How Long Should a Promotional Film Be and How Is It Built?

For a corporate promotional film, 60–120 seconds is enough for most uses. Where the film will be watched sets the length: a minute and a half on a website, under thirty seconds on social media, and a silent, looping edit on a trade fair screen.

Last updated: · Nitec Agency
00

In short

  • Main film: 60–120 seconds.
  • Social media cuts: 15–30 seconds, vertical.
  • Trade fair and LED screens: a looping edit made to be watched without sound, supported by on-screen text.
  • Two separate edits, short and long, can be made from the same shoot.
  • Build the film around people and the work, not around company facts.
01

Where it is used sets the length

  1. 1

    Website and sales presentation

    60–120 seconds. The viewer has already searched for you or is sitting across from you; the attention span is longer.

  2. 2

    Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts

    Vertical cuts of 15–30 seconds. The first three seconds decide whether the viewer keeps watching.

  3. 3

    Trade fair stand and LED screen

    The sound usually cannot be heard. You need a looping edit supported by on-screen text, with no obvious beginning or end; the aspect ratio is set to match the screen.

  4. 4

    Foreign customers and export

    A subtitled or voiced-over version of the same film. Shots that contain text should be thought through with this in mind at the shoot.

02

The skeleton of the film

A promotional film is not a list of company facts. The founding year, the square meters and the number of machines work in a list that is read; in a film they lose the viewer.

We build the film in five steps: person, need, brand, process, result. The viewer first sees a person and a job; the company name comes after that. In a factory film, this means showing the craftsman at the machine before the machine itself.

03

If you need a long film

Some uses call for a long film: an investor presentation, training or a detailed account of production. In that case the answer is not one long film but two edits from the same shoot: a short film for general use and a long version for specific presentations.

If the shooting day is planned with this in mind from the start, no extra shoot is needed.

04

What to decide before the shoot

  • Where will the film be watched most?
  • Which languages will it be used in?
  • Voice-over, subtitles or music only?
  • Are vertical cuts wanted for social media?
  • Is the size of the trade fair screen known?

Frequently asked questions

How long should a promotional film be?

For corporate promotional films, 60–120 seconds is enough for most uses. If a long film is needed, two edits, short and long, can be prepared from the same shoot.

What is the difference between a promotional film and a commercial?

A promotional film presents the company or the facility and is used for years. A commercial focuses on a single message or campaign and is shorter.

Do I need to shoot a separate film for a trade fair?

No. A separate edit, made to be watched without sound, is prepared from the same shoot to match the aspect ratio of the screen.

Does a promotional film need a voice-over?

No. Some films move forward on music and images alone. Where the film will be watched without sound, on-screen text works better than a voice-over.

How long does it take to deliver a promotional film?

It depends on the number of shooting days and the approval process; the schedule is given in writing in the quote.

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