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| This was Reality TV ( back in the day) before slick marketing created a whole new industry and killed "good" video production |
Before we get into this …. I have something
to share...something that may not be obvious to everyone; reality TV is marketing
term developed by the television industry to capitalize on the idea of
authenticity. In “reality” (sorry for
the pun), reality TV is the same old TV we have been watching since the
invention of television, with slicker production packaging.
“Reality TV” has been in the pipeline since
the 40’s. A couple of supposedly unscripted television show come to mind, how
about Allen Funt's hidden
camera show or Candid
Camera shows that were produced in the 40s and 50s., or Mutual of
Omaha's Wild Kingdom which aired from 1963 through 1988
with Marlin Perkins.
There are no television shows today that
are shot without planning or a production crew in attendance guiding all the action. No one would
spend the time and money to allow videotaping by setting up a scenario and
allowing us to “just see what happens”. A friend recently told me he watches “Alone’
purportedly a reality TV show that pits man or woman against nature in a
totally unscripted format. The show even claims “no television crew is present”
in the making of this show. The reality is a cameraman is present not a crew; clever wording to be sure that gulls the viewer into the “willing suspension of
disbelief”.
Now, having set up this premise, what does
Realty TV have to do with modern video production for web sites, social media, corporate videos
and events? Well, I am glad you asked!
Planning is everything, when producing videos. Scripting, storyboards,
locations scouts, design, prepared on-camera talent, lighting and most recently
a firm grasp of how to use new technology are essential to producing great
video whether they are 10 seconds long or 10 minutes. Even someone shooting raw video has to plan, practice and prepare.
Reality TV has added a few tools to the
video production tool chest in recent years but it still takes a lot of
planning and creativity to allow a planned video to look authentic and
un-rehearsed. Just because you have a
camera doesn’t mean you can produce great video. Customers, especially corporate clients have
been increasingly expecting the costs of production to be reduced as the
proliferation of cameras and camera technology (such as drones) has increased.
While advances in video technology has reduced
the cost of producing video there continues to be a significant cost for
experienced , creative talent. The cost
of producing a “corporate” 10 minute video in the 80’s might have reached $ 100,000
using professional crews and talent. Today that same video might only cost
$10,000 (but nobody is making 10 minute corporate videos today). The problem is that organizations are trying
to produce shorter videos today for next to nothing. In doing so they are
eliminating the very thing that makes videos motivate people to buy their product or create a positive feeling about their brand. Powerful, well thought
out video production that leverages creative talent and new technologies still
has a cost; unfortunately, finding the right production partner to produce your video with the right blend of creative talent and
technology is difficult to figure out when anybody can own a camera or a drone.
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