use only text and music. If there is voice-over, the original lines are usually too long and need rewriting and re-recording.
