Guide
Batch record a month of video ads in one afternoon
Updated
Write your openings the night before, set up in one spot, and keep every recording under 3 minutes. You set up the phone and the light once, so each extra video only costs the minutes it takes to record.
In short
- Batch recording means filming many video ads in one session: write the openings the night before, then record them all in one afternoon.
- For each ad idea, record the rest of the ad once and several different openings, such as 3 ideas with 4 openings each.
- One spot is enough for the whole afternoon, with the light in front of you and the phone vertical at eye height.
- Each recording should stay under 3 minutes, and a fumbled line is simply said again without stopping.
- Plan the editing within two days of recording, while you still remember which recordings were good.
- Openings to write the night before
- 12
- Longest recording Cutroom takes, and a good limit for any edit
- 3 min
- Cutroom credits for 12 ads from 3 recordings
- 420
Why batch record video ads?
Batch recording means filming many ads in one session instead of one at a time. You set up once, so each extra video only costs the minutes it takes to record.
12 separate sessions vs one afternoon
You set up once instead of twelve times.
Setup and light
- Twelve separate sessions
- Done twelve times, from scratch
- One afternoon
- Done once, at the start
Nerves
- Twelve separate sessions
- The first video is stiff, twelve times over
- One afternoon
- Stiff once, then you warm up
Look of the videos
- Twelve separate sessions
- Different rooms, clothes and light
- One afternoon
- The same spot and light, so ad results are easier to compare
Calendar
- Twelve separate sessions
- Twelve sessions to book
- One afternoon
- One afternoon to book
| Twelve separate sessions | One afternoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup and light | Done twelve times, from scratch | Done once, at the start |
| Nerves | The first video is stiff, twelve times over | Stiff once, then you warm up |
| Look of the videos | Different rooms, clothes and light | The same spot and light, so ad results are easier to compare |
| Calendar | Twelve sessions to book | One afternoon to book |
How to batch record video ads, step by step
Book about two hours for 12 openings, and plan the editing time at the same moment.
- Setting up the phone and the light, and checking a 30-second test recording, comes first.
- Each recording is under 3 minutes, but retakes and short breaks between ideas add time.
- At a typical win rate of 5 to 8%, about 14 ads a month give you roughly one winning ad.
- So one batch of 12 to 14 openings covers about a month of testing.
One afternoon, in order
The night before
Write 12 openings, and the rest of each ad once per idea
Test recording
Record 30 seconds and check sound, light and framing
Record
Each video under 3 minutes
Name the clips
Such as idea 2, opening 7
Plan the editing
Put the editing time in your calendar when you plan the recording
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
The night before: write your openings
If you arrive with only a topic, you end up writing on camera. That is slow, and the videos ramble.
- For each ad idea, write the rest of the ad once and several openings for it. 3 ideas with 4 openings each gives you 12 ads.
- Write each opening on a card or on paper. Reading from a phone next to the camera shows in your eyes.
- Your first recording is often stiff, so record your best idea third, not first.
Setup: one spot for the whole afternoon
Keep the same spot and light for every recording. Then a difference in results comes from what you say, not from the room.
- Put the phone vertical, at eye height, on something solid.
- Face the light. A window in front of you works, a window behind you does not.
- Record in a soft room close to the microphone, so there is no echo.
- Leave space above and below your face for captions and app buttons.
- Clap once at the start of each recording, so you can find where it starts later.
- Record 30 seconds and watch it on the phone before you start. Check the sound first, then the light, then the framing.
What the test recording catches
| Problem | Can you fix it later? |
|---|---|
| A fridge or fan humming | No. It is on every recording of the afternoon |
| A window behind your head | No. Your face stays dark |
| Your face too high or too low | No. Captions and app buttons will cover it |
Problem: A fridge or fan humming
- Can you fix it later?
- No. It is on every recording of the afternoon
Problem: A window behind your head
- Can you fix it later?
- No. Your face stays dark
Problem: Your face too high or too low
- Can you fix it later?
- No. Captions and app buttons will cover it
How to record each video
Keep every recording under 3 minutes. Short recordings are faster to edit.
- If you fumble a line, pause, breathe and say the sentence again. Do not stop recording.
- Say each script twice, once as written and once as if you are telling a friend.
- Record the ideas you care about most in the first hour, while you have the most energy.
- Stop when your voice goes flat, and record the rest another day.
After recording: name the clips and plan the editing
Name each clip right after you record it, so you can find the right opening when you edit.
- Name each clip after the idea and the opening, such as idea 2, opening 7.
- Mark the good recordings on your cards while you still remember them.
- Put the editing time in your calendar when you plan the recording, ideally within two days.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom edits each recording into a finished ad in about a minute, so a whole batch is quick to finish.
- You upload each recording, up to 3 minutes long, and get a finished 9:16 MP4 with cuts, captions and b-roll.
- Cutroom keeps the lines you say, so film each opening as its own recording.
- You can highlight a phrase to put a clip over those words. The style you pick before you upload sets the pace.
- Good sound matters. An echoing room gives a worse transcript and worse clip placement.
- Cutroom takes recordings up to 3 minutes long, so keep each one short or trim it before you upload. There are no square versions.
What a batch costs in Cutroom
| Item | Credits |
|---|---|
| Edit, per recording | 100 |
| Export | 20 per minute of video |
| 12 separate recordings as 30-second ads | 12 × 110 = 1,320 |
| 3 recordings, each exported with 4 different headlines, as 12 ads of 30 seconds | 3 × 100 + 12 × 10 = 420 |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits |
| Basic plan | $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits |
Item: Edit, per recording
- Credits
- 100
Item: Export
- Credits
- 20 per minute of video
Item: 12 separate recordings as 30-second ads
- Credits
- 12 × 110 = 1,320
Item: 3 recordings, each exported with 4 different headlines, as 12 ads of 30 seconds
- Credits
- 3 × 100 + 12 × 10 = 420
Item: Lite plan
- Credits
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits
Item: Basic plan
- Credits
- $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits
Questions people ask
- How many ads can one batch recording session produce?
- Eight to twelve from a focused two-hour session, with the openings written in advance. Most are different openings on the same ad, not separate productions.
- Should I use a teleprompter?
- Only if you can read from one without sounding like you are reading. Many people cannot at first. Short notes on a card next to the lens usually sound more natural.
- Is it worth changing outfits or locations?
- Keep the same spot and light. A different shirt between ideas is fine, so the videos do not look identical in the feed. Moving location is slow, unless the setting is part of the message.
- Do I need a microphone or is the phone enough?
- The phone is enough if you sit close to it in a soft room. Sound matters more than picture, so a cheap clip-on microphone is the first thing worth buying.
- What if I hate being on camera?
- Record an audio-only version first and listen back, which often shows your delivery is fine. If you still do not want to be on camera, hire a creator and edit their video in Cutroom.
- Will batched videos all look the same?
- They can. A different shirt between ideas helps, and so does posting them in a different order from the one you recorded them in.
Record twelve openings in one afternoon and have them edited within two days. Your first video is free.