TL;DR: Repurposing a 60-second widescreen master into a polished vertical edit costs £500–£6,000 depending on whether you use AI auto-reframe or a full manual re-edit with new captions, motion graphics, and safe-zone design. Most corporate videos need a hybrid approach — AI does the rough cut, a human editor handles anything the algorithm gets wrong.
Why Repurposing Isn't Just Cropping
The most common mistake brands make when converting horizontal video to vertical is treating it as a crop job. A 16:9 frame is 1.78 times wider than it is tall. A 9:16 frame is 0.56 times as wide. Simply cropping the centre of a widescreen frame cuts out 44% of the image — and in most corporate productions, that means cutting off a presenter's hands, losing a product on the table, or removing a second speaker entirely.
Professional repurposing requires a considered decision for every scene: what is the subject, where is it in the frame, and how can the vertical canvas best serve the narrative? On average, a thorough manual re-edit takes 3–6 hours per finished minute of vertical content.
The UK market saw a 280% increase in vertical ad spend between 2021 and 2024. Brands that invested early in proper repurposing workflows are now seeing significantly lower CPM on Meta placements compared to letterboxed widescreen.
AI Reframe: What It Can and Cannot Do
AI auto-reframe tools have improved dramatically. Adobe Premiere Pro's Auto Reframe, DaVinci Resolve's Scene Cut Detection combined with dynamic zoom, and dedicated tools like Kamua and Recut can now track faces and primary subjects with reasonable accuracy across standard corporate talking-head footage.
Where AI reframe works well:
- Single-subject interviews or testimonials with static framing
- Presenter-to-camera corporate speeches where the subject stays centred
- Product close-up shots where the object is the primary frame element
- Event coverage where wide crowd shots need to focus on a speaker
Where AI reframe fails and requires human intervention:
- Two-person interviews where both subjects need to remain in frame
- Motion sequences — walking shots, product reveals, camera movements
- Graphics-heavy content where lower-thirds and overlays sit outside the safe zone after reframe
- Branded sequences with logos positioned at screen edges in the original 16:9 edit
- Any shot where the action is deliberately in the wide frame (manufacturing floors, outdoor locations, architectural spaces)
A typical 90-second corporate film processed through AI reframe alone will have 3–7 scenes requiring manual correction. Without correction, these scenes go live with awkward subject positioning or missing information.
Pricing: AI Reframe vs Manual Re-edit
| Method | What's Included | Typical Cost (per 60-sec master) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Reframe Only | Auto-reframe processing, basic export | £500–£1,000 | Budget social clips, internal comms, low-stakes content |
| AI + QC Pass | AI reframe + human review and correction of problem scenes | £1,000–£2,000 | Organic social posts, most standard corporate content |
| Manual Re-edit | Full scene-by-scene vertical re-edit, new caption design, safe-zone graphics | £2,000–£4,000 | Paid media campaigns, brand films, high-visibility content |
| Full Repurpose | Manual re-edit + new music edit, motion graphics refresh, platform-specific versions | £4,000–£6,000 | Major campaign launches, multi-platform distribution |
Captions for Mobile-Silent Viewing
Captions are not an accessibility add-on for repurposed vertical content — they are the primary communication channel. Research consistently shows that 85% of mobile video is watched with sound off in public or shared spaces. A repurposed corporate film without captions delivers its message to roughly 1 in 7 viewers.
Professional caption work for vertical repurposing includes:
- Positioning: Captions must sit inside the safe zone — typically positioned at 60–75% from the top of the vertical frame, clear of both the platform UI at the bottom and the speaker's face.
- Timing: Mobile viewers on social feeds read faster than broadcast subtitle standards. Caption timing is typically 1.5–2 words per second rather than the broadcast standard of 1 word per second.
- Style: High-contrast text (white with black outline, or coloured block backgrounds) outperforms plain white subtitles on varied backgrounds. Many brands use animated word-by-word captions (karaoke style) for vertical social — these add £300–£600 to post costs.
- Format: We deliver .SRT files for self-publishing and burned-in captions for ad formats that strip external subtitle tracks.
Use Cases: Which Content Repurposes Well?
