Are Your Entertaining Videos Anything But?
There is such a huge opportunity to grab the attention of the more than one billion viewers online. While it’s exciting to think about the success that any of your videos could achieve, it’s also a very real reality that most videos get less than 100 views and get buried under the plethora of videos that get uploaded every day.
Successfully pulling off creating entertaining videos is a challenging thing to do. We all have amazing ideas for story concepts, but most videos either A) remain an idea forever and never get off the ground, or B) get created but don’t turn out as the video producer originally envisioned.
I think this happens for (at least) three different reasons.
1. The team needed to execute the project’s demands isn’t quite right. Shameless plug: Have you tapped into the talent and experience of our Spidvid community members yet? Many video producers have found their dream partners there, so you may want to check us out.
2. The budget isn’t planned out correctly and there isn’t enough cash to fund the entire project properly.
3. Enough time isn’t allocated for the shoot, so some actor’s performances and video shots aren’t good enough. If you think it will take an afternoon to shoot a video, in reality it will likely take an entire day so keep that in mind.
Random advice.
1. Realize that each project will likely cost 2x as much, and take 2x as long as you originally planned.
2. Food keeps people happy on set. A hungry actor will have her thinking more about food she wants for dinner instead of her lines. Pizza is always a favorite on set, so shooting near a yummy and low-cost pizza place with quick pick up is never a bad idea.
3. Make sure your script isn’t just half baked. Don’t show up on set with a script that is a “work in progress” because that will lead to many problems, and unfortunate human drama.
4. Make sure your humorous parts are actually funny, and not lame. If there are jokes in the script be sure to try them out on your friends, family, and colleagues before your actor has to tell them on set with believable conviction.
5. Your video has to be well edited, so that means capturing as much as you can for each scene and setting so your editor has tons of content to work with. Did you see a red frog in one of the yellow bushes? I hope you shot that and can somehow work it into your story!
6. Sound is often a problem I find when I watch videos online. Either I have to turn it way down, or more commonly I have to crank up the volume as loud as it will go and be forced to listen to annoying buzzing sounds. Sound advice is a cliche I know, but it always has to be in the back of your mind.
7. Bring out emotion in your actors. We as viewers emotionally connect with our favorite videos, we can feel what the actor feels in that very moment of time. Note: If you are working with female actors on a story that involves big, furry spiders then you should be fine with the fear emotion!
This is a broad topic, so if you have something to add then please comment below with your thoughts and insights.
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