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Short Film | Saying what the brand wants to say through a story
A short film is not a longer advert; it uses a story to make people willing to watch to the end — and that calls for an entirely different way of thinking about the edit.
The most common failure in a short film is this: halfway through the story it suddenly turns into a product advert. The moment the audience senses a sales pitch, every bit of feeling built up beforehand resets to zero.
What a good short film edit has to handle is the rhythm of emotion: when to give information, when to leave space, how long the build-up can run before it drags, how fast a turn can come without feeling abrupt. There is no formula for these judgements; they rest on understanding the footage.
These situations are a good fit
- Brand short films: conveying values through a story rather than selling directly
- Public interest or advocacy films that need an emotional connection
- Student productions and graduation projects that need professional post-production
- Festival submissions: narrative short films
- Company anniversaries or brand stories told in dramatised form
- Regional revitalisation and tourism films told as stories
Common formats and lengths
- 3–5 minutes: the most common length for a brand short film
- 8–15 minutes: a narrative short
- 15–30 minutes: festival-format shorts
- Horizontal 1920×1080 or 3840×2160; for festival submissions, check the required specifications first
- Usually both a subtitled and an unsubtitled version need to be made
Please prepare these materials
The rules for materials are simple. Just follow whichever one of the options below matches what you have:
1. You already have footage
- Upload the original files to Google Drive, then share the folder link with us
- Please put the files in order first — name them in the order you want them to appear (01, 02, 03…). This step saves a great deal of back-and-forth and makes the quote more accurate
- Please send the original files rather than sending them through a messaging app, which compresses them and costs you quality
2. You do not have footage yet
A simple script is enough. You only need to write down three things:
- From which second to which second
- What is on screen
- What text appears
For example:
0–5 sec | Opening shot (for example an aerial of the setting, the entrance, the product itself) | Text: the brand or topic name
5–12 sec | Main content, camera pushing in slowly | Text: the one line you most want people to remember
12–20 sec | Closing shot | Text: contact details or a call to action
It does not need to be beautifully written, just clear. We will use that script to assess how feasible it is and what the scope of work would be.
3. Other things we can look at (not required)
Below are the supporting materials people often have for this kind of video. They are only a reference, not a requirement. Providing your material in either of the two ways above is enough — having these lets us assess things faster, and not having them makes no difference.
- Send the NG takes and the spare takes as well; they are useful when selecting performances
- The script or storyboard — this is what the edit is built on
- The continuity log or take notes (if you have them)
- The on-set audio files (from a separate recorder)
- Reference works, with a note on the tone and pace you want
For anything else, just ask on our official LINE.
How we might approach it
Every project has a different set of materials and a different brief. What is listed below are the approaches commonly used for this kind of video; which of them we actually use, and how far we take them, depends on your material and what you need.
- A rough cut built from the script: the skeleton of the story goes up first, to confirm the structure works
- Performance timing adjusted: the breath between lines and the length of reaction shots are fine-tuned line by line
- Dialogue editing: the best performance is picked from across takes and joined without a visible seam
- Cinematic grading: the palette is set to the mood of the story, and the light is matched across scenes
- Sound design: the layering of ambience, effects and music is one of the things that decides how a short film feels
We do not simply apply a fixed package. We need to see the full picture of the material and the brief first, and only once we have confirmed what can realistically be done do we provide a quotation and a production schedule. That way the price and the delivery date rest on something solid, and you will not get halfway through and find that extras are needed.
Editing can raise the finish of a film considerably, but it cannot repair fundamental problems from the shoot — a key shot that was never filmed, on-set sound that is entirely ruined, performances that vary too widely. If you are worried the footage is incomplete, send it over for us to look at before deciding whether to go into post.
Process
How we work together
Every project is bespoke, so the process starts with “taking a look first”, not with a price.
Send the material or a script
If you have footage, upload it to Google Drive and put it in order; if you do not, send a simple three-point script (from which second to which second / what is on screen / what text appears).
Assessment and quotation
Once we have seen the full picture of the material and the brief, we confirm what can be done and provide a quotation and production schedule.
Production and delivery
We deliver a first cut on the agreed schedule, and export the finished film once the revisions are confirmed. Working days are counted from confirmation of payment.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The on-set sound is bad and the dialogue is hard to make out — what can be done?
We can assess it for repair. Ambient noise, wind and uneven levels can usually be dealt with; see audio noise repair for how. If the dialogue is already completely buried, dubbing in post may need to be considered.
Can you help with the script?
One of the ways BoFrame works is this: you provide a simple script and we help plan the shots and the production. Writing a full screenplay is a different scope of work, and can be discussed when you enquire.
We are submitting to a festival — is there anything to watch for in the specifications?
Please tell us in advance which festival you are submitting to and what it requires (resolution, frame rate, audio channels, subtitle format). These need to be settled before the edit begins; converting afterwards can affect quality.
Student productions have tighter budgets — will you take them on?
BoFrame has a minimum project fee for video work. Jobs below that threshold usually cannot be accepted, or are run as a single delivery with no included revisions; we will say so clearly when we assess the job.
How long does it take?
Post-production on a short film runs longer, generally 15–25 working days, depending on the volume of footage and the complexity of the grade and the sound design.
Thinking about a short film?
Email us and we will reply with what else we need to know, then move on to assessment and a quote. LINE works too.