Short Form Video Production

Short Form Video Production

Short form video production is becoming increasingly popular. Videos (short form and long form) make up 80% of all internet traffic. That statistic has continued to climb for many years, now, and shows no signs of slowing down. Plus, viewers are 5-10 times more likely to retain a message delivered by video, as opposed to text – which makes videos a great strategy to implement for any business or brand. Short form video production is an easy way to reach an audience, and can be done without taking up a lot of time or budget.

Why Are Videos So Popular?

Videos are popular because they entice and entrance so many more senses than just words can ever allow. Sure, people pleasure-read, and enter into entire worlds of sensation they create in their minds. But that’s for something really engaging. When people do internet searches, they’re typically not looking for the sort of experience a novel can provide.

Videos allow people to not only see, but hear, feel emotion, engage with colors, and feel more present with what’s happening. That, and in our modern culture, people like entertainment, news, and education (as much as possible) to come to them. Reading can take more effort than people are sometimes interested in giving. But adding video can make a big difference. Especially short form video production, as it doesn’t “ask” very much time or investment from your audience, but delivers entertainment, news, and education very quickly.

Short Form Video Production for Social Media

One of the best places for any company or brand to start is with short form video production for social media. Almost all social media platforms are beginning to prioritize video posts in their algorithms. The reason, of course, being that videos are more popular than other posts. So, if you post a short form video production, it will get more views than your other posts.

So much can be portrayed in 15-60 seconds of video. A company or brand can explain their entire summarized purpose for existing. You can show a heartfelt experience or interaction you’ve had with a customer or client. Go live stream to show off a typical day at the office, or on the job. Perhaps you can show what life is like for you now, working remotely. There are literal tons of ideas for content. Here’s a few ideas:

1. Create a Behind-the-Scenes Video

People are very interested in the ways others live their lives. To someone who isn’t familiar with the specifics of your work, even mundane details can be fascinating. Consider that there are people who clean carpets on YouTube and get 1million+ views for their videos and you’ll have a starting point. Keep it simple. Just show people your work life.

2. Post a Multi-Promotion Video

Create a video that promotes your company helping out the community. It promotes you and your brand, the cause(s) or organization(s) you’re helping out, and overall makes people feel like they’re not watching a commercial. But, they will remember you when the need what you offer! Short videos about helping out the community can also easily go viral.

3. Try Out a Tutorial Video

When selling your product or service you may already be taking steps with customers or clients to make sure they get full use from their purchase. A tutorial video essentially provides that “how to use this” knowledge to prospects. Sometimes, people feel more comfortable with a company or brand if they can see upfront how things are supposed to work. Which can lead to more sales.

How to Create a Short Form Video Production

The how to of short form video production is relatively simple. The fact is, audiences prefer videos that look more professional. However, a little lighting, a decent video camera, simple editing software, and some basic knowledge of the process can go a long way. It’s also not very expensive to hire a professional company to do the work for you. Plus, it can save you a lot of time learning the process, and the professionals can even give you more in-depth ideas on how to make use the video, post-production.

If doing short form video production yourself, however, start small. There’s nothing wrong with joining the many others who create videos or live streams from their smartphone. Not that any video is better than no video, but starting is better than not starting.

Here are the absolute basic things we recommend you get if you plan on handling your own short form video production. This list is just to get you started:

1.   Tripod

2.   Video Camera

3.   Camera Light

4.   Extra Batteries (you’ll thank us later)

5.   Memory Card

6.   Video Camera Bag

7.   Video Editing Software

Just enough to have a portable bundle you can carry with you that will make your videos stand out a little more.

Short Form Video Production is not Time-Consuming

It’s true. Short form video production is not time-consuming. If you’re new to the idea, like anything else, there’s a learning curve involved. However, the curve for short form videos is manageable, and the payoff can be big. Just remember that each video only has to be 15-60 seconds long. The idea can be very basic. The setup can be very basic, as well.

Once you record your video, upload it to your video editing software, and add music. If you’re really fancy, try implementing multiple shots, work on cuts, transitions, and really try to pull on some heartstrings. Or, remember that you don’t have to be a professional to get solid content out to your audience. No one’s expecting perfection.

