Online video trends and visual communication

By Serena Carpenter 2009

http://serenacarpenter.com

TV watching intertwined with Net• #1 Source of News (Harris Interactive Poll)

– Nielsen finds that 31% of online activity occurs while the user is watching television (Reuters ‘08).

• 54%-62% have watched online videos– 89% 18-29 (PEW and Nielson ‘09)– 1/3 of online videos shared (Yahoo ‘09)

• 14% of cell phone users

Lean-forward vs. Lean-back

Parkersburg, IA tornado

Adding Video to Maps

Clickable Ads

Social TV• Watch programming with online friends• Hulu – “Fall Premiere Ap”

– Video plays next to a widget for updating your Facebook status– Upcoming: scheduled Facebook events for the show premieres with other friends

Live Shots

• Skype - Web cam, mic, computer• Save money

– Ask sources talk by phone or Skype. • free on both ends to calls around the world• SkypeOut - make calls from Skype to landline or cell

numbers. Costs 2.1 cents/minute, with no limit on minutes

• Using it for Live Shots instead of expensive live trucks

Record Skype calls

• Ecamm Call Recorder (Mac, $15) – Records video and audio

• Audio Hijack Pro for Mac ($32)• Pamela for the PC (free version 15-min, $15)

Streaming live video• YouTube • Mogolus (2008)

– Chat and web cam– Peter Abraham is the Yankees beat writer for the Journal News in Westchester

county (a NYC suburb)• chats with readers

– http://www.mogulus.com/bloggingtheelection• Qik

– Stream video live from “supported” phone, embed and chat

Monitor and Increase Reach• (Insight) View detailed statistics about uploaded videos

– Views, popularity peaks, demographics

• My account > Insight (right) • My account > Sharing > Select options

MoJos or Backpack journalists

• Rise of freelance journalists• Flexibility and diversity• Post gives every reporter a

camera – 185 people, expects 300 or more

• CNN adds 10 news bureaus for all-platform journalists

http://lofihistyle.com/2008/02/flip-video-vlog-tale-of-two-formats_21/

IPOD NANO

• 8 hours of video•$150•Light-weight

iPhone

•No HD•Simple YouTube upload•Livestream with Qik or Ustream•Trim your footage right on iPhone.

•Just drag to select start and end points on a filmstrip.

Encourage sharing• Teases that push social benefit of

listening– “Everyone will be talking about the upcoming story.”

(Carpentier, ‘09)

• Embeddable Video– MSNBC, CNN, CBS, FoxNews, Post

<div><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/29260083#29260083" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><style type="text/css">.msnbcLinks {font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;} .msnbcLinks a {text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px;} .msnbcLinks a:link, .msnbcLinks a:visited {color: #5799db !important;} .msnbcLinks a:hover, .msnbcLinks a:active {color:#CC0000 !important;} </style><p class="msnbcLinks">Visit msnbc.com for <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">Breaking News</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507">World News</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072">News about the Economy</a></p></div>

Television

• ABC World Mini-News Webcast– http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8

614388• More repurposing of video content

– People who missed the news• Two Cleveland stations share video footage

– At least dozen markets– Cover more enterprise stories

• Breaking news

Anatomy of local breaking story

• Las Vegas resort on fire– Live blog– Photos– Text - overview

of the Monte Carlo and history

– Videos

Newspapers• Photographers (75%) and reporters (45%) are responsible for

gathering video– Few teams (Russial, ‘09)– Online editors

• Dailies (4-8 videos per week)• Weeklies (1-4 videos per week)• 2-3 minutes average length• Final Cut Pro most common• 4 hours to produce 1 minute of video

• IFRA Executive News Service and andydickinson.net

• Few stand-ups or live shots• Edit for pacing

– Wander around, never get to the point

AZ Republic• Event

– One time, ongoing or recurring• Guide

– Tour or how-to• Profile

– Person, place or organization• Slice of life

– Sights and sounds, often familiar• Person on the street

– Quotes and views of people

Washington Post

• Tier 1 – an interview or video of scene• Tier 2 – VO/SOT• Tier 3 - Package

PR and Video

• Communicate, service, viral• YouTube channel

– Cisco uses video to share ideas, insights– http://mashable.com/2009/06/01/youtube-brand

s/

• http://www.pitchengine.com/– Build and Share Press Releases

Foster system in Detroit

Broadcast v. Online• VO (:15 - :25) • VO/SOT (:25-:45)

– Narration with one sound bite

• “Reporter” Package (1:00-2:00)– Narration with multiple

sound bites

B-roll (1:00-2:00)

Interview Chunks (:30-1:00)

Raw package or Chapters (can use text)

Storytelling with Video

• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20840448/

Bring viewer closer means less narration

• Raw – Hurricane Gustav– http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/09/01/VI2008090101710.html

• Broadcast can be passive – Hurricane Ike– http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8392600– http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080917-ike-video-ap.html

TV News Big Macs

Mark Anderson, 1993 NPPA Ernie Crisp TV News POY

TV News Packages Often Become “Big Macs.”

Why?

Time, Ease, Habit, Emulating Others, Personality-Driven Nature of TV News

Avoid reporter-centric, word-driven stories

• Visual– Action– Write the story around visuals and sound!!!!!

• Character – the mechanism to tell the story

• Emotion– Location - No adjectives– A place or event is not a story

Video lead• You have :15 seconds

– :10 - :30 ads• Drop the “talking head”

– Except: quick pops• Use strongest or second strongest video first• Always use nats, especially in the beginning

And don’t forget to understand users!!!!!!!

• RTNDA - Kansas City focus group – Sept 09– “Teach me something”– “Find out what is going on.” – “No to little investigative reporting.”

Guide Users

Do not overwhelm user

Next Class• Last blog post and comments• Interviews• Teams check out

– Sony Handicam – Cable (to bring video into computer)– Tripod– XLR to mini cable– Handheld Mic– Wireless Mic– Battery– YOUR OWN HEADPHONES and EXTERNAL DRIVES

Groups• Jackie/Caroline• Shannon/Julia• Sheila/Danee• Gardenia/Adam• Lindsay/Jake• Zach/April• Mallory/Patrick• Dan/Dayne/Monique• Hyatt/Lacee

Exercise

• 6-way Kidney Transplant Involves 3 States– http://www.kpho.com/video/18743398/

index.html– What “specifically” can they do to improve this

story?– What visuals would have been better?– What audio would have been better?– What sidebars elements would you add if this

were an online story?