Harping Again on Making the Videos Short

[Dale D]

re: My latest video, Miami Bayfront 2 1/2 minutes

Sorry if I sound like a broken record. Here is my weekly Vimeo viewing report.
38 views
average time watched. 1:30 minutes!!!
14 finishes
One like
3 comments. All of this for a 2:30 minute video.
38 views

 

[THE CYBORG]

Unlike our generation people's attention span is short these days.

If you don't grab interest at the start then keep things moving along you have lost the young (not all young are the same) they are used to things being instant so want instant gratification, in the age of the internet how many people sit down and compose a letter to send in the post snail mail as opposed to an email or instant message.

 

[Dale D]

Unlike our generation people's attention span is short these days.

If you don't grab interest at the start then keep things moving along you have lost the young (not all young are the same) they are used to things being instant so want instant gratification, in the age of the internet how many people sit down and compose a letter to send in the post snail mail as opposed to an email or instant message.

I am always dispappointed at the low number of finishes. I think at this point most viewers would get up and leave a Steven Spielberg movie less than half way through if they hadn't paid a lot of money for their ticket.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

re: My latest video, Miami Bayfront 2 1/2 minutes

Sorry if I sound like a broken record. Here is my weekly Vimeo viewing report. View attachment 104153View attachment 104153
38 views
average time watched. 1:30 minutes!!!
14 finishes
One like
3 comments. All of this for a 2:30 minute video.
38 viewsView attachment 104153View attachment 104153

I think your data tells it all. Make all your videos less than a minute and a half.
You can rant all you want but the data is pretty clear.

There’s research that suggests 45 seconds is pretty optimum.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Don't let it bother you, as long as you have fun that's al that matters.
If you want viewers make one minute videos of cats doing stupid things

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Don't let it bother you, as long as you have fun that's al that matters.
If you want viewers make one minute videos of cats doing stupid things

He’s actually right about that I post pictures to a photography forum once in a while. A cat a dog or better yet a baby. Will for sure get the most views and comments
The more the viewer can relate to the subject matter the more they will like it
I’m not saying this is a viable strategy for you but it is true

 

[Johnmcl7]

Unlike our generation people's attention span is short these days.

If you don't grab interest at the start then keep things moving along you have lost the young (not all young are the same) they are used to things being instant so want instant gratification, in the age of the internet how many people sit down and compose a letter to send in the post snail mail as opposed to an email or instant message.

Speaking as someone who isn't a young person any more I think that's an incredibly unfair and inaccurate generalisation. It's nothing to do with age and everything to do with the type of content and that's not something that has changed recently. I remember the very first time I worked with DV tape and firewire when a friend brought back a couple of tapes from a ski-ing holiday, we took the long videos and cut them down into a fairly short one by using all the good bits then adding some transitions and music.

I was surprised how much more viewable it was taking long footage that in reality might have been watched into something that has been enjoyed many times but even then outside of that, I doubt anyone would have much interest in watching the video to completion outwith those on the trip and immediate friends/family aside from perhaps a few who'd been to the resort. I'm sure it's a similar case with many other videos as well which have little interest to those not familiar with the area or similar and I may take flack for this but I wouldn't watch the OP's video to completion because while it's a drone video, there's not anything of interest to me personally.

Blaming it all on young people having no attention span fundamentally misunderstands videos and how they're watched by the general population.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Speaking as someone who isn't a young person any more I think that's an incredibly unfair and inaccurate generalisation. It's nothing to do with age and everything to do with the type of content and that's not something that has changed recently. I remember the very first time I worked with DV tape and firewire when a friend brought back a couple of tapes from a ski-ing holiday, we took the long videos and cut them down into a fairly short one by using all the good bits then adding some transitions and music.

I was surprised how much more viewable it was taking long footage that in reality might have been watched into something that has been enjoyed many times but even then outside of that, I doubt anyone would have much interest in watching the video to completion outwith those on the trip and immediate friends/family aside from perhaps a few who'd been to the resort. I'm sure it's a similar case with many other videos as well which have little interest to those not familiar with the area or similar and I may take flack for this but I wouldn't watch the OP's video to completion because while it's a drone video, there's not anything of interest to me personally.

Blaming it all on young people having no attention span fundamentally misunderstands videos and how they're watched by the general population.

My kids have no problem paying attention to almost 3 hour hobbit movies. But a three minute drone video “come on dad this is boring”
It’s hard to make drone videos entertaining.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Blaming it all on young people having no attention span fundamentally misunderstands videos and how they're watched by the general population.

