Maybe it's just me, and maybe I am just getting old, but it increasingly seems to me that the video format is taking over from "the written word" on the web.
I realize that some of my protestations are rooted in purely personal reasons-- I happen to be a writer, and I come across as pretty much a lump of aging clay, when in front of the camera.
As DTube becomes ever more popular around here... and I find myself faced with more and more video content... I just wanted to have a short rant about why this may not be all it's cracked up to be.
Because It's EASY!
Apple Blossoms
I get the argument that recording a video clip is easy, and it makes content "accessible" to those who don't like to write, or aren't very good at it, and to those who don't particularly want to read things. Pretty much every electronic device from your phone to your camera and everything in between has video capacity.
In a sense, this is just a perfect representation of how the world is getting an ever shorter span of attention.
And yet... IS it?
Personally, I find most video harder to process. You can only watch a video clip as fast as the person is narrating, and I come from a generation who learned to read a lot of lengthy content... and I can typically speed read my way through the written transcript of a video in about 1/5th the time it takes to watch.
The "Sloppiness Factor"
Now don't get me wrong! There are some very good and very professional video presenters out there, so this particular point is not about you!
Yellow lupine
That said, a lot of video content is just sloppy. And-- call me grumpy, if you must-- I don't have time to watch your sloppiness.
What do I mean?
Well, it's an 8-minute clip, and the first 30 seconds is you trying to get the right angle on your camera to where the light doesn't make it look like you're in a dungeon. And then you say "Oh shit, I forgot my coffee!" and head off-camera for 15 seconds. Then you come back and arbitrarily talk about your breakfast for 30 seconds, then do a sudden headache pan to show something cute your dog is doing... and then at about the 2:30 mark you finally say "Today I wanted to talk about..."
Which you then do, for about three minutes-- with a few interruptions for random reasons-- before then taking another 90 seconds to actually close out your clip.
I'm sorry, but that is just irritating. And I am not going to sit through your random meander through your thought process. And I especially don't have eight minutes to give you for what is essentially three minutes of content!
The Spontaneity Factor
Heart of a tulip
Now, I appreciate that video may seem appealing because you can spontaneously create something "on the spur of the moment," but PLEASE! Learn some editing skills!
One of the downsides of the video format is that you get a lot of "irrelevant stuff" that you generally just don't get in most written content. And publishers seem to cut themselves more slack with video, than with writing.
Not OK!
Hold yourself to the same standards of quality you'd hold yourself to with writing!
That said-- have fun with DTube! As @surfermarly posted recently, it may be the Steemit app with the greatest potential for growth.
What do YOU think? Do you do any video content? Would you like to try? Would you use video as a "flow-of-consciousness tool, or would you edit the content to stay "on point?" Do you see the video format as opening a door to more "sloppy" content? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
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(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180119 10:20 PST
As a rule, I don't watch videos. For exactly the reasons you lay out. I don't want to wait 3 minutes for them to get to the point, typically the content in a 20 minute video could be outlined in a few paragraphs and read in a few minutes. It's gonna be a real important video for me to watch it.
It's especially irritating when there is little or no text to accompany the video to even go give me an idea if it's worth my time.
Steem on :)
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Yeah, the lack of descriptive text definitely bugs me, too. If there were at least a required summary, I could make a slightly more informed decision.
Sometimes the fact that typing something out is "a hassle" works in its favor, in the sense that people force themselves to get to the point.
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Such. Good. Points! I'm a writer, but I also have a background in film. I prefer to read written posts, for the most part, for many of the reasons you've stated. I also prefer to WRITE posts for the same reasons. I find it easier to edit my words than to edit my video, or get it right the first time.
If someone's video doesn't capture me from the get-go and hold my attention the whole time, I'm not going to make it to the end. Yet I can skim a post quickly, pick out the info that is relevant to me, and get more out of it than many video posts.
I'm not saying I don't like video. A powerful, professionally produced video (even if on a smartphone) can be way better than rambling writing. It's a balance of choosing the right media for the message, and delivering it as clearly as possible. Great post!
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Well, you have a background in film so I would also expect you to understand the value of editing... and the fact that you need to make your point in about 2-3 minutes, OR have a supremely intriguing intro that really captures people.
And then, of course, there's the length thing. As writers we know the dreaded TL;DR... but video seriously needs a TL;DW for long rambly assemblages of "personal-thoughts-while-stoned." For the most part, stoners make really poor videographers. Just my opinion...
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I'm a screenwriter. Love the written word! But it appears imaginations aren't what they used to be so film easily fills in the blanks as it numbs the mind!
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You're also a professional, @brian-rhodes, with a long career and a body of work to lend credence to your words.
I would imagine the "easy of access" in film and video gives you cause to rather frequently shake your head in wonderment at what gets produced-- just like there probably are some extraordinary gold nuggets that occasionally show up out of nowhere.
It's definitely a two-way street, from where I am sitting.
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I don't disagree. I'm often astonished at what gets produced for the screen but more particularly how producers undershoot the emotional and spiritual intelligence of the audience. So little moves the markers towards understanding the human condition.
