How do you get content for multiple platforms from a single shoot day?
On this page06 sections
A shoot day is expensive: crew, location, equipment and people's time. Wanting to get as much work as possible from the same day is natural. But “let's shoot first and figure it out later” often leads to vertical clips cropped from a horizontal video and footage that cannot be used. Multi-format content is planned before the shoot, not after.
Starting point: what will be used where?
The plan begins with a list of deliverables: a horizontal main video for the website, vertical short videos for social, different openings for ads, photographs, images for email or presentations? Once where, for whom and for what each piece will be used is written down, the shot list is derived from it.
You do not have to attempt everything. Prioritise the list, and add second-tier pieces only if they do not compromise the shoot.
Framing: the same scene does not work in every ratio
A shot that sits well in horizontal framing may push the subject to the edge, or leave no space for text, once cropped to vertical. For important scenes, a frame that keeps the subject near the centre, or works in both orientations, can be set up. Some scenes need to be shot separately for each ratio.
If the on-screen text and cover areas are considered during the shoot, there is room for them in the edit. Platform dimensions and safe areas change often, so check the platform's current guidelines before delivery.
What to shoot specifically for short content
A strong opening line, close-ups showing the process, short moments that carry meaning alone and brief answers where a person speaks directly to the camera may not be recoverable from a long video afterwards. These should be written into the shot list on purpose.
Shooting the same message with several different openings also allows ad testing. Each variation does not need a new shoot day, but which variations are expected should be known before the shoot.
Sound and raw material organisation
Multi-format work means many edits, so clean sound and orderly file naming save time. Recording interview and scene audio separately, capturing ambient sound and room tone, and naming clips by scene and take number make the editor's job easier.
If photography happens on the same day, discuss the order with the video team in advance. Lighting and framing needs differ, and how time is shared should be settled from the start.
Managing expectations in the edit
Each format from a single shoot needs its own edit: a vertical short is not just a cropped horizontal video. Captions, pacing, opening and call to action are considered separately for each. This should show up in the delivery plan and approval process too.
As the number of formats grows, so do edit and approval rounds. So “one shoot, many pieces” is not a cheap shortcut but a way of using, in an organised manner, the value that builds up on shoot day, and planned well it makes the investment pay off in more places.
The day before the shoot: a one-page check
Put the list on one page: which deliverables are mandatory, which scenes will be shot for both horizontal and vertical, which short openings will be taken separately, and what the sound and photo order is. That page goes to the crew and the approver the same day.
Adding a new format on the morning of the shoot often breaks the framing that is already set. When a new request arrives, the question is: does this addition delay a mandatory deliverable? If it does, it either waits for another day or replaces another piece. Multi-format is not unlimited format.