What is a video cutdown?

A cutdown is a shorter version of an existing edit that tells the same story with fewer soundbites. Interview projects often need several, such as 90, 60 and 30-second versions, for different placements. Each cutdown should work on its own for a viewer who never sees the longer one.

Does FlashCut make the 60 and 30-second versions automatically?

Yes. Every narrative FlashCut proposes comes at 90, 60 and 30 seconds. Switch the length on the Narrative Discovery board to see which soundbites each version uses, then assemble the one you need and refine it by chat or transcript.

Should I cut the short version from the long one?

Not by trimming from the top. Start from the single line the story cannot lose and build each length around it. In FlashCut each length is a separate selection of soundbites from the footage, so the 30-second version is not just the opening of the 90-second one.

Can I export each length to Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro?

Yes. Assemble the length you need, then export Premiere Pro XML or FCPXML from the Timeline tab in Export. Each file references your original footage, so the export is near-instant. Relink media if your editor asks on first open.

How to make 90, 60 and 30-second cutdowns from one interview

A cutdown is a shorter version of the same story. To make 90, 60 and 30-second cutdowns from one interview, decide the single point the story makes, keep the soundbites that carry it, and remove supporting lines at each step down. FlashCut cuts every narrative it proposes at 90, 60 and 30 seconds, so the three versions start ready.

Updated October 12, 2026

Why one interview needs several lengths

Most interview projects deliver more than one file. A brand film may need a full version for a landing page, a shorter one for a paid placement and a short one for social. Each length is the same story told with fewer words, not a different story.

Done by hand, every length is a new pass through the same material. Starting from the longest cut and trimming down is faster, but it tends to keep the opening and lose the point. A cutdown works better when you know which lines the story cannot lose before you start removing anything.

What each length is typically for

These are common editorial conventions, not platform rules. Check the brief and each platform’s current specifications before you deliver.

What each length is typically for
Length	Typical use	What it can hold
90 seconds	Landing pages, presentations, email, the main version of a story	A setup, two or three supporting points and a close
60 seconds	Social feeds, event screens, a shorter web version	A setup, one supporting point and a close
30 seconds	Paid placements, short social posts, a teaser for the longer cut	One strong line and a close, with little room for setup

How to cut down by hand

Write the one sentence the story has to leave the viewer with. Every length must still deliver it.
Mark the soundbite that states that sentence best. It stays in all three versions.
Build the 90-second cut first: an opening line, the supporting points and a close.
For 60 seconds, drop the weakest supporting point and tighten each remaining answer to its strongest sentence.
For 30 seconds, keep the key soundbite and one line around it. Cut the setup if the key line makes sense without it.
Watch each version on its own. A cutdown has to work for someone who never sees the longer cut.

How FlashCut gives each narrative three lengths

In FlashCut you do not cut the shorter versions by trimming the longer one. When you choose Get Narratives, FlashCut analyzes the whole shoot and proposes several storylines, and it cuts each storyline at 90, 60 and 30 seconds.

Each narrative is a set of soundbites built around one angle, and each length is its own selection of soundbites from the footage.
Switch the length on the Narrative Discovery board and different moments light up in the footage, so you can see what each version keeps.
Open a narrative to read its soundbites and where each one sits in the footage before you commit to it.
Choose Assemble a cut on the length you need to join its soundbites into one video on the timeline.
Refine any length by chat or by editing the transcript, the same way as any other cut.

Delivering each length

Export Premiere Pro XML or FCPXML for each length you want to finish in your editor. The files reference your original footage, so each export is near-instant.
Export a rendered MP4 when you only need a finished file to upload or share.
Export SRT captions per version. Caption timings follow the edited timeline, so each length gets captions that match it.
Plans allow more than one timeline per project (2 on Free and Starter, 5 on Pro, 20 on Studio), so different lengths can sit side by side.

Common mistakes

Cutting the 30-second version from the top of the 90-second one. The opening is usually setup, and setup is the first thing a short cut can drop.
Speeding up delivery to fit more words in. A shorter cut needs fewer lines, not faster ones.
Losing the speaker’s name or context. A short version still has to tell the viewer who is talking, by caption or lower third added in your editor.
Forgetting the ending. Every length needs a line that sounds like a close, not one that stops mid-thought.