The Ultimate Guide to Creating Online Video Content That Works, Part 2

When YouTube first burst onto the scene, it upendedthe traditional notion that what viewers wanted was contentwith the highest possible production values. Whether itis clips from old home movies or video diaries shot witha webcam, there’s been a sense that anything goeswhen it comes to the quality of online video.

"Usually, my message is that we’re still at a pointwhere production value doesn’t matter that much; infact, it can hurt you if you overproduce," says KevinNalty, a top YouTube producer known as Nalts.

"There’s a certain level of resentment towards thepeople on YouTube who are trying to have the perfectshot and the perfect lighting. It suddenly makes themseem like they’re better than everyone else, and thevideo can come off as more commercial, morecanned, and less authentic."

On the flip side, with the migration of TV shows andmovies online, the highest quality content is now generatingsome of the highest viewer numbers. Because of this, it’simportant that the major media companies protect theirTV brand by delivering high-quality video online.

"From an ESPN brand perspective, we’re always tryingto maintain the highest level of quality," says John Zehr,vice president of the emerging media group at ESPN. "Wedo try to achieve the same production value as what goes onTV, and we’re able to take advantage of a lot of the facilitiesat ESPN. But depending on the budget or time, we maytake a different approach. One size doesn’t fit all."

However, he added that viewers began to take fantasysports shows more seriously when production valueswere increased. "They began to feel like we were treatingfantasy football like NFL Countdown, like one of our studioprograms, which increased the magnitude of the content,"he says. "And as you make changes, you can see theimpact they’re having on viewership."

Another emerging trend is affecting those who are nowmaking the videos at these major media companies,according to Greg Clayman, executive vice president ofdigital distribution and business development for MTVNetworks. "Five years ago, the people who ran the websitewould grab a camera and shoot something," he says. "Butas it became a bigger business for us, it really made senseto combine our production efforts on-air and online, so it’sthe same thing shot on the same HD cameras by the samecrew, and the same producers and directors are involvedin the creation of it. So when you’re producing a show foron-air, you’re thinking about producing content for online.And I think that gives media companies a general advantageover others."

However, the benefits of producing higher quality videoaren’t relevant only to major media companies, accordingto Jim Louderback, CEO of Revision3. "If you’re spending10 seconds watching a cat riding a donkey, I think low quality’s OK, but ifyou want to create a repeatable, episodic experience that people willcome back to again and again, it has to be good quality," he says. "Havingsomething as good as TV is essential. The idea that quality doesn’tmatter anymore is totally wrong for the sorts of things we’re doing."

Much of this has to do with consumer expectations and the demands of thecontent being produced. "If it’s a pretty girl walking down the street, peoplewant to be able to see her clearly, but they don’t care about the overallproduction value," says Kip "Kipkay" Kedersha, the highest earner inMetacafe’s Producer Rewards program. "But if you’re showing a close-up ofa circuit board, and it’s out of focus and the camera’s shaking, then the productionvalue has a direct impact on how that video is going to be accepted."

Also vital to consider is the cost of producing high-quality contentrelative to the use, longevity, and potential revenue that can be drivenoff of any particular piece of video, says Richard Glosser, executivedirector of emerging media for CondéNet. "We try to be very efficientin how we produce video so that the cost is reasonable while still tryingto maintain high quality, because ultimately, people are coming toour brand for professionally produced content," he says. "But youneed to understand what type of video it is to appropriately invest inits production. For example, doing daily updates at a show like CES[Consumer Electronics Show] to put on Wired.com has much moreperishability than something like a cooking video that has a muchlonger shelf life. You need to balance quality and cost."

Of course, sometimes the confluence of technological innovation and thetrends toward social media present opportunities for providers to obtainvideo for next to nothing, according to Clayman. "This summer, the JonasBrothers were coming to MTV. We had a whole bunch of mobilephone cameras that we gave to average people and the JonasBrothers themselves to take video and send directly to our operationscenter. We got all this backstage footage and different angles, just atremendous amount of video, and [we] streamed all of it to a website," hesays. "A lot of people were skeptical that you’d actually get good qualityvideo from a mobile phone and that you’d be able to do anything significantwith it. But when we put it on-air, we put a big box around it, and when theexecutive producers saw it, they liked it. And the views were just throughthe roof online—one of the biggest things that we’ve seen. And it was greatbecause it was content you couldn’t see anywhere else."

This sentiment was shared by ESPN360 and JumpTV. While bothstrive to deliver content of the highest possible quality, if people aren’table to watch video from one sporting event, they’ll watch the videofrom another, even if it’s not the highest quality; any video is better thanno video. The audience will be willing to put up with lower quality videoif it’s content they can’t find elsewhere, according to the companies.In terms of what aspect of a video’s production is most important todelivering a high-quality experience, there are varying schools of thought.

"I try to work on my production quality, but it’s not a high priority," says Nalty."I don’t give a crap about lighting, and I’ll put my camera on a tissue box toget a shot. Where I work hard is on the editing and timing because that’swhat can harm videos. I probably spend zero time planning a video, 10minutes shooting it, and an hour or so editing it. And I think that’s kind ofright, though maybe I should spend less time planning. I’m not likeHitchcock, drawing up a storyboard. I’d never start if I did it that way."

Some argue that the quality of the video isn’t the most vital aspect. In fact,according to Louderback, the most vital aspect would be audio. "If theaudio sounds like crap, no one’s going to watch it," he says. "So the firstthing you should do is get good microphones. And make sure whatever youdo, do it in a good environment. We realized early on that our studio wasreally boomy and, oh, my God, did we hear it from our fans, to the pointthat we had to redo the studio and put soundproof insulation in. So, in my opinion, it starts with great audio no matter what kind ofvideo you’re doing."

Steve Garfield, one of the first and most well-respectedvideo bloggers, agreed. "No. 1, I think about the audio,"he says. "No. 2, I think about framing. No. 3, I have tohold the camera steady." Garfield has also put significantconsideration into producing video with the camera on hismobile phone, as much of the video he makes happens as hegoes about his day. "When I’m using the Nokia n95, the micis on the side, so I’ve had to figure out how to rig this externalmic for better sound. For holding it steady, I have a monopodI’ve rigged up to my cell phone that I use a lot," he says.