As we mentioned above, you can also hire a professional. At Lightbulb Media, we have all the equipment, training, and experience necessary to help with your short form videos. We can even work with you to create a handful of them in just a day or half day of work. Contact us today if you’d like a complimentary consultation on your project!

Utilizing Your New Video - Social Media

The Importance of Videography in Social Media

Social media is a powerful marketing tool, and even more potent is the use of videography in social media. When it comes to what is trending in media and marketing, visual content is becoming all the more popular and accessible. Hence, videography and video content for use in social media and online marketing can be a boon to businesses, no matter the industry. For example, did you know that up to 82% of marketers stated that videography had a positive impact on their business? Given that 54% of consumers prefer video content over any other content, it makes sense that video production has and continues to grow businesses and enlighten more consumers. Whether it’s a live video or pre-recorded content, videography in social media can, and has been proven, to lead to increased sales, increased site traffic, brand recognition, and more.

The Shift to Videography as Main Media Preference

When social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter first came about, they were textual heavy sites, with folks posting about their day, feelings, events, etc. Videos on these sites were first viewed and used as fun, social expressions: a clip of your friends singing happy birthday, your baby’s first steps, folks recording pranks. While video is still used for pure entertainment purposes, it has only been within the past few years that videos on social platforms and websites are now being utilized as a marketing strategy---and to great effect. 

Such videos are now used every day for marketing and advertising purposes. And within the last two years especially, video has completely trumped over all other forms of media---posts, images, blogs, emails---when it comes to engagement, and conversion. In fact, 90% of consumers report that videos aid them in their buying decisions. If you or your company are looking for a new marketing strategy, videos in social media is the way to go.

The Advantages of Video in Social Media

Brand Exposure, and Consumer Action

Videography in social media achieves two key steps: brand exposure, and consumer action. The #1 key step in marketing is just getting the word out, whether it’s about a business, brand, product, etc. And videos on social platforms do just that, by spreading awareness and enlightening consumers. Videos on social media are also the catalyst in consumer engagement, or in taking action of some sort: liking, viewing, sharing the video, and leading to a purchase. 

Video on Social Media Creates Exponential Engagement

Social media is all about hits, likes, comments, engagement. For example, when Facebook began, it was also a textual heavy platform: folks constantly updating their statuses, sharing articles and information, to garner likes and comments. While this all still occurs, Facebook has greatly evolved away from being a platform for written content, to one where videos utterly dominate all else: Facebook video posts create up to 135% more organic traffic than images do---talk about exponential engagement. While static text and images will always have their own importance, consumers clearly favor video content over all other media on social platforms.

Film Production in Social Media Boosts Sales

Social media goes well beyond being “social:” today, social media is now utilized as a key channel in marketing. An IDG report states that consumers are 44% more likely to purchase an item after having seen it on social platforms. If a business or brand has yet to utilize videos in social media, then they are doing themselves a great disservice.

Hypertarget with Videography

Hypertarget with videography: aim your video content on social media to a specific audience. While you can create videos for a generic audience, hypertargeting is marketing to a defined audience. The argument is that instead of having little to modest outreach with generalized content, hypertargeted content ensures high outreach by engaging a specific audience. And video content, the most preferred medium on social media platforms, is a great way to hypertarget, as you get to choose how specific your videos can be. Parameters in hypertargeting are often age, gender, interests, location, etc.

Guidelines for Creating Videos for Social Media and Online Consumption

When it comes to creating effective videos for online and social platforms, there are key criteria to keep in mind. No matter the platform—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, a website—these guidelines apply:

Audience

Who is the intended target audience of the video? A niche set of consumers, or a broader audience? Are you wanting to hypertarget, or just simply get the word out there?

Goal/ Message

What is the goal/ message of the video? To create more brand awareness? Celebrate the launch of a new product? Or to share a clever “how to” or hack?

Platform

What platform(s) will the video be posted on? Facebook? Instagram? Your business’s website? It’s key to know where your video will “live,” as each platform will have different requirements and rules for posting and/ or viewing.

Deadline

How soon must the video be shot, edited, and posted? Be sure to have a timeline. Budgetary constraints can affect this.

Budget

How much are you or the company able or willing to spend towards the video? Does video equipment need to be purchased? How about props and/ or location?

