Video
The first three seconds decide the other thirty
Short videos made for advertising: vertical, captioned, with the message up front — because almost nobody watches them with sound.
The problem
A corporate video is not an ad video
The corporate one opens with aerial footage and music, introduces itself at the thirty-second mark and ends with a logo. It works when someone has already decided to watch you.
In an ad, nobody has decided anything. They’re scrolling. You have three seconds before they skip it — and most videos spend them on an intro.
The mistakes
What most people do
Made for sound
The vast majority play muted. Without captions, the message never arrives.
Horizontal video on a vertical screen
You lose two thirds of the screen. And with them, the attention.
Too long
A three-minute video for an audience that doesn’t know you isn’t an ad, it’s a wish.
The solution
How we work
The script first, the camera after. The expensive mistake is filming something that shouldn’t have been said that way.
- A script with the message in the first seconds
- Filming, or editing from footage you already have
- Vertical format, with a horizontal version where needed
- Captions on every video, so it works without sound
- Two or three versions of the opening, to be tested
- Delivery in formats ready for each platform
The opening versions aren’t a luxury: they’re the only way to learn what holds attention with your own audience.
The price depends on whether filming is needed or footage already exists.
- A script for every video
- Filming or editing of existing footage
- Editing, captions and color correction
- Vertical and horizontal versions
- Alternative versions of the opening for testing
Have footage and don’t know what to do with it?
Send it to us. Often the video already exists — what’s missing is the edit.