In short
- Decide where the video will be shown and who will watch before you cut anything.
- A cut is not a simple delete. Music, speech and story depend on what stays.
- Ask for a separate shorter version, so the long one stays safe.
- Give feedback with timecodes and say which moments must stay.
A shorter video starts with a clear purpose, not with the delete key. Decide where the video will be shown and who will watch it, then protect the moments that carry that purpose.
Start with purpose and audience
Ask three questions before you send any notes:
- Where will the video be shown: a screen at an event, a website, social media, a family archive?
- Who will watch it, and how much do they already know?
- What should they remember or do after watching?
A highlight for a staff dinner, a clip for a public page and a family keepsake can all come from the same footage. They should not all be the same length or story. If you need several, the Event video purpose and measurement planner helps you write the purpose down.
Why a cut is not a simple delete
Removing a section changes the parts around it. Before you ask for a cut, consider:
- Speech: a sentence cut in the middle can change its meaning.
- Music: the picture is often timed to the beat, so a cut can break that.
- Cutaways: shots of the audience or the room may be covering an edit already.
- Order: names, titles, sponsors or family members may need to appear in a certain order.
- Sound: a cut may need sound smoothing so it does not jump.
An editor can usually do this well, but it takes time and decisions. That is why shortening may be treated as new editing work. Our guide on video revisions, corrections and scope-change charges explains how that is classified.
What to protect and what to trim first
| Protect first | Trim first |
|---|---|
| The moments you listed as must-keep | Repeated shots of the same moment |
| Key speech, vows or announcements | Long openings and slow transitions |
| People who must be seen | Wide shots with no new information |
| The ending | Sections that only suit one audience |
If you did not list must-keep moments before the event, the Must-capture moments checklist can help you write them now.
An illustrative example
Suppose a draft of a company dinner runs far longer than the 3 minutes the team wants for its website. This is an example, not a real client.
The team picks the three moments it cannot lose: the opening speech, the award for long service and the group photo. The editor builds the short version around those, and uses the rest only to link them. The full draft stays unchanged, so the longer record is still there.
How to ask for the shorter version
- Say the purpose, the audience and the place it will be shown.
- Name the moments that must stay, with timecodes.
- Name anything you would like removed, and why.
- Ask for a separate file, so the long version is kept.
- Send one set of notes from one person, not several.
Our guides on giving useful feedback on a draft and consolidating feedback from several stakeholders help with the notes. The Timecoded video feedback builder lets you write them in order.
After you receive the short version
Check the short version against the purpose you wrote down. Ask: would someone who was not there understand what happened, and are all the must-keep moments in? If yes, you can approve it. If something still needs to change, put the notes in one list before you send them.
Other short formats
Sometimes the answer is not one shorter film but several small ones. Event social video clips are short cuts made for platforms, and an event highlight film is built to be short from the start.
If you have footage or a draft to shorten, you can discuss editing your event footage with us.
If you have a draft or footage that needs to become a shorter video, tell us where it will be shown and who will watch it. We will tell you what the edit would involve.
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