Parameters of Engagement and Success

Set up some parameters for what you and/ or company constitute as success when using a video on social media. Immediate figures will include likes, hits, time spent watching, shares, but what about any increases in sales, and brand/ product awareness? Set all these parameters ahead of time, and compare actual stats after the video is posted online. As you continue to produce and post more videos for online/ social media consumption, you can compare figures and trends among videos.

Film Production Strategy

Direct v. Indirect Method of Creating Engagement

Every time you’re on Facebook or Instagram, you bound to see not one, but multiple videos. And chances are you’ll watch one or several. This is a direct method of video engagement and consumption: you’re on a social media platform or website and watch the video media “on site,” and usually don’t need to click anything. Obviously, your views, likes, shares, etc. are creating engagement, or hits. But what about creating engagement via indirect means? What if a consumer doesn’t have or view social media often, if at all? Such is the power of videos that simply including the word “video” in your email’s tag line can increase open rates by 19%. Including videos within an email, whether as part of an email campaign or an individual email, will still create engagement.

LinkedIn and YouTube: Videography on Non-Traditional Social Media Sites

Traditional social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter get a lot of hype, understandably so, when it comes to creating and posting videos. But what about non-traditional social media sites, such as LinkedIn and Youtube? It hasn’t been until very recently that LinkedIn and its members are utilizing video for marketing purposes. From creating a personal video resume for your profile, to a company creating a “Company Values” clip, it makes sense that videos more than have their place on the networking site. 

And let’s not forget YouTube, the world’s largest video hosting site. It’s possible those reading this have their own personal channels---maybe you have a channel documenting all your hiking adventures. What about channels for your company or brand though? If your company does not have a YouTube channel, we highly recommend that your company create one. Why? YouTube by far is the most preferred platform for watching videos: 83% of consumers say YouTube is their video platform of choice over other platforms. Posting videos on YouTube is free, and as anyone who’s used YouTube can attest, the site is highly addicting: viewers don’t just watch one video, but several. If you have videos “living” on other sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, or a company website, you should post those videos on YouTube as well---you’ll likely reach folks or an audience who otherwise may not have seen your video content where they were originally posted.

Video Production - An Introduction

Video Production 

Lights, camera, action! Over the years, many companies have taken to incorporating video production as an effective means of advertisement in order to reach their target audiences on a larger scale. Video production is used across the business spectrum and offers a great return on investment. Recently, the surge of social media platforms and influx of technological advancements, has made video production a highly successful medium for conveying messages and product information. With the rise in video production, there has also been a rise in the number of companies specializing in video production.

Setting oneself apart from the masses in an industry like this comes down to one thing—art. Video production is not merely a tool used to reach the masses, but rather, it is an innovative art form meant to evoke emotion and call individuals to action. This proverbial call to action that is desired can range in outcome from inspiring individuals to travel to an area, to moving individuals to purchase a specific product, to even rousing viewers to support a certain political agenda. Because of the art aspect to video production, many who participate in this industry do so because they truly love and appreciate creating inspiring, eye-grabbing, emotion evoking projects. When video production is involved, the possibilities really are endless. 

History of Video Production

The history of video production can trace its roots back to the early 19th century with the innovation of black and white photos. After this, it wasn’t long before Joseph Plateau was able to create a device that compiled black and white photos in such a way as it looked as though the images were moving. He called this a “spindle viewer.” Thomas Edison of course is credited with the technological advancements that would make the video production we are more familiar with today a reality. The video production that we see today, however, is not simply a focus on motion or speech, rather it is a combination of lighting, camera angles, content, and emotion that make video production such a unique medium. Video production can then be said to be interwoven with the genre of video art. 

Video Art and Video Production 

Video art can trace its roots back to the 1960s. A Korean-American artist named Nam June Paik, who was studying in Germany at the time, is considered to have pioneered the genre. In 1963, he first unveiled his “Exposition of Music—Electronic Television.” His video was 55 seconds of distorted black and white images projected through multiple televisions and accompanied by different musical instruments. His concept was unique at the time because traditional film was not used. Instead, Paik used film and then transferred the images to video tape. His revolutionary vision prompted many other artists to follow suite. It is at this time in history when we can start to see a blurring between video art and video production. 