That’s why I stated “(not all young are the same)”
The point I was trying to make is that when you have had things like You Tube, catchup TV, instant messaging & the likes from birth why waste time with something that doesn't hold your interest.
The world changes and people change with it, nothing wrong with that.

 

[Dave Maine]

Short attention span is true for all films or video. If you analyze any theatrical film, you will find that the time for the screen action to take place is many times less than the action would actually take. Good editing and direction explicitly creates this, as filmmakers have known this since the advent of editing in the very early 1900s.

Drone video is no different. Most drone video shots can only last 3-7 seconds before getting boring to everyone but the original creator. The trick is either creating engaging movements to change the point of view fast enough to be interesting, or adding new shots with new viewpoints quickly. Music can somewhat mask this boredom factor, but it is a crutch. Better to plan your shots with more variety.

 

[THE CYBORG]

The soundtrack can make or brake it.

I once watched a program about music in films, it showed what the audience expect for the sort of scene.
They showed a clip from a western & one from a sailing ship battle then they swapped the soundtrack over, the result was terrible.

 

[Dave Maine]

Music is a crutch, not a solution, to overly long shots.

 

[Dale D]

Don't let it bother you, as long as you have fun that's al that matters.
If you want viewers make one minute videos of cats doing stupid things

I have tons of fun, both shooting and editing. Unfortunately I don't have any dogs or cats.

 

[Dale D]

Music is a crutch, not a solution, to overly long shots.

yes but try watching a video without music at all.

 

[Made2Phly]

I try and learn from videos that hold my attention. Often they involve change in scene maybe every 10 or 15 seconds or shorter, particularly at the beginning of the video. Having short clips of the most interesting subjects at the beginning keeps me engaged longer, i.e., I want to see what cool subject appears next. Also, videos that have people in a shot or two will hold my interest

They say that an engaging video tells a story.

In contrast, least interesting, are various clips of the same subject from different angles, Point of interest, flyaway, flyover, Pan etc., After about 30 seconds I have usually had my fill of the subject.

Obviously, everyone has their own taste. What is it that Lynyrd Skynyrd says?: I’ll try anything once and if I like it, I’ll try it twice.
ed



The engaging video tells story as I have heard others say.

 

[Marty Markoe]

re: My latest video, Miami Bayfront 2 1/2 minutes

Sorry if I sound like a broken record. Here is my weekly Vimeo viewing report. View attachment 104153View attachment 104153

When preparing a video or photographs for presentation, the trick is to mentally step out and ask, "If I was another person viewing, was the image(s) cohesive enough to hold attention? I always remember back to childhood when at family gatherings Uncle Joe would have everyone sit and watch 3 trays, I think 80 slides each, of unedited slides. Heck, if he'd shown the 12 or 15 best slides there'd be no groaning, fidgeting or snoring.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

If haven't already you should grab a copy of:
"How to shoot video that doesn't Suck" by Steve Stockman.
Only 10.00

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

You should also check out "Isomorphic Correspondence".
One of probably 100s of disussions on this topic:

Gestalt Theory and Photographic Composition: Isomorphic Correspondence - Apogee Photo Magazine

Are there rules for design? Early this century, German and Austrian psychologists developed a school of thought known as Gestalt, a German word meaning “shape.” It was their goal to [read more]

www.apogeephoto.com

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Also consider this bit of wisdom:

Photographers mistake the emotion they feel while taking the photo as a judgment that the photograph is good
Garry Winogrand

 

[Made2Phly]

When preparing a video or photographs for presentation, the trick is to mentally step out and ask, "If I was another person viewing, was the image(s) cohesive enough to hold attention? I always remember back to childhood when at family gatherings Uncle Joe would have everyone sit and watch 3 trays, I think 80 slides each, of unedited slides. Heck, if he'd shown the 12 or 15 best slides there'd be no groaning, fidgeting or snoring.

I had an Uncle Joe too, Except we called ‘em “mom” and “dad”. With them, it was super 8 movies. Torture of the damned it was.

Way off topic, but your mention of slide carousels reminds me how I miss ektachrome film. Seems like even perfectly edited digital photo can’t quite capture the contrast and color and nuance of ektachrome.

 

[Motorcycle Rider]

If a video doesn't have live sound, but instead music added to it, i hit the mute button as the sound is a distraction. Now if its a motorbike video for example, please let me hear the engine and make it loud.