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Intro to Social Video

March 15, 2018

Intro to Social Video with Tara Pereira (Vermont Fresh Network)

Presented On: Wednesday, March 21st, 2018   

If you have trouble with the embedded video, the recording is also posted here https://youtu.be/7-RHE7qw2ng

 And a link to the slides that went with the webinar - you'll find links to the videos we played in the list below.

What Is Social Video? Any video we’re sharing over online social networks. 

Why Social Video? Because that is what most people are or will be watching across all social media (it’s not just for YouTube anymore). It is also the most engaging content, people remember it and share it. Most platforms, like Facebook, are updating their algorithms to reward video above other posts.

If you want statistics on this topic, check out these top 17 stats from ForbesForbes’ 2018 predictions and HubSpot’s the state of video marketing in 2018. And on the tools side of things, here is an interesting Wired article on how mobile “Phones Are Changing How People Shoot and Watch Video.

Opportunities for Video

Looking around you every day there are probably opportunities to make simple videos to share. Here are some examples of themes you might see in social video from small food businesses: 

Serendipity & Expected Serendipity - Be ready to capture casual off-the-cuff moments. 

  • Shelburne Cows Frolicking (expected serendipity - the cows didn’t have an acting coach, but it was a good bet they would frolic)   
  • Cat & Bed (if the cat does that every time it climbs on the cabinet, that was expected serendipity . . .)
  • We can’t resist the happy baby elephant (again, spontaneous but there was a baby elephant and mud so the likelihood of interesting video was pretty high)

How to Use a Product / Instructional

  • Bees Wrap product video - Simple and to the point.
  • Make a Cheese Board from Vermont Creamery. Note the non-obvious items that are both an interesting idea and visually appealing - they also taste good (we've tried it). 
  • Here is a making a cheese board video from Cabot Creamery Co-operative.
    • The Cabot and Vermont Creamery videos are a great example of how a similar topic was approached in a very different style depending on the audience. The traditional cooking show, straight on, talking to the audience (Cabot) and the faster, shot from above, not narrated clip (Vermont Creamery). 

How’s It Made? - Not instructional per se, but a glimpse behind the scenes. A modernized version of the classic Sesame Street in the crayon factory (and looking for that clip, we’ve discovered the brilliant “Factory Gifs to Lull You to Sleep” page)

Quick Visual - If you’re going to take a photo, ask whether a video would work. Do we want a photo of the perfectly poured glass of wine, or do we want to see the pour? A photo of a baby lamb, or a clip of the baby lamb doing something cute?

Produced Video - Many videos should be planned at least a little, but some are more elaborate than others. The classic example? Superbowl Commercials. They now have lives of their own separate from the game.

Live Video - Facebook in particular rewards live video. Not all of these options lend themselves to live streaming, but some do. A clip of steam rising from an evaporator - seems like it would be hard for that to go wrong and it’s timely “Sugaring is happening right now! See the proof!”  

Tools for Creating Video

Equipment:

Apps & Programs:

A note on editing: different platforms use different aspect ratios (think of the square Instagram video vs. the TV screen shaped YouTube). This makes a big difference in whether people will stop to check out your video. Here's an article on aspect ratio to explain further. You can adjust this by which way you hold your phone (yeah, simple), how you edit (Instagram will crop your video), if you want to get fancy there are apps for filming and some phones now let you set the aspect ratio. 

Going A Little Further. . .

 

Now we're heading into the territory of an entirely different workshop. But, if you want to read about structuring your videos and storytelling here are some articles to get started:

Also - we're only talking about a narrow slice of video here. If you want to learn in depth about creating videos, including for television and film, then the first place to look for answers (and equipment to borrow!) is likely your local Community Access station. If you don't know who that is for your region, check out this directory from the Community Access Network.

  

 

 

 

 

Thank you to Flavor Plate for donating their time and effort to the design and co-development of our website.