Horizontal and vertical project videos: an adaptation brief

1. Name the destination and the viewing job

Record where each version is expected to appear and who owns that destination. Confirm the actual delivery requirements with the publisher when the project is being scoped. Avoid treating a remembered platform specification as a permanent rule.

Then state whether the version will tell the same story, highlight one part of it or introduce a different point. A change of shape and a shorter edit are separate requests.

• Version and destination:
• Publisher or person confirming requirements:
• Expected viewing shape and delivery requirements:
• Same story or a different selection of material?
• Essential point the viewer should understand:
• Required date and reason:
• Open requirements to confirm:

Use the audience story-use map if the versions serve different questions. This adaptation brief focuses on preserving the picture, text and meaning within the agreed version.

2. Mark the details that cannot disappear

Review the important shots or proposed scenes. Identify the subject and any surrounding detail needed to understand it. A wider view may show the relationship between two parts of a project; concentrating on one part could remove the comparison.

Make a picture card for each important moment:

• Shot or proposed scene:
• Main subject:
• Other detail that must be visible at the same time:
• Meaning carried by the surrounding space:
• Likely problem if the frame is narrowed:
• Alternative picture or sequence to discuss:

If filming has not happened, give these needs to production during preparation. They can assess composition and coverage. Do not assume every important relationship can be recovered later from a single shot.

3. Distinguish reframing from a different edit

Reframing changes what part of a picture is shown within the output frame. It may be enough when the useful subject remains clear. It may be insufficient when two separated details need to be understood together or when a whole graphic must remain visible.

Adobe’s Auto Reframe documentation describes choosing a target aspect ratio and adjusting the reframing behaviour, with further review and refinement of the result. The planning lesson is to check the actual composition of the adapted version; selecting an output shape is only part of the work.

For each difficult scene, ask which approach is worth assessing: retaining a wider view within a layout, using another shot, showing details in sequence or changing the explanation. These are discussion options, not promises that the available footage supports them.

4. Treat text and captions as part of the layout

A name label, diagram and caption line can each be readable alone but compete when placed together. List what must appear at the same time and what can be separated. Check the final intended viewing size, not only the editing monitor.

Record these requirements for each version:

• Essential on-screen names, labels or figures:
• Caption arrangement to agree:
• Other graphic or picture detail visible at the same time:
• Placement or reading-order concern:
• Publisher interface or overlay areas to check:
• Person reviewing the version in its destination:

Confirm the required accessibility features through the accessibility requirements worksheet. Changing a frame shape should not silently remove an agreed caption track or other required information.

5. Work through a fictional framing problem

Imagine a fictional film uses a wide shot to show an old entrance on one side of the frame and a new entrance on the other. The spoken line explains their relationship. A tall crop showing only the new entrance could leave the viewer without the comparison.

The adaptation discussion could assess another view, a sequence showing the two areas separately or a layout that retains enough of the wide picture. Each option needs checking against the actual material and the intended story. Simply keeping a face or object in the middle would not necessarily preserve this shot’s meaning.

This is an invented illustration of a composition decision, not a Live Images project or a claim that a particular editing treatment is available within your scope.

6. Review each finished version as its own viewing experience

Play each agreed version from beginning to end. A correct file label does not demonstrate that the picture, captions and sequence work. Check transitions as well as individual frames, because a subject or label may move during a shot.

• Does the essential subject remain visible?
• Can the viewer follow relationships between details?
• Are labels and captions readable together?
• Does the spoken explanation still match the pictures?
• Are opening and closing context sufficient for this version?
• Does the publisher confirm the file works in the intended destination?
• What remains unresolved, and who owns the decision?

Record the reviewed version and any required corrections. If the adaptation reveals a need for new footage, a new story or additional design work, discuss the change before assuming it belongs in the original allowance.