Video Production and Advertising 

After the initial discovery, it didn’t take long before individuals were using video production on a larger scale—mainly through television. This is due mainly to the technological advancement of non-linear editing. Once the world wide web was established though, video production really exploded. A recent study showed that 80% of internet traffic in 2020 was attributed to viewing videos. Today, video production and advertising are used in conjunction constantly. One can’t scroll through Facebook or Instagram without viewing some type of video production—not to mention the steady stream of video production images that filter through our television screens.  Video production in effect has completely saturated the advertising market—especially because studies have shown that individuals are nearly 3 times as likely to stay on an internet page or site that contains video as opposed to one that does not. Take a look at Talon Wines’ page for a link to their Instagram, which incorporates video production on their IGTV tab. Here you can see firsthand just how impactful video production can be for a brand. 

Stages of Video Production 

The majority of time spent on video production doesn’t actually take place with the shooting the video. In fact, the time spent recording a video actually accounts for a very small percentage of time put into a video production project. The stages of video production can be split into three parts: pre-production, production, and post-production. 

Pre-Production

In this phase of production meeting with clients to establish their brand and vision is paramount. There are many things that need to be discussed at this stage in the game. Where is the material going to be distributed? What is the purpose of the content? What are the clients needs? Once these details have been ironed out, the logistics of location and casting still need to be considered. Depending on the complexity of the shoot, will travel or permits be required? Safety precautions also need to be considered at this point. 

Production

It is only after all of the pre-planning and intensive organization that production on the actual video can begin. The time range of your video here is important. Typically, longer videos produce less engagement from the audience. The “sweet spot” for a video is typically 2 minutes or less. After that, viewer engagement drops substantially. Of course, there are going to be certain contents that require longer videos. If this is the case, 6-12 minutes in length is the ideal frame. Time constraints should be taken into consideration when production begins, but then also thoughtfully considered when the post-production phase commences. 

Post-Production

This phase of video production entails editing and producing the final finished product. During this phase, video production companies will go back to their pre-production goals to ensure that the client’s vision, target-audience, and call to action have all been effectively incorporated into the video. This is also where any special effects can be added including visual effects and animation. In addition, this part of production also includes the actual distribution of the video. 

Hiring a Professional Video Production Company 

When it comes to hiring a professional video production company, it’s imperative that you look at the portfolio of the company’s past work. Another thing to keep in mind is the mission statement of the company. Because video production is most effective when it impacts viewers on an emotional level, it’s important to choose a company that values the art aspect of video production. Click here to view Lightbulb Media’s portfolio and to see the heart and humanity that our work evokes.

Friday Film +005

"Don't count on motivation, count on discipline."

It's Friday Film time! This film is an incredible faux-umentary, meaning that, even though it feels real, it is not. It takes incredible skill and perfect execution to tread that line. The documentary style makes it feel real... and it is, for thousands of young boys.

Friday Film +004

It's Friday again! That means I've got another film to share. Just a warning, this week's video features some mature themes. I think the timing of information we're given in films is critical. Watch this, and take note of when plot points are given, and how that affects your level of comprehension, and also how it drives expectation and curiosity. Enjoy! 

Friday Film +003

As many of you know, I love projects that push the boundaries in one way or another. I believe this one will be legendary long after the initial hype wears away. Kudos to the visionary people at TGR and their drive to make great things. Also, check out the BTS video. It's pretty rad, also.

Friday Film +002

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar”. -Helen Keller

This project is an homage to the original piece featuring JP Auclair by Sherpas Cinema. It was pretty incredible, taking urban freestyle skiing in a completely fresh direction. I love the addition of the child's imagination. It's something many of us can relate to, and a gentle reminder to rest from the turmoil of adult life occasionally. Take a look and tell me what you think!

Friday Film

Happy Friday! 

The leaves are gorgeous and the temps are perfect. Please step outside at least once today!

"The Ultimate Tests Drive" is such a fun experience. I think at its core is Rosemary's spunk and determination. It's so delightful to see this elderly woman with such a sparkle in her eye and grit in her soul. It's shot and put together beautifully as well, but as always, it's the subject and story that shine through. Enjoy!