Updated: September 25, 2026
Cut-downs and versioning: turning one Miami edit into 60, 30, 15 and 6-second versions
Very few videos today run in only one place. The two-minute brand film goes on the website, but the same campaign also needs a 60-second version for YouTube pre-roll, a 30 for connected TV, a 15 for Instagram and Facebook ads, a 6-second bumper, and perhaps a Spanish version of each. Clients often think of these as "shorter exports" of the main edit. They are not. A good cut-down is a separate edit with its own structure, and planning for them early is one of the easiest ways to get more value from a Miami shoot. This guide explains how editors build cut-downs, what makes a short version work, how to organise the versions so nothing gets lost, and what to decide before the edit starts.
Why a cut-down is its own edit
A long edit has time to set up a problem, build a story and pay it off. A 15-second spot has time for one idea and a logo. Simply trimming the long version usually leaves a video that feels rushed, with a story that starts in the middle and an ending that arrives before anyone knows why they should care. Each length needs its own answer to three questions:
- What is the single message this version must deliver?
- What is the hook in the first one or two seconds, before the viewer scrolls or skips?
- What should the viewer do at the end: visit a site, remember the brand, book a call?
The editor answers these for each duration, then picks shots and lines from the full material, not only from the finished long cut. Sometimes the best shot for the 6-second version never made it into the two-minute film at all.
Typical versions and what each needs
| Length | Common use | What works |
|---|---|---|
| 90 to 120 seconds | Website, presentations, YouTube | Full story, interviews, room to breathe |
| 60 seconds | YouTube ads, social feeds, event screens | One clear arc, strongest two or three moments |
| 30 seconds | Connected TV, pre-roll, paid social | One message, one voice, brand visible early |
| 15 seconds | Instagram and Facebook ads, stories | Hook in the first second, a single benefit, logo and call to action |
| 6 seconds | YouTube bumpers, retargeting | One striking image, a short line, the brand |
Platforms change their ad formats and limits from time to time, so check the current specs with your media buyer before the edit locks. Our guide to export and delivery specs covers the technical side of each file.
How the editor builds the short versions
Start from the message, not the timeline
Before cutting, the editor writes one sentence per version: "The 15 says our clinic sees patients the same day." That sentence decides which interview line survives and which shots make the cut. It also gives the client something simple to approve before the editing time is spent.
Hook first
Short versions rarely start with a slow establishing shot of the Miami skyline. They start with the most interesting frame: a face, a product in action, movement, a line of dialogue that raises a question. The wide skyline shot can come later or not at all.
Audio drives the length
In short versions the voiceover or interview line usually decides the timing. A 30-second spot with 28 seconds of speech feels crowded. Leave space for the music and a clean end card. The voiceover guide explains how to record separate reads for different lengths, which saves a lot of awkward trimming.
Music edits
A music track cut down from two minutes to fifteen seconds needs a proper edit, usually using the track's own intro and ending. Many library tracks come with shorter versions; check the license covers all the lengths you plan to use. Our guide to choosing music and licensing covers this.
Plan cut-downs before the shoot
The best cut-downs are planned before anyone picks up a camera. If you know you need a 6-second bumper, the director can shoot a few strong single images designed for it. If you need square and vertical versions, the camera team frames with room for reframing. And if the 15-second version needs a specific product shot, it goes on the shot list. We recommend listing all planned versions in the brief with their lengths, aspect ratios and languages. Our article on aspect ratios and reframing explains how to combine lengths and formats without doubling the work.
Keeping versions organised
A campaign with five lengths, three aspect ratios and two languages is thirty files. Without a system, someone will eventually send the wrong one to a media buyer. Good practice:
- A clear naming convention, for example client, project, length, ratio, language and version number.
- A version matrix, a simple table listing every deliverable and its approval status.
- Approving the master first, then approving the cut-downs as a group, so a change in the long edit is carried into the shorter ones.
- Separate caption files or burned-in subtitles noted in the file name.
- Keeping the project organised so a future update, such as a new phone number or offer, can be applied to every version quickly.
Our guide to client review rounds explains how to review many versions without losing track of comments.
Common mistakes with short versions
- Leaving the logo to the last second, when many viewers of a 15 or 6 never reach it. Show the brand early and again at the end.
- Relying on sound. A large share of social viewing happens with the sound off, so short versions need captions or on-screen text that carries the message alone.
- Squeezing the long voiceover into a short spot by speeding it up. Write and record a shorter line instead.
- Forgetting the end card timing. Platforms and media buyers often want a few clean seconds at the end for the call to action.
- Approving each version separately over weeks, so a correction in one never reaches the others.
Budget and time
Cut-downs are cheaper than the main edit, but they are not free. Each needs creative decisions, a music edit, a mix check, graphics adjustments and an export. Ask your editor how versions are priced: some quote per version, others include a set number in the package. Adding a version after the master is locked is almost always more expensive than planning it upfront, because the editor has to reopen the project and revisit decisions.
Cut-downs and versioning with our team
We edit campaigns for Miami brands that run across web, social, streaming and events, and we plan versions from the brief. Before the edit starts we agree a version matrix with you: lengths, formats, languages and where each file will run. Our editors then build each cut-down as its own story, with music edits and mixes checked for every length, and deliver files named and organised so your team and media buyers can use them without guessing. If you already have a finished video and need shorter versions for a new campaign, we can work from your existing project or footage. Send us the details through the contact page, and read more about our post-production team on the about page.