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Lol, people are getting lazy nowadays and reading is work. I'm a full time content producer, and even good photos aren't cutting it anymore. Everything has to be moving and catchy...which takes away from a lot of the spontaneity of stills and writing. And the editing...ugh.
To make a good 1 minute clip you need at least 15 minutes of footage to clip it together well. Then you need to think about sound. Is it the right music, does it build right, end right, does it hit the beats at the right time...
But, you gotta move with the times and appeal to people, even if that means switching your medium a bit. Maybe think about how to combine what you love to do and what people want?
Best of luck! :)
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Maybe people are lazy, and maybe we just are suffering from information overload because there is just SO MUCH stuff coming across our screens every single day.
Good video takes time. I know this-- my wife created short clips for her non-profit organization with the help of our daughter who went to film school. And yes, we often have 30 minutes of footage to create a clip that should come in just under two minutes... which seems to be most people's general attention span.
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Another guideline to follow is that it takes about an hour of filming to get an minute of finished video.
And I agree that people are suffering from overload. I mean just between social media and email, not even counting Youtube or something, people spend way too much time just looking at stuff. It definitely skews how we think about content.
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LOL I have to agree with you on most of this...
Most times if it is just a video with no written text I don't bother watching.
Makes me wonder if perhaps there are just those of us more in tune with the academic side than the visual.
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I guess it just bugs me because it feels like I am wasting a bunch of time just trying to figure out whether to give it my attention.
With a written piece, you can usually scan it, or scan sub headings... and then make an informed choice.
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You need a lot more focus to read an article.
Something about video, pulls our focus, and we don't have to put in the effort.
But, I like to focus, and get deep into subjects. And for that, you need the written word. A book easily turns into a mini-series, and it still doesn't get across all the information.
The mediums that we have available to us today are great, and becoming greater. And each one has its pluses and minuses. Like with comics you can show the facial features, the expression. And, that is conveyed in one second, instead of using an entire paragraph to tell about the posture, and the frown, and the bunched eyebrows.
On the other hand, if you are trying to convey the similarities of two concepts... good luck trying to draw that.
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In a sense, that's true. Although with video, I find myself struggling to absorb ANYthing unless Every. Single. Moment. Is. Interesting. I zone out and then have to go back and rewatch. With writing, I get it the first time... but that may also be my age and what I grew up being used to.
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What you said...(and what I said...and what everyone else said) is why I generally don't bother with videos.
I've learned over the last few decades the mouth isn't connected to the brain that well. I've seen a lot of 'speak first, think later'(if ever)...writing requires a bit more thought...
so....no...
I'll continue to mostly skip the videos.
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There's about ten people on Steemit who do decent video, which is not a lot compared to the thousands who talk at a camera on this platform. Mostly, I just want them to get OFF my screen.
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I'm only aware of two.
and they are both homesteaders..
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I have been as well, not worth my limited time on the internet.
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I just wish anarchists wouldn't insist on recording their video logs from their dirty cars.
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Yeah, there's that. Parked out in the middle of nowhere, talking about something... I keep waiting for them to put on their tinfoil hats! Of course, then there are the other ones who use 80% of their air time to point out that they are recording from their hot tub at some swank resort while being baked senseless...
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I can't help but be distracted by the Wendy's wrappers and car seats.
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I agree...just the fax ma'am...I don't give a damn why...all I'm interested in is what.
and hold the damn camera still...I'm getting vertigo.
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LOL Or when they drop the camera and fumble to pick it up!
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wind noise is one of my particular favorites.
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ditto, just how expensive is a wind muffler....
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Yeah, the whole "Cinema Verité" style has to go. Discussing your taco is no Hollyweird and it's not art...
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Absolutely agree. But the same can be said of sloppy, freewriting that is not organised well, that doesn't get to the point, is not formatted right.
But, I'd still prefer sloppy written content over a video. I simply refuse watching video... I guess I'm not missing out on much :)
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With video - if I can be arsed looking - I give them about30 seconds to see if I get engrossed - so if they do an intro, that's all over!
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I can pretty much take or leave freewriting. I can appreciate it as a useful writing exercise, on the other hand I have my questions about publishing your practice pieces unless it's part of some group exercise.
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Yes, absolutely agree. And the same goes for video.
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Totally with you. My reason is slightly different I guess. It's not that I don't dislike sloppy video because I do, but I just can't watch videos at all. Our jungle internet is super slow, and I don't have the patience to let it load up. If I load a video, I have to know ahead of time that it's really good. A five minute video costs me at least 10 minutes.
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In important things with slow internets. Use linux!
A tool that I often use is youtube-dl and it downloads videos from thoutube in whatever format you tell it to. Then you just play it whenever you want.
Also, it is super easy to have it download them in the middle of the night.
And if its on dtube, you just tell wget to get it.
Makes life on a slow internet a lot easier.
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Thank you. That is helpful.
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And that's a very valid reason, as well. I get something similar from a friend of mine who lives in a small village in Alaska, and is dependent on a very dodgy satellite connection for Internet.
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Ours is through a device that is essentially like the hotspot function on a cell phone, except our cell reception is horrid and has to be boosted.
