A proposal video is a short film, usually two to three minutes, played just before you ask. It gets one screening, and it has to stay hidden until then. It doesn't need to be long or elaborate. What it needs is for your partner to recognise "this is us" within the first few seconds, and for the last frame to hold still and hand the moment back to you. Chipscat Studio is a video editing and post-production studio in Taiwan, founded in 2018, and we edit the photos, clips and greetings you gather into the video you play on the day. We do editing, post-production and AI video only. We don't film: a friend or a photographer can record the day, and the footage can come to us afterwards.
Common kinds of proposal video
Memories
From your first photo together and your first trip to everyday life now, two or three minutes that walk through your story. This is the usual choice, and a forgiving one: it works with almost any set of photos.
Cinema trailer
A film trailer in which the title, the cast list and the release date become you and your partner. It suits a private cinema screening or a gathering of friends, and at first your partner may take it for just another trailer. See proposing in a cinema.
Greetings from family and friends
Family and friends each say a few words to a phone camera. When the last person finishes, the picture cuts to you. For collecting the clips, see collecting greetings from friends and family; for keeping it all from your partner, see how to prepare a proposal video.
Travel
For a proposal on a trip: footage from the first days of the journey, cut together with photos from earlier years, played over dinner or on the last night.
How to structure each one, and what material it needs, is set out in what to put in a proposal video.
What we take care of
- Sorting the material: picking the photos that carry a story out of the hundreds you have, and putting them in order by time or by theme.
- Editing and pacing: cutting to the sections of the music so the feeling builds slowly towards the end.
- Title cards and the film title: dates, places, the little private jokes between you. You give us the words; the last line can stay blank or say whatever you choose.
- The look of the photos: old prints and phone screenshots colour-matched, with slow camera moves so it doesn't feel like a slide deck; see turning photos into a video that doesn't look like a slideshow.
- The playback version: exported for the screen you'll use on the day, whether that is a cinema, a projector, a TV, a tablet or a phone held upright.
Keeping it secret from day one
- Keep the material in a cloud folder of your own, not on a shared account or a shared computer.
- Contact us from a device or account your partner can't see, and open preview links there too.
- When friends record greetings, remind them it's a secret, and keep your partner out of the group chat.
Playing it on the day
Wherever you play it, do a test run on the actual equipment and bring two copies of the file. If you play it from a phone or a laptop, switch on aeroplane mode or Do Not Disturb first so no notification pops up. Ask a friend to press play and film your partner's reaction, so your attention can stay on your partner. For how it works in a cinema, see proposing in a cinema.
How a project runs
- Fill in the request form or message us on LINE with the proposal date, the style you have in mind, where it will be played and on what, and the material you have so far.
- Assessment and quote: we reply within 48 hours to tell you whether we can take it on; if we can, we write up a quote so you can decide whether to go ahead.
- Upload the material and production begins once the quote is confirmed. One round of minor adjustments is included, within the scope set out in the quote.
- Delivery and test run: once you have the playback file, try it once at the venue.
Allow at least three weeks from collecting material to the finished video; greetings from family and friends are usually what take time to gather. The proposal date can't move, so the earlier you get in touch, the more room there is.
Examples
See wedding videosSee growth videosRead client reviews
Fill in the request form.
We reply within 48 hours.
It takes about a minute: what the video is for, how long, the deadline and what footage you have. The form is in Chinese; if you prefer English, email us or message us on LINE. Within 48 hours we'll tell you whether we can help, and if we can, we'll send you a quote.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a proposal video be?
Two to three minutes is usual. Much longer and your partner may guess the ending while waiting; much shorter and there isn't enough build-up. A cinema trailer-style video usually runs a minute and a half to two minutes.
We only have a few dozen photos. Is that enough?
Yes. A three-minute video uses about forty to sixty photos plus a few short clips, and title cards can fill any gaps.
Can you film the proposal itself?
We don't offer filming; we specialise in editing, post-production and AI video. A friend or a photographer can film the day, and the footage can come to us afterwards, to be edited into a record of the proposal or an opening video for a wedding.
Can we use our song as the music?
Playing a video privately is a different situation from uploading it publicly. Tell us the song and where the video will be played, and we'll go through it when we assess the project; see playing at the venue vs posting online.
Can the proposal video be reworked for a wedding later?
Yes. The material and structure of a proposal video often carry over into a wedding opening video or a growth video; see wedding video editing.
