Open this lesson in your favourite AI. It'll walk you through the why, explain the demo, and quiz you on the try-it list.
A 30-second ad is not a single asset anymore. It's a specification — and every platform consumes a different permutation of it. Vertical 9:16 for Reels and TikTok. Square 1:1 for IG feed. Horizontal 16:9 for YouTube and CTV. 6-second bumpers for pre-roll. 15-second cutdowns for mid-roll. Subtitle bakes for sound-off viewing. OOH still frames. The filmmaker who understands platform-native craft wins two ways: better performance on each surface, and lower cost because a well-planned asset renders into all formats without re-shoots. AI generation still charges per shot — but AI post-production (reframing, resizing, subtitling) is essentially free.
Rules of thumb from agency post houses: (1) Shoot the hero wider than the frame you'll deliver — crop-in to the vertical and leave room for horizontal. (2) Put the subject on the centreline; platforms crop edges. (3) Put text and product in the centre third vertically; top and bottom get clipped on CTV. (4) Subtitles are default, not optional — 85% of Facebook feed video is watched on mute. (5) Sound-forward hook in the 16:9, sound-optional in the 9:16. AI tools default to 16:9; force the vertical and square re-renders or ask the reframing tool (Adobe Premiere Auto-Reframe, Runway reframe) to do it.
# Platform deliverable matrix
Asset Aspect Length Subtitles Hook position Notes
----- ------ ------- --------- ------------- -----
Hero spot (TV/YT) 16:9 :30/:60 no :00–:05 Sound on, cinematic
YouTube bumper 16:9 :06 optional :00–:02 Brand + one beat
Pre-roll skippable 16:9 :15/:30 optional :00–:05 pre-skip Hook before skip button
Reels / TikTok 9:16 :15/:30 YES :00–:03 Sound-off friendly
IG feed square 1:1 :15/:30 YES :00–:03 Centred, logo in safe area
Stories 9:16 :15 YES :00–:02 Add a sticker CTA
CTV (Hulu, Netflix ads) 16:9 :15/:30 optional :00–:05 Loud, premium, no CTA click
OOH still 9:16 — — — One image, one line, one logo
Production planning rule:
Shoot at 4K, 16:9, with subject centred → all formats crop out of one master.
AI video tools: render 16:9 → use Auto-Reframe tools for 9:16 and 1:1 deliverables.Use these three in order. Each builds on the one before.
In one paragraph, explain why modern commercial production delivers multiple aspect ratios and durations from one master asset, and give me the 3 aspect ratios plus 4 durations that cover 90% of delivery surfaces.
Walk me through how auto-reframing algorithms work — what they're detecting (subject saliency, faces, motion), why they fail on certain shots, and how to shoot or generate deliberately to make reframe succeed.
I'm running a global campaign for a DTC brand across TV (US), YouTube pre-roll, Reels, TikTok, and OOH in 3 markets. Walk me through the master-asset strategy, the cutdown plan, the localisation approach (subtitles vs dubbing vs re-shoot), and the QA cadence so every market gets a premium-feeling asset.