Short-form videos are everywhere these days. If you’ve ever flicked through TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts, you’ve probably spent hours watching bite-sized clips that keep you scrolling. But there’s more to short-form video than just mindless entertainment. For businesses, creators, and influencers, mastering short-form videos is an absolute game-changer. Whether you’re looking to promote a product, showcase a talent, or in my case... just have fun documenting travels in a cinematic way; short-form videos can help you connect with your audience and potentially land yourself dream clients.
I’m going to break down everything I’ve learned about short form travel photography/videography and hopefully help you to create compelling, engaging short-form videos that get results.
What Are Short-Form Videos?
Simply put, short-form videos are videos that last anywhere from a few seconds to about a minute. These videos are designed to grab your attention fast and deliver a message even faster. The format has become a staple on social media platforms, where attention spans are short, and people are scrolling quickly through a flood of content.
Short-form videos work because they’re quick, easy to consume, and highly shareable, which is what the algorithm looks for and favours to push to new people.
Popular Formats and Lengths
While short-form videos come in all shapes and sizes, there are a few popular formats that stand out:
Travel Recaps: My favourite and most utilised are cinematic travel recap videos from places I visit. I pack all the highlights of a destination into a fast-paced, visually pleasing montage. I’ve found that quick cuts really grab the viewers’ attention and adding Sound FX to as many clips as possible that make sense really build out the story you are trying to tell.
These short cinematic videos are perfect for giving your followers a taste of new places while letting them experience your trip in roughly 10-30 seconds! My sweet spot is somewhere around 12-20 seconds and I usually aim for somewhere between this time range.
Check out one of my travel recaps here.
Tutorials & How-Tos: An extremely popular format because of the number of potential saves and shares are tutorial videos. Quick videos that teach the viewer camera settings or editing techniques are extremely valuable to new and established creators. The quicker the better, however some tutorials could be up to a minute long depending on how much information there is to convey.
Check out one of my tutorials here.
Behind-the-Scenes: Another popular format is BTS. People love seeing the process of how a particular photo or video was taken. A lot of what we do is polished and edited to look incredibly perfect but giving the audience a glimpse of reality is very inspiring to show that anyone can achieve the same outcome. Frequently used BTS ideas for photographers and videographers is having a camera film the creator taking the shot and then having the end result play immediately after the behind the scenes shot. These videos don’t have to be too long and can range anywhere between 10-30 seconds.
Check out a BTS example here.
Product Demos: If you’re working or collaborating with a company, a quick demo showing how the product works is a great way to grab attention. I like to work product videos into the same format as my travel videos to make it feel more humanised and not so much as a commercial that’s being forced onto my audience. I generally aim for these to be a little longer than my own travel videos somewhere around the 20-30 second mark.
Check out a product demo example here.
Overall, the length of short form videos typically ranges from 15 seconds to 1 minute.
The sweet spot for most platforms will vary. My most used platform is Instagram and I find that usually 10-20 second videos perform well for me. TikTok and YouTube Shorts seem to favour longer videos around 1+ minutes however some shorter videos still perform well from time to time from my experience. I recommend testing and trying what works best for you and your preferred platforms.
Benefits of Short-Form Video Content
One of the biggest advantages of short-form videos is their ability to reach new people and increase engagement. People love to watch videos that are quick, entertaining, and easy to digest. Because these videos don’t require a huge time commitment, they’re more likely to be watched in their entirety, leading to higher engagement rates (likes, comments, shares, saves, etc.).
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have algorithms that favour engaging, shareable content. If your short-form video resonates with viewers, it’s likely to be shown to a wider audience, increasing your reach exponentially.
One of my favourite advantages of creating short form cinematic videos is that my Instagram and TikTok basically perform as a portfolio or resume for me. This helps me land collaborations and paid shoots with companies that take interest in my content without having to pitch or chase work.
Creating Compelling Short-Form Videos
For me, my favourite part of the whole process isn’t actually shooting - it’s editing. Editing is where you can really take your video to the next level.
The key to a successful short-form video is compelling storytelling. Even though you only have a few seconds, you can still create a memorable experience for your viewers.
Build the foundation: Have your main shots in mind that you want to build the story around. This could be hero shots or shots of a location to set the scene.
Start with a Hook: You’ve got just a few seconds to grab attention. Open with something visually pleasing, quick cuts or interesting transitions within the first 3 seconds.
Cut the Fat: Every second counts in short-form video. Cut out anything that doesn’t add to the story or message. Tight editing and shot selection will help maintain viewer attention.
Transitions: Smooth, creative transitions keep the video flowing and prevent it from feeling too choppy. On the other hand, I have had great results with less than perfect transitions like in camera whips and masking subjects that pass through the frame that add intrigue to the video.
Colour Grading: Something unique to the eye will generally capture attention more than the colours we see with our eyes. It doesn’t have to be a huge difference, but playing around with colours in your edits will help give the video new life.
Music Choice: Whether it’s trending audio or a catchy tune, music can set the tone for your video and make it more engaging. I tend to go for beatless music so I can let my SFX do most of the work.
Sound Effects: You can use the original audio that you’ve captured when filming to really enhance the overall viewing experience of your video. Alternatively, there are many subscription-based sound libraries that you can download great SFX from to add into your videos.
Text Overlays: Adding text to the start of a video can help grab the viewers’ attention, something as simple as the locations name if it is a travel recap video. If you are doing talking head videos for tutorials or even BTS videos, adding captions especially for viewers who watch without sound will help keep the viewer watching and not scroll away.
Maintaining Consistency and Quality
Consistency is key in building a loyal audience. Make sure your videos maintain a consistent look and feel—this helps with your personal brand recognition. And never sacrifice quality for quantity. If your content is rushed or low-quality, it could hurt your credibility. In saying that, also hold yourself accountable to try post quality content consistently.
Sony Products for Short-Form Video Creation
Sony offers some of the best gear for shooting high-quality photos and videos.
My short-form video gear:
Personally, I shoot the majority of my content on the Sony Alpha 7 IV and Sony ZV-E1 paired with the Sony 24-70 GM 2.8
Other cameras to consider:
Sony ZV-E10 II: This compact vlogging camera is perfect for creators on the go. With amazing eye tracking autofocus, an articulating screen, and great video quality, it’s ideal for making short-form content and pulls off amazing cinematic content if paired with the right lens.
Sony Alpha 7C II: For those who want a bit more versatility, this full-frame mirrorless camera is perfect for both video and photography.
Accessories:
And a few must have accessories in my opinion for your travels or camera bag:
- ND Filter
- Tripod
- Multiple SD Cards and Batteries
Editing Software and Tools
I use the Adobe Suite for programs such as Premiere Pro for Video editing and Lightroom for Photo editing.
There are many alternatives you could look into such as Davinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Filmora and even CapCut which is great for mobile editing.
There is no right or wrong way to do things and a lot of it comes down to experimentation and finding out what works best for you.
I hope these tips and tricks help you in some way and inspire you to put out your best short form content!
By Jayson Robertson
