I was discussing video with a potential client and asked him why he wanted to produce video for his restaurant. “Viral” was his response. So I asked him the question I ask in this situation.
“How do I shoot viral?”
My client looked at me and tilted his head slightly. They almost always tilt their heads. “What are you trying to say?” he asked. “Exactly!” I responded.
What Are You Trying To Say?
This is the most important question to ask yourself when creating a video. “What do you want to say?” Another way to ask this question is “What do you want the viewer to know or to understand after they watch your video?” The answer to these questions expresses your intention for the video. Your intention is your “Why?”. Why do you want to create the video in the first place?
For my restaurant client, here were some of his “Whys” for creating video:
- “I want the viewer to see how nice my restaurant is and how good the food is.”
- “I want the viewer to know how cool a cool guy my bartender is.”
- “I want my viewer to understand that my head chef was trained at the Cordon Bleu Culinary School and knows how to prepare excellent food.”
These are all excellent reasons for creating video. This means I can create video that shows how nice the restaurant looks: the decor, the plush seating, the tables, the lighting, the menus, the tableware. Because as I’m shooting the video, I’m thinking, “How can I show the viewer how nice the restaurant is and how good the food is?”
As I’m thinking about how to answer this intention, I think about showing different signature dishes ready to be served. Maybe I can show a couple in an intimate tryst, their eyes lingering as they sensuously stroke tall glasses of a rich merlot. Maybe I have shots of friends laughing while the bartender prepares a snifter of fifty-year-old brandy.
You see, intention is the story you want to tell. Which makes it easier to come up with creative and interesting ways to tell your story.
Don’t Mistake Your Story For Results
One of the biggest mistake business owners make when creating video is confusing intention with results. What’s the difference? In our example, our intention is to show the viewer to see how nice my restaurant is and how good the food is. A result could be:
- the viewer understands how nice the restaurant is and comes to have a dinner
- the viewer likes what he sees and “Likes” the restaurant’s Facebook page.
- the viewer invites his friends to celebrate his birthday at the restaurant.
These results are all desirable. Any one of them would be a happy result after viewing our video. However, these results are completely separate from “creating” the video. That is, they come AFTER the viewer watches the video.
Another way to view results is to remember this: Intention helps you create the video. Results are what happens after the video is created. Or think about is this: You can’t measure intent, but you can measure results. A strong intent helps you create a strong video, which, in turn, helps drive strong results.
So when you’re ready to create your video, sit down and think about what you want your viewer to know or understand after watching your video. Answer that question, and see how easy it is to come up with creative ways to communicate your intent. Clear communication of your intent will give your videos the best chance of helping your viewers understand your message. Which is what you want.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
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