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Uploading a video rather than writing a long post works for only big people on steemit, this is my own belief cos here in steemit it is believed that you must write good and long posts
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Fully agree - I think videos are a boring waste of time and don't watch them.
Unless they are like this:
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I liked your topic I have a topic
Similar you can see it
https://steemit.com/photography/@venox/black-and-white-photography-or-flowers-photography
following you ♥
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So beautiful natural flower. Thanks for sharing
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Really i love Apple Blossoms.thanks for your post.i follow you.next post waiting me
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I share your frustration but only because I can't figure out how to upload my video to dtube successfully.
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Thank you for sharing that
I like your post
Following you
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your photography is uncompared.... you used best article in your post... i waiting for your next mindbloing post...
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great post
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My editing skis are so bad and I’m not willing to pour in the kind of money to get some good software I’ve not bothered in years. Besides I’m not a very talkative person. It’s just easier for me to type things out.
I think the future is going be having both video and text. Some people lack the reading skills here on Steemit to enjoy content unless it’s in video format. While others do not want watch a 10 minute video when they can just spend two minutes reading the blog about it.
The two formats have their place here!
Me personally I’m sticking with text format. I need to get a real camera at some point to step my game up on it and have nice photos.
Maybe one day I’ll venture into video I just don’t wish to make the investment into it at this time. I have far to many things on my plate right now.
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For me I never was a guy to get in front of the camera. Especially since I'd rather be a low key guy off somewhere in the background. However I've learned to open up and share my life not only through writing but also more recently through video.
I just love creating in general. Writing, music, videos, etc. I find it to be therapeutic. Craft is something I take serious so as an artist I am trying to devote time to getting better.
Unfortunately some don't take honing craft as serious as others. It's one thing to put out content with the intention to experiment and get better and then it's another just to put it out because it is easy like you said.
Overall though I think video has it's place and the same goes for writing. I'd rather write than just sit and do a video which is why I am always thoughtful in my writings if I happen to do video.
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In my 2 cent opinion. It's difficult to face camera than writing, but video is much successful than writing options. World has changed, people want fun in their life so video is giving them cool look, in video you see both verbal and non verbal communication same is not possible in writing. However crap videos annoys you but if you do search people of today world, they are more interested in watching video than reading book, that is why you tube and D tube video have more views than writing stuff. it doesn't mean writing is not as good as video. It's all about new trend. Only writer think that books are more important. only gems collector know about gems. Tradition is changing with passage of time.so it's the time to adopt new technology. However if writer make video after some practice he will definitely make better video due to his knowledge and words of wisdom.
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@denmarkguy
Thanks a lot for Sharing this awesome post. To me personally, I don't hate video clips but the issue is that some video presenters derives more joy on showcasing their attires and painted faces (make-up) in steady of focusing on making their work worthwhile and that makes some video sloppy just like you have said. I prefer reading content to watching videos because atimes you find out that you seriously need strong network to streaming it which is not same to loading a content.
Followed you.
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I tried to watch a few d-tube videos, I even tried a d-live stream video. However like you point out the quality is just not there. Content, like I want to be able to see the black heads on a person's nose, or to see that they did not even take the time to comb their hair, and all the distractions in the background, nope I would rather read. I got tired of the inane professionally created crap for mass consumption from TV, and cable that I gave up on TV and Cable when the Discovery channel hired the fruit of the loom guys to do commercials for them.
A good book and I'll let my own mind make the videos from it.
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Oh, I do agree! I am not a writer. I love to read too much and know that my writing can NEVER compare to the authors I love. So, I take pictures. I, too, enjoy good video, but there is certainly a lot of bad stuff out there.
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As @builderofcastles already said and I agree: "You need a lot more focus to read an article" And I also find that it is definitely harder to achieve Making People Truly Think through any other medium different than writing.
Well my dear friend @denmarkguy. Just look all you forced me to do to leave a meaningful comment on this post with something of value for you to ponder.
In this little and short video of mine (which I had to upload today once again) just to round up my comment here a bit better. You will find that it hardly lasts 1 minute and surely you won't struggle to absorb everything in it. Despite, that this video in barely one minute probably contains the longest TL|DW rambly assemblages of the denser discourse that you have never seen before. }:)
Well, five months ago I said that this video will leave you dry for shedding so many tears of emotion and empathy. And I said that for a reason.. ¡Grateful Solitude! :)
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I must be a grumpy old lady. Because about 90% of the videos on Dtube just irritate me to no end. Give me good writing any day.
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I listen to most videos at 2x speed and most of them are still too slow. There is so much dead air and lack of real content. I have made some videos here on DTube. I posted one just yesterday -- my 8 Principles of Foraging, using Gingko nuts as an example.
I try to make my videos worth people's time - I edit out dead space and try to keep it focused. Keep it moving! I also put text in my post, not just the video. So folks can get something out of the post even without watching the video. I can read so much faster than watching a video. But a video is helpful for connecting with people and hard to beat for DIY content. I'm using video to push myself, too. I'm not so comfortable on camera and it's something I want to get better at.
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