- Testimonial and case study films: Excellent candidates. Single-subject talking heads repurpose cleanly with AI + a light manual pass.
- Product launch films: Moderate difficulty. Product close-ups work well; wide context shots need manual rework.
- Culture and employer brand films: High difficulty. Multiple subjects, movement, and location-wide shots require significant manual re-editing.
- Event highlight reels: High difficulty. Fast cuts, crowd shots, and stage content are challenging for AI reframe. Manual edit strongly recommended for paid distribution.
- Explainer animations: Depends on original aspect ratio. Animations originally designed in 16:9 often require a full re-render from source files rather than a reframe — see our animation repurposing pricing on the live-action vs animation guide.
MKTRL Repurposing Packages
Make It Real offers a dedicated repurposing service for existing corporate video libraries. Our workflow:
- Content audit: We review your existing 16:9 library and score each piece for repurposing viability. Assets are rated Green (AI reframe suitable), Amber (hybrid approach), or Red (full manual re-edit required).
- Platform mapping: We confirm which platforms each repurposed asset will serve and apply the correct safe zones, resolution, and export settings.
- Caption production: Transcription, timing, and design for all deliverables.
- Delivery: Platform-ready files with naming conventions that match your publishing workflow.
Bulk repurposing pricing is available for libraries of 5+ films — typically 15–25% below per-film rates. Clients who book both original production and repurposing with MKTRL receive original project files, which eliminates re-transcoding quality loss.
Technical Checklist Before Repurposing
- Do you have access to the original project files (Premiere, Resolve, FCPX)?
- Are original exports at 4K or above? (Lower resolution masters lose quality when cropped)
- Are original lower-thirds and graphics available as separate layers?
- Is the original music track cleared for social platforms (META, TikTok sync licensing)?
- Do you have the original transcript or script for caption production?
If original project files are unavailable, we work from the highest-quality export available, but a 1080p master cropped to vertical loses approximately 30% resolution — acceptable for organic social, not recommended for paid campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you repurpose old videos from 5+ years ago?
Yes, provided you have source footage at minimum 1080p. We have repurposed 2016-era corporate films for modern vertical distribution successfully. The main risk is dated visual style — overly formal 16:9 productions sometimes look incongruous on TikTok regardless of technical quality. We flag this in the initial audit.
How long does a repurposing project take?
AI reframe-only jobs turn around in 2–3 working days. Manual re-edits for a single 60-second film take 5–7 working days. Full library repurposing projects (5–15 films) are typically scoped at 3–4 weeks.
What if the original music is not licensed for social platforms?
This is a significant issue that affects many pre-2020 corporate videos. Music licensed for broadcast or web video often excludes social platform distribution explicitly. We can replace music tracks with platform-safe alternatives — we maintain a library of royalty-free music cleared for all major social platforms. Replacement music adds £200–£500 per deliverable.
Will repurposed vertical video perform as well as natively shot vertical?
On average, no. Native vertical production consistently outperforms repurposed content by 15–30% on completion rate metrics across Meta and TikTok platforms. However, a well-executed manual repurpose typically outperforms a poor native vertical production — quality of edit matters more than origin format for most content types.
Do you offer rush turnaround?
Yes — rush delivery (48-hour turnaround for standard repurpose) adds a 40% premium to standard rates. Available on projects where source files are provided complete and brief is clear on first submission.
What file format should I send you?
Preferred: original project files (.prproj, .drp, .fcpbundle) with all media. Acceptable: ProRes 4444, DNxHR 444, or uncompressed .mov at 4K minimum. Avoid: H.264 or H.265 delivery files — these introduce compression artefacts when further processed.
Can you repurpose animated content?
If we have access to source After Effects or Cinema 4D project files, yes — we re-render the animation in 9:16. If only a rendered video file is available, we can attempt a vertical reframe but quality will be limited. Animated content is typically better re-produced from source than repurposed from a rendered export.
Is there a minimum project size?
Our minimum engagement for repurposing is £500, covering a single 30–60 second film through AI reframe with a quality-control pass. Smaller requests can be accommodated through our day-rate editing service.