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Responsive Video Production: It's About To Be A Thing
Planning on shooting video, in particular short-form video, including advertising? Are you shooting (a) horizontally or (b) vertically? The only correct answer to this seemingly silly question is (c) all of the above.
In a world where Sotheby’s uses Instagram to help sell fine art, everything has changed. Another critical rethink is upon us: we’re heading into the era of responsive video production. With video viewing on vertical (in other words, smartphone) screens up sevenfold in the last five years and now accounting for 29% of all video viewing, vertical videos are now, to paraphrase that not-at-all-arrogant video that I linked to, really f&#@ing important.
That’s why a few slightly-important players – WPP, Snapchat, the Daily Mail – created a vertical video agency this summer. Oh, and they’re not alone.
The Problem With Lawyers: We Speak Lawyer
The only serious thing you should take away from this little rant is the following: if you’re talking to a lawyer and you don’t understand everything you’ve just heard, ask them to explain it again – and if necessary, again and again – until you do. It’s that important.
And now, excuse me while I mock the gobbledegook that we officers of the court say without blinking, organized into three simple “lessons” that will not in any way help you understand a single word of Lawyerese.
Beats 1 Radio & The "Death" Of Music Genres
When Apple announced Beats 1℠, a live “radio station”, I had two instantaneous reactions: (1) Really? The rest of radio is narrowing its focus, and Apple is targeting the entire planet with one “radio station”, and (2) I can’t wait to see how crazy the radio and music industry blogospheres get with the news.
Then, I thought about a the latest hipthink that showed up in The Gray Lady recently: genres no longer matter. There’s only one thing wrong with this trendy new idea. Genres never mattered in the first place.
Farewell To The Entire Letterman Team!
With David Letterman’s final broadcast now upon us, the press – both trade and mainstream – has been saturated with stories about the end of a legendary entertainment era, including the fate of his team. The public – our consumers – sees the top-line talent. Those of us in any part of the entertainment business see the whole team, and we know that nothing we do is possible without the contributions of every single member of the team. I know you know that, but how often do you think about it and acknowledge it? This seems like a good time for each of us to answer an important question: when is the last time you recognized your team?
Time For Television To Fight The Right Fight
In the aftermath of a record-setting boxing match, let’s talk about fighting. Here are several recent, seemingly unrelated developments. See if you can find the common thread.
(1) The breakout star of this year’s FIGHT OF THE CENTURY!!! wasn’t named Mayweather or Pacquiao, but…Periscope, a video streaming app that wasn’t even available two months ago. (2) Comcast – the nation’s largest cable provider (even without Time Warner Cable as part of its empire) – now has more Internet subscribers than cable subscribers. (3) When it comes to The Great Unbundling, the lawsuits have begun with ESPN taking on Verizon over its FIOS Custom packages. (The WSJ article on that subject makes a point of noting that CBS has chosen not to pursue an action against Verizon over the same move.)
We're In The Relationship Business, Not The Content Business
We’ll always use the word “content” because talking about “great content” is easier to understand than talking about “great passion and relationships”. Make no mistake about one thing, however: your material is not your stock in trade. Content is simply a means to an end.
Your stock in trade is passion and relationships.
Pay Attention To The 21 Year-Old & Learn To Go Both Ways
How’s that for a ridiculous, allegedly attention-grabbing headline?
The 21 year-old woman in question is the erstwhile Sunshine Girl of YouTube fame. She’s now making the move from video into…wait for it…print. Yep, the media form that’s quickly dying. Except, of course, that not only is print not dying, it’s an incredibly important part of anyone’s media mix.
In fact, my real reason for posting this is because we spend so much time here talking about electronic media that I thought it was important to remind you that your ability to create great content with the written word is an important part of the amazing opportunities that our media convergence future is presenting to you.
When The Kardashians Tell You Where The Money Is, Believe Them
The second-biggest post on this blog last year was titled “When Rupert Murdoch Tells You Where The Money Is, Believe Him.” When someone as successful as Murdoch points the way to where entertainment success will be found in the future (hint: content is king; distribution is a commodity), we wisely pay attention.
Here’s another opportunity to learn by observing, and this time, let’s take a look at what some of the most successful talent in showbiz is up to.
Lessons Radio Talent Should Learn From The Rest Of Showbiz
Given my 30+-year connection to radio, I sometimes write posts about the lessons people in others fields of entertainment can learn from radio. Some of those are very explicitly about radio; others aren’t, but any radio broadcaster would recognize the connection. Let’s reverse directions and talk about what radio talent should learn from other entertainers.
Be Unique Or Else: Television Learns That Broadcasting Has Given Way To Narrowcasting
Remember when television was about the lowest common denomiator? Remember when the radio station that won was “the one station that everybody at work can agree on”? Those days are toast. Let’s focus on television, particularly because the industry focused on these words of wisdom from the Television Critics Association winter confab: “Least objectionable television is dead.”
However, the next sentences might be even more important, so here’s the whole quote from Paul Lee’s presentation: “Least objectionable television is dead. We’re at a world where passion rules, where social conversation is so important and where people can watch what they want to watch, where they want to watch it, so they’re only going to watch the shows that they really love, that they’re really passionate about.”
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