Reality TV Killed Video

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.  

Video By The Numbers

Over the years I have produced, directed and written many videos, ranging through commercials, television programs, corporate videos, documentaries, dramas, and more. I have been producing video projects since 1985. I worked in television as a producer a number of years as well so what I am about to say is drawn directly from real experience!

Fewer good videos are being produced today as most clients are blinded by a fascination with online experiences, limited budgets, little or no experience with the medium, an idea that today’s videos are low cost (because of cheap equipment), a feeling that anyone with a camera can produce video and the infiltration of the idea that reality TV is the future and its low cost.

A couple of quick observations before I get onto my main theme here …good videos still have to be carefully planned, good interviews are often a result of good interviewers, great footage demands a good eye for composition, understanding the audio mix, i.e., music, sound effects and voice are essential to completing  a  great video. The final significant factor in producing good video is having a director who the ability to see a video in his/her head. For me it’s like running a movie in your mind, images are crisp, bright, inspiring, unexpected, warm and human…telling a story that is compelling and always leaving your audience wanting more. It’s a lot more than a commodity.

That is why it’s so frustrating to see organizations, most institutional, breaking video projects down to numbers while ignoring the vision of a video and its powerful ability to persuade.  Films and video can inspire, incite action, and create a range of human emotions from pride to hatred. Video is and remains, a powerful medium with the potential to create change. 

Most videos today are produced by large organizations who have the budgets and the need for this medium. They are often used in a variety of ways both in events and online interactive presentations to maximize their effectiveness. They are planned in a boardroom and often bids are solicited through bidding portals such as Biddingo, Buy & Sell or Merx, to make sure that budgets get “the best band for their buck” ( sounds reasonable doesn’t it).  Most solicitation for bids come from institutions like schools, cities, various levels of government, health care institutions, national organizations, etc.   

Now this is where things begin to go awry … in boardrooms, purchasing managers, administrators and subject matter experts define the RFP using the same RFP that an organization might use to order medical equipment, sidewalk construction or bathroom tissue dispensers, mostly to protect their investment and minimize risk? The timing of the RFP governs when and how a video is produced. For example, for most government organizations in Canada, budgets are developed and reviewed between late fall and early spring, they are then submitted before March 31, year end for most public sector organizations, budgets are then approved and finalized by early summer and money trickles down to each department by mid to late summer. Most staff organizations then solicit RFPs in late summer early fall and budgets are then exhausted before year end March 31.  

Now what does this have to do with producing a good video you may ask? The natural world is an important part of any video, whether we are talking outdoor locations, geographic settings, exteriors, water features or public access facilities. The amount and quality of daylight usually have an important role to play in a video. Also, a region and its unique landscape & features often help define history, culture, the mood or emotional state and our level of engagement …and by reason should be included in any “good video”, but because of the nature of the process, however, most videos are reduced to being produced in winter. The funding formula, along with administrative processes dictate how a video will look and ignore what is best for this unique medium. As a result, most often videos are produced in winter.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like winter but it does not hold a candle to summer when it comes to producing a video. Over the years I have produced many videos for real estate companies for example; who you would think, because they are not fettered by the government RFP process would want their development projects portrayed in the best light. Generally all are shot in the winter and stock footage is used to carry off summer settings. Orientation videos for new hires and staff for public sector organizations are all produced in winter… in fact winter is when most videos are produced in Canada, unfortunately. Canada has many varied landscapes, weather, geographic and historical sites & locations that add a great deal of dimension to a video. This is true with most videos.

It is important remember that video is an artistic medium  that is a powerful tool and to squeeze the best out of it… we often need to consider more than just numbers in the formula for great videos!   

A New Age of Corporate Video

There are many flavours of video today as a result of a loosening of our expectations, our viewing habits and the many mediums that we now receive video through, ranging from YouTube and Facebook to HBO and Netflix. The era of episodic television is over…wait a minute maybe not …maybe it has just morphed into such a broad ranging format we can no longer point our finger and define video so easily.

Video is no longer in neat little categories like corporate video or television shows or readily recognizable commercials – the lines between these mediums has been fudged and it should be pointed out that they have been fudged by advertisers for the most part. We have lulled ourselves into believing that we have created these new popular videos through a more diverse and creative medium; but in fact w have simply been allowed to develop mediums that will better hide the messages of advertisers.

The problem, in part, is that as individuals and companies we have bought into this process. The advent of cheap video production, basement online suites, small lower cost cameras and an army of creative types being churned out by colleges and universities has created expectations for lower cost and more creativity. A reasonable expectation I’d say …The unfortunate truth remains that while we have benefited from a less formal video production process, the hall marks of good video have remained consistent.

Great interviews still require good interviewers who are prepared and provide meaningful insight. Great imagery still needs a good cameraman, complemented by good sound and good editing. Well planned and thought out videos produce better results when a professional team is involved in production. Don’t kid yourself, all of the “reality television “ we see today that started with Survivor and followed by shows such as such as Jersey Shore, Big Brother, Hoarders, The Deadliest Catch, American Pickers, etc. all remain carefully constructed. They were the result of decreased budgets but as these shows now evolve and seek to compete for audience their budgets have also begun to expand with the expansion of their market share.

