Video content that is COVID-safe!
Our top 5 formats for 2020
I’m sure you’re as sick as I am of people using the word ‘unprecedented‘, so I’m not going to bother with all that because you’re just here for tips on great video content we can actually make right now. Because life goes on, so does business. We find ways to adapt what we do in this more health-conscious time.
So I’ve written up 5 formats of video content that can still be made while keeping people safe. No big crews crammed into small spaces, no swathes of actors violating social distancing, just simple storytelling without the risk.
Live Streaming Events
With limits on gatherings flipping the events space on its head, everyone is looking for ways to move their events online. Luckily, live streaming has had some great leaps in technology over the last 10 years. You don’t need a broadcasting truck anymore, just good video cameras, a solid team, a decent computer and off-the-shelf hardware.
One great example is what we did for QODE 2020. This event was scheduled for just when the lockdown was beginning to come into effect. In under 10 days we helped the QODE team turn their giant physical event into a 2 day livestream on YouTube with incredible success. 23 total hours of combined streaming, dozens of speakers, 15k views from all around the world. We had hundreds of engagements, live Q&As with our digital audience and some very happy stakeholders.
But not everything has to be this large and impressive. You can create great live stream content in an intimate way with just a couple of smart people. It’s all about content value, the thing the audience gets from watching your video.
Additionally, creating live video content adds extra excitement and authenticity. Because it’s not edited, it gives your audience that same feeling that they’re seeing something brand new, that anything can happen! This means that people are more likely to tune in and engage across social media. You can view more about that event and check out what we do in that space over at our live streaming page.
Studio Ads for Online Release
Creating great advertising content has never been easier. It used to be that you’d hire a big marketing company to come up with a big campaign. Then they’d hire an agency to concept a video. Then they agency would hire a production company to make it — oh and then you’ve gotta get it on a network’s ad slot! But if you’re reading this you probably know a thing or two about marketing, and how much the game has changed. And just because you can’t have a big crew right now, doesn’t mean you can’t create great video content. We can shoot small, intimate ads in a safe studio space that can have a big reach — all while staying 1.5m apart.
For example, maybe you need a great Call-To-Action for a competition you’re running like the one above for Pitch Black. Or an explainer of a course you’re promoting right now, like this video we made for QUT. Or, maybe you want a sincere talking-heads campaign, like this video we made for the Office of the Public Guardian. We can shoot things like this in a single day, helping to keep the cost low. Finally, to target exactly who you want to see it, we set up a YouTube ads campaign with a defined audience. Easy done!
When shooting content like this, lighting and production design are really important. A studio is a blank canvas, but that doesn’t mean you have to go large. Sometimes all you need is a simple photography backdrop, a cyclorama, or even just a black space punctuated by some neat lighting effects.
As an all-in-one video production agency, we work directly with you to concept these ads. Then we shoot them, edit them, and run the advertising campaign online for you with your target demographic. No big marketing company needed.
Help Content for your business
One of the best ways of advertising your business isn’t through advertising at all. At least, not in the traditional sense.
Help Content, or ‘edutainment’, can take a lot of different shapes. It can be an explainer video about a complex topic, a video blog about your industry, or simply a tutorial. This type of video content is really easy to shoot with a very small crew, quick to edit, and has great bang-for-buck.
Additionally, creating a knowledge base of Help Content can help educate clients and bring in new ones. It can set you up as an expert in your field, especially on places like LinkedIn and YouTube. In this video we created for Springboard Digital, founder Matt Cooper explains what to do when you get blacklisted by Google. Not only is this an interesting and informative case study, it also shows their expertise on the topic and is a testimony to their business.
A really great tip is to create them in batches: write 2 – 4 short videos, with 1 or 2 of them being current, and the others being more timeless in their topics. Then you shoot them all in the same day but change your talent’s outfit between videos. The you just release them once a week and you’ve just made a whole month of content in a single day!
Making Help Content can raise your profile, build your brand, make you more personable. It can and potentially even save you billable time by automating the explanations to clients — “Actually, just watch this video!”
Motion Graphics Animations
Do you have a complex or abstract topic that you need to explain simply? Well motion graphics animation is one of the best types of content for that. Everything for this type of video can be done remotely, no shooting required. All you need is a writer for the script, a graphic designer, and an animator.
In the example above, we created a motion graphics pitch video for the software company Sortal.
Motion graphic animations can created really quickly and easily, on a variety of different budgets. On the higher end of the scale, most mograph videos with lots of assets will sit between $5k – $10k AUD. Opposingly, you can create some really neat typography driven animations for as little as $2k AUD.
Stock Asset driven video content
Maybe a priority is keeping your budget as tight as possible, or perhaps you simply don’t have the capacity to film what you want to show. If that’s the case, don’t worry, you can still create some great video content with stock assets from online libraries.
These libraries used to be prohibitively expensive and very limited in their range. But over the past few years developments in technology and the democratization of filmmaking has driven down the price. You can get cinematic looking footage, tie it together with inspired title work, and instantly create a short digital ad. Or, shoot an interview or piece-to-camera and use the footage as overlay. This technique is very popular with YouTube channels that are working on a shoestring budget.
While it might not be the most unique or impressive video content, sometimes it’s just what you need to do the job.