WHat I’m all about
If you ever want to know way too much about what I think is necessary during the:
CREATION PROCESS
1. Going beyond what is necesarry
Content goes beyond what is necessary, but never repeats itself. Extra becomes what is expected and normalized in content, and content goes beyond even that. Mediocrity has been done before, and we’ve had enough. Always be prepared to surprise the audience. Content can maintain structure, but can never get repetitive. If you’re not sure, look at your previous content. The beginning, the middle, and end. Your content should never come to the same conclusion, unless purposely planned. Your content should be familiar, but have its own personality. Metaphorically, all of your projects have unique first name, and it’s creators have a shared last name. Look at your schedule, your titles, your thumbnails. Find the steps in the process that need to be completed every single time you create something, the steps that are often neglected. Make sure it is originally purposeful and achieves the distinct goals for the content you once set out to complete. Content doesn’t always have to be “better and better”, but it has to be unique and creative. Unique content doesn’t have to be out of the blue, it can gain momentum, not out of nothing, but by building off of each other. Ideas should make the audience think, and the direction the creators go in should never be expected.
2. Building a relationship
Establishing a “homemade” complex. Creating ideas that are unique, and open enough to be built upon. Ideas that are relatable, creative, and personal. Ideas that are “unnecessary creative” and professional, but familiar. Ideas that make the audience say “I want to try that, I want to recreate that.” Ideas are incredible, yet purposely underrated.
Creating content that establishes a relationship with the audience, but also prioritizing working well with the people around you. Using and maintaining relationships with friends in projects is essential. People want to watch content with humans in it. The relationship explains that just like you, the content is always evolving, and the people build off of each other to create ideas. The people are the content, they create what is scripted, and unintentionally create what is unscripted. Don’t be afraid to be incredible. Introduce the audience to everybody involved. The camera men are not to be hidden, or forgotten about. They are apart of the team, they should be acknowledged. All people involved are just as important as the person on screen, and their effort and personality is invaluable to the work. As a bonus, this will connect yourself with the audience, showing that you value your team, and that the audience deserves to be involved.
3. A real environment
Utilizing the environment around you, both foreground and background are important tools to break away from scripted and lifeless content. Setting the tone for the video and the people in it. Using backgrounds that are personal and detailed, but not too distracting. Jokes can be made off the camera. Green screens can be a very useful tool for this. Example: in Crash Course, when they want to read a letter, John Green gets up from his office desk and chair where he would normally explain information directly to the audience, he runs to the other side of the room, where he gets in a fancy chair, and a fireplace rolls up next to him. He changes the setting to fit the mood, and to keep things interesting, which benefits the content. He also uses the change to his advantage to remind the audience he is an actual guy sitting in a chair and not an information machine. In another shot, he leans forward and talks directly to the cameraman about how many attempts it took for them to get the last shot. He literally breaks away from the camera, and uses the foreground to keep people invested. This is why people prefer Crash Course over a google search, and John Green over other YouTubers. Tricks like this are often in his content, the video is informing, but this change keeps the goofy and homemade feel. This brings the audience beyond the camera, and brings genuine humanity into the content. Rhett and link often use backgrounds of random jokingly serious paintings and “artifacts”, to give off that classic mythical vibe.
4. Content and creator
The content will always be its own idea, but never forget that you are the content. I don’t mean that you should be entertaining, I mean that you should always be open to trying new things, and better yourself. Your “Reacting” is never the content, and should never be excused as a working basis for your content. The audience isn’t there for you, but they will be. The content is not a performance. While you can provide information, you should be willing to learn. You should always acknowledge when you need help, and when somebody is better than you in certain field of personality and skill. Each video should expand on your improvements. Your content should be you, not your reaction, not your performance. Needless to say, the content, must provide something of value. You must ask yourself repeatedly throughout the creation process if it is worth creating. Or if it is all it could be. It might be entertaining, but that is not a proficient response. Content should provide, inspire, improve, and ultimately create. Your content, should inspire at least two more people to do something similar. It may have been done before, but it hasn’t been done by you and the people you work with. Content that fits in a formula, has surprisingly sparely been done to satisfaction. Content can be an idea, but remember it is ultimately it is you. If you borrow an idea, always acknowledge the source, and add something that the audience doesn’t expect. You should be proud of what you release, the content, when finished, should be a celebration. It should be exciting and anticipating for its release as well as the future work it can inspire for yourself and others. All work is a beginning, even when completed. It’s extraordinary important to acknowledge when you need to step back, and view the whole thing. When to compare where you came from. When to start over. When to move on. When to take a break and think. When to stop and forget.