Big Budget television productions still remain the standard in television today; they have simply moved from regular broadcasting television channels to pay-per-view. Sky-rocketing budgets due to the more sophisticated, reality based demands of viewers have forced video/television production to create more on-location, dynamic productions that have the feel of feature length productions rather than episodic television.

The upshot of all this for corporate or industrial videos, is and has been, that as television becomes more sophisticated, so do the tastes of your audience, your customers, your corporate partners & suppliers. Relying on a more experienced production team and resisting the temptation to micro-manage the video will often produce good results. Good videos can inspire, inform and change behaviour if the production team is given some creative license and a budget that reflects the expectations of the video.

The Likeability Factor

The likeability factor is often viewed as a very personal trait. We all want to be liked and we want to associate ourselves with likeable people, products and services. “What’s Hot is Hot and What’s Not is Not” aptly describes our shared social need to be associated with the most current likeable symbols in society. These can range from entertainers and products to politicians and ideas. If you can establish a likeability factor for a product or service it can grow your business exponentially.

Viral marketing is the most obvious face of the likeability factor. It has become more visible with the growing use of social media such as Facebook and, Twitter; and the use of hand held computing devices. The spread of Likeability is similar to the spread of a virus; hence the name viral, which connotes the rapid spread of likeability.

Most clients, when considering a communication project of just about any sort do not consider the likeability factor. The main reason for this is that it costs time and money. Marketing campaigns, and make no mistake; any communication project is in some way a marketing campaign, underwrites the likeability factor. Whether it’s Justin Bieber, environmental causes, I-Pads, pro-biotic yogurt or electric cars; each has a carefully orchestrated marketing plan that reinforces its likeability factor.

The fact that the product is innovative or is effective only ads to or complements its likeability factor. A perfect example if Proactiv – a product whose sole purpose is to help clear up facial blemishes and it’s endorsed by likeable people like Justin Bieber. The product has primarily the same ingredients and the same effectiveness as Clearasil, one of its competitors, but it cost 4 times as much; why because it has a higher likeability factor.

Now, having mentioned Justin Bieber does require a slight clarification of terms… it is important to note that likeability and popularity are not the same thing. Likeability can occur on a small scale and can influence buying decisions at very basic level while popularity has to achieve a larger scale to be considered effective.  

We may be led to believe that viral marketing is free but this is the exception rather than the rule. Most likeability campaigns are supported through marketing in a variety of distribution channels that are unseen or appear to be casual or unsponsored. This is important to a likeability campaign since we value unsponsored endorsements more than those that are sponsored.

While these likeability campaigns may appear unattainable to small and medium size businesses, they can be scaled into smaller projects in the way that we promote our customer service, or how we greet customers on the phone or, the style of a web site or a video. All of these and many others contribute to the likeability and help determine if the call to action in any communications project is going to be effective.

 If you are interested in learning more we have a documentary we offer to clients for viewing called Art & Copy that helps demystify some of the aspects of Likeability. Also, you may want to read The Likeability Factor: How to Boost Your L-Factor and Achieve Your Life's Dreams by Tim Sanders.

Cheap Video?

I worked in television and video production as a writer , producer, director for the best part of 30 years so I know a bit about video production and one recurring misconception has struck me over the years...and it’s this ...videos are cheap and easy to produce.

Everybody seems to think they know something about video because they can use a camera or they have some type of editing software. With the advent of smaller, lower cost, higher quality cameras, access to digital editing; and even the broad appeal of YouTube, anybody can make a video, right …well, not necessarily. It all depends on what you want to achieve with your video. Video can make us laugh, it can motivate us, it can inform us, it can empower us - or it can just bore us to tears. Unfortunately most videos fall under the bore us to tears category.

Corporate videos for the most part are designed to create a call to action, communicate a concept or describe a service that cannot be easily described in any other way. A video forms a contract with the viewer gained through their experience of watching television every day. That contract suggests that you must entertain as well as inform based on the audience’s expectations.

Most clients who produce video for their web site, or for boardroom presentations make the same mistake that they make with advertising…they try and tell their story in linear fashion without consideration for the customer’s needs and expectations. They focus on cost and in doing so eliminate all creativity and strategic planning. Videos like advertising can change people’s opinions, can have an emotional appeal and can bestow a positive light on your product or service but only with well thought out messaging.

Today’s videos are shorter – whether it’s a flash mob, commercial or just an engaging demonstration. Longer videos can be effective but the viewer has to have a degree of control over the viewing process; and the content has to be engaging and as interactive as possible.

You can produce a video on a budget but the production company should be a partner in the planning and development of the concept…right from the start. Going to a production house and trying to direct the video will result in one thing…a bad video. Let the production company bring their expertise to the table and make sure, as the client; you inform them on your objectives, your audience and your content.