The average launch video
We measured 1,952 launch films shot by shot. Here's what the typical one looks like.
The numbers
- 53smedian length
- 3.5smedian shot: 16 cuts a minute
- “Introducing”the most common first word on screen
- 120BPMthe most common tempo
- 56%end on their own name
- 47%fade to black at the end
- 47%have a voiceover, so the typical film has none
- 0.50, 0.50median text position (x, y): dead centre
Study of 1,952 films, October 2026
Live: 3,014 launch films in the archive today
The same sample as the study, read from the archive as it stands now: landscape launch, teaser and demo films of 8 to 180 seconds. The highlighted bar holds the study's median.
Length
3,014 films in 5-second bins; today's median is 47 s.
The numbers
| Seconds | Films |
|---|---|
| 5–10 | 27 |
| 10–15 | 99 |
| 15–20 | 233 |
| 20–25 | 171 |
| 25–30 | 185 |
| 30–35 | 331 |
| 35–40 | 207 |
| 40–45 | 167 |
| 45–50 | 178 |
| 50–55 | 162 |
| 55–60 | 147 |
| 60–65 | 198 |
| 65–70 | 110 |
| 70–75 | 101 |
| 75–80 | 97 |
| 80–85 | 88 |
| 85–90 | 59 |
| 90–95 | 74 |
| 95–100 | 59 |
| 100–105 | 46 |
| 105–110 | 40 |
| 110–115 | 38 |
| 115–120 | 20 |
| 120–125 | 21 |
| 125–130 | 26 |
| 130–135 | 27 |
| 135–140 | 20 |
| 140–145 | 15 |
| 145–150 | 8 |
| 150–155 | 8 |
| 155–160 | 8 |
| 160–165 | 10 |
| 165–170 | 11 |
| 170–175 | 9 |
| 175–180 | 14 |
Average shot length
3,014 films with a measured cut map, in half-second bins; today's median is 4.3 s (16 cuts a minute). 572 films with shots of 15 s or longer (mostly single takes) aren't drawn.
The numbers
| Seconds | Films |
|---|---|
| 0.0–0.5 | 0 |
| 0.5–1.0 | 51 |
| 1.0–1.5 | 210 |
| 1.5–2.0 | 297 |
| 2.0–2.5 | 284 |
| 2.5–3.0 | 212 |
| 3.0–3.5 | 206 |
| 3.5–4.0 | 165 |
| 4.0–4.5 | 119 |
| 4.5–5.0 | 90 |
| 5.0–5.5 | 106 |
| 5.5–6.0 | 53 |
| 6.0–6.5 | 59 |
| 6.5–7.0 | 51 |
| 7.0–7.5 | 51 |
| 7.5–8.0 | 44 |
| 8.0–8.5 | 58 |
| 8.5–9.0 | 45 |
| 9.0–9.5 | 51 |
| 9.5–10.0 | 20 |
| 10.0–10.5 | 46 |
| 10.5–11.0 | 23 |
| 11.0–11.5 | 20 |
| 11.5–12.0 | 21 |
| 12.0–12.5 | 55 |
| 12.5–13.0 | 19 |
| 13.0–13.5 | 18 |
| 13.5–14.0 | 21 |
| 14.0–14.5 | 26 |
| 14.5–15.0 | 21 |
How it was measured
1,952 landscape launch, teaser and demo films (16:9, 8–180 s) from X and YouTube, every one measured by the same Refs pipeline. Shot boundaries are found frame by frame, on-screen text is read, and tempo and voice are measured from the soundtrack.
Length and shot length are medians; the other figures are shares of all 1,952 films, or the most common value. Measured October 2026.
If you're making one
- 01Aim for about 50 seconds; the median is 53.
- 02One idea per shot, cutting every 3–4 seconds.
- 03End on the name: about 56% of launch films do.