One Shoot, Every Channel: Which Video Formats You Need for Website, Social Media and Trade Fairs

! AI · Camera and preview monitor on a film set.

Video formats for business need a plan before filming starts. Seven decisions connect your channels, aspect ratios, running times, framing, sound and subtitles, delivery list and budget. This guide turns them into a practical production brief.

The film is finished, everyone is happy – and then marketing asks whether they could "quickly get it vertical too". That is where it gets expensive: whatever was not considered during the shoot can only be rescued afterwards with compromises. Heads hit the top edge of the frame, lower thirds sit outside the picture, and a calm wide shot turns into a soft crop.

The good news: planning before the shoot helps you obtain material for website, social media, trade fair and presentations out of one shooting day. This guide shows you how.

Video formats for business: several versions from one shoot

Higher recording resolution can leave room for different crops. A full-height 9:16 crop from a UHD frame of 3840 × 2160 pixels is about 1215 × 2160 pixels. That can be scaled to 1080 × 1920, provided framing, focus and any stabilisation leave enough usable detail. It is not a guarantee that every landscape shot will work vertically.

3DMS offers production in 4K and 6K with landscape and portrait versions on request. Agree the required versions before filming and keep essential subjects within the intended crop.

If portrait video is the main deliverable, dedicated portrait shots may be the better choice. Plan both composition and editing, not just the export size.

16:9, 9:16, 1:1 – which format for what?

! AI · Camera operator checking portrait framing in a black studio.

Rule of thumb: every format needs its own edit, not just a different frame. A 16:9 film with black bars top and bottom looks out of place in a vertical feed.

Length: not every channel takes the same film

Start with the intended channel and check its current upload guidance:

• YouTube Shorts: short-form videos of up to 3 minutes. According to YouTube Help, Shorts uploads are limited to a maximum resolution of 1080p (YouTube Help, checked 23 September 2026).
• LinkedIn: check the current limits for your upload method before exporting. Define the aspect ratio, length and file size in the delivery brief.

In practice: the corporate film for your homepage can run two to three minutes. For the mobile feed you need a much shorter version out of it, one that gets to the point in the first few seconds. Check each planned version against the destination platform before delivery.

Plan the short version in the script, not in the edit. A 30-second version is not made by shortening a three-minute film – it needs its own narrative structure.

On set: the three things that save the crop later

1. A safe zone in the centre of frame. Everything that has to remain visible in vertical – faces, product, action – belongs in the middle third of the image. Whatever happens on the left and right is gone in the 9:16 crop.
2. Leave headroom. A little more air above the head than usual. A centred crop keeps the same centre; reposition the crop deliberately when the composition needs it.
3. Add text and graphics in post. Lower thirds, logos and subtitles belong in post-production, not in the camera image. Only then can they be repositioned per format. Lower thirds, graphics, logo and slides are included in the 3DMS packages.

Pro tip: many monitors and cameras can display a 9:16 guide. If you know vertical will be needed, say so before the first take – not after the last one.

Sound, subtitles and the muted feed

Mobile feeds often start without sound. Anything that is only spoken is lost. Three practical consequences:

• Put the core message on screen as text as well. Not as a replacement for the interview audio, but as a second layer.
• Plan for subtitles. Agree before the shoot who creates them and which languages are needed. Subtitles are post-production work and take time – including for your English version.
• Still record good sound. Sound may be used on a website, in a sales conversation or at a trade fair. Agree the actual playback conditions. Lavalier microphone, boom and recorder are part of the standard equipment at 3DMS.

If your voice-over is not spoken by the people on camera but should be recorded professionally, there are professional voice talents. And if someone has to deliver longer passages on camera, a teleprompter helps more than any cue card.

The version list: the most important document before the shoot

! AI · Editor preparing landscape and portrait versions in the editing suite.

Instead of "we will sort it out", a short table helps. An example for a typical corporate film:

This list answers, before the shoot, the questions that otherwise surface in the edit: how many interview segments do we need? Do we have to shoot the same scene twice? How many edits are we quoting for?

The trade fair loop without speech is the most frequently forgotten item. On a loud trade fair floor, a voice-over may be difficult to understand. The message should also work through images and text.

What it costs

3DMS film packages are tiered by shooting time. For the corporate film:

Additional hours cost 299 € per hour. All prices stated are net plus 19 % VAT. The final offer specifies filming, editing and optional services. Clarify script development, voice talent, music rights and additional versions explicitly before booking.

What the price actually responds to: the number of shooting days and the number of edits – not the number of formats as such. Three versions from one well-planned shooting day cost considerably less than two separate productions.

Common mistakes – and how to avoid them

• Deciding on vertical during the edit: leads to cropped heads and restless framing.
• Producing only one length: a two-minute film works on the website, but rarely in a mobile feed.
• Text in the lower third of the frame: that is exactly where many feeds place controls and captions.
• Forgetting subtitles: afterwards it is extra work; beforehand it is one line on a list.
• A trade fair film with voice-over: the message should remain clear when speech cannot be heard.
• No version plan: without a list you either end up with too few versions – or with a revised quote.

FAQ – video formats for business

Can I get vertical and landscape from one shoot? Yes, if it is decided before the shoot. 3DMS produces in 4K and 6K in parallel and delivers vertical and landscape versions as well as 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 on request.

Is it enough to simply crop the finished film? For individual scenes, yes; for the whole film, rarely. A good vertical cut has its own edit and often its own length.

How long can a video on LinkedIn be? Check the current LinkedIn upload guidance for your publishing method before export. The ideal length should follow the message and audience, not the maximum upload limit.

How long can a YouTube Short be? Up to 3 minutes. YouTube limits Shorts uploads to a maximum resolution of 1080p.

Do I need subtitles? For mobile feeds, practically always, because many videos start without sound. Agree before the shoot who creates the subtitles and in which languages.

What does an corporate film at 3DMS cost? See the package overview above for the current starting prices. The final quote specifies the agreed production scope and number of edits.

In how many formats will the film be delivered? You define that before the shoot in a version list. Output is provided in all common video formats; the exact number of edits belongs in the quote.

Do you also shoot outside Munich? The focus is on Munich and the surrounding area, but 3DMS also works throughout Germany and internationally. Just name your location in your enquiry.

Video formats for business: your next steps

Planning an corporate film, a social media video or a trade fair film and would rather not shoot twice? Send us your version list – or whatever part of it you already have. We will tell you what one shooting day can realistically deliver.

👉 Send your film project through the contact form Packages and prices are in the price list, the equipment under technical data.

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