Thursday, June 28, 2018

Understanding vertical video and the impact of IGTV


Last week, Instagram launched Instagram TV (IGTV) and deemed it the future of video. It’s a bold statement, especially considering that they are only supporting a vertical video frame when almost all video currently conforms to a 16x9 horizontal frame. As a video professional, I’m hesitant to take statements such as those seriously, but I have to evaluate the platform’s potential. Instagram provided these statistics:
We're evolving with the times; these days, people are watching less TV and more digital video. By 2021, mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data traffic. And we've learned that younger audiences are spending more time with amateur content creators and less time with professionals.
Again, I tend to be hesitant toward marketing data, however this isn’t the first time that I’ve seen data like this. Back in March, my colleague sent me a Pew Research article about the use of social media in 2018. Pew stated:
The video-sharing site YouTube – which contains many social elements, even if it is not a traditional social media platform – is now used by nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults and 94% of 18- to 24-year-olds. There is a substantial amount of overlap between users of the various sites measured in [our] survey [and] a significant majority of users of each of these social platforms also indicate that they use YouTube.
The data shown in Pew’s reciprocity chart demonstrated that an average of 92.5% users of other social platforms also used YouTube, a higher percentage than even Facebook. This past April, I attended the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas and sat in on a talk titled “Generation Z: The YouTube generation” which discussed the demographics, life experiences and media habits of a generation interwoven with social media. Though a slightly different analysis, the research presented at this session confirms Pew's data as well as the data that Instagram shared upon the release of IGTV. The presentation claimed that 71% of 13 to 17 year olds spend 3 or more hours per day viewing online video, with YouTube being the top platform for general knowledge, entertainment, and catching up on the news. They also reported a direct trend to shorter video content for teenaged users, citing eMarketer's research that a mere 8% of social video users are watching less content than they did the prior year, with 57% viewing more, and 35% viewing about the same. The presenter also conducted a small study of their own on post-millennial media and cinema habits, which confirmed the speculation that fewer younger people are visiting the theater and watching TV. Their results indicated that, out of the 211 national participants averaging age 15, a majority only watched 1 or 2 movies per quarter but spent 2.2 hours per day watching content at home, mostly on YouTube and Netflix. Not surprising, 2/3 of that time spent watching content at home was on a mobile device.

Many news outlets have speculated that Instagram has their sights set on YouTube’s market share as the top video platform, and it makes perfect sense. Instagram has been rapidly growing over the past few years and being able to keep viewers and content creators within a single app is good for business.

So how does this affect content creation and professionals like myself? While it’s still too early to have an answer, as IGTV has only been live for 8 days as of writing this article, I do have a few thoughts that have been turning over in my head. I don't think it's completely turning the YouTube model upside down, but I do think that there will be a shift in delivery. Like MTV of the 80s and 90s, YouTube is known for it stylized content and snappy, irreverent editing. Top YouTubers, such as Rhett and Link of Good Mythical Morning, do a better job of melding this style into a professional product, complete with top quality video, on-camera talent, production, and content. In my opinion, the best YouTube content is visually engaging and moves quickly but discreetly; it's most effective and seamless when you don't notice the edits and the narrative flows effortlessly.  YouTube has also played a part in redefining digital cinematography, allowing creators a platform to experiment on and push the limits of how good amateur video can be.

Instagram has for the most part been matching this style but its content creators have really emphasized the "snappiness" of YouTube. Since Instagram previously wanted users to create solely using a mobile device, content was less polished, exuberant, and rather ordinary. However, it was the short form and exuberance that kept the content afloat and engaging. It felt real. Eventually, content creators found work-arounds to Instagram's phone-only limitations and made crafty use of Airdrop and Google Drive to transfer more polished content. With IGTV, Instagram is hoping to keep the "real" aspect to the content by forcing the use of vertical video. Instagram claims that using vertical video makes their platform "mobile first" by showcasing content in the orientation in which people use their phones. They also say that IGTV's platform and vertical orientation are "making it easier for [users] to get closer to the creators and original content they love." This is well and good for typical users, but Instagram is also banking on the fact that businesses will be developing content for their platform as well, anticipating ad sales and post boosting.

So how can video professionals adapt? It's still up in the air at the moment, but I'll share a few great examples that I've seen during the debut week. A final positive note is that users make the conscious choice to view IGTV content. Unlike Facebook or previous Instagram video posts, which throw video content into a news feed, users purposely seek video content to watch by clicking the IGTV icon on the top of their screens or visiting the IGTV app. I’m hoping that this leads to better engagement, even if the viewership numbers are lower.





This screenshot from music store Chicago Music Exchange made interesting use of a 3 camera set up for a live acoustic performance. Rather than cut in close ups, they put all 3 cameras on screen at once and played them in sync for the viewer to watch.






These two screenshots are from Late Night With Stephen Colbert and split the screen between interviewee and interviewer.  The video then cuts to the close up once someone is speaking at length.




This cooking demonstration from Lele Pons' channel displays the overhead closeup of the food while keeping the host in view as well.







My favorite example comes from the NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers.  Here they interview a player in wide shot and close up to start.  When they want to make a cut, they switch the shot positions and rescale the framing. In the second image, you can see a b-roll shot a the bottom of the frame. Here, they cleverly introduce the b-roll in one of the frames and then change the interview shot from wide to close up when they want to make a cut. When they want to change the b-roll clip, they reintroduce the wide shot and the sequence is back to the first image.  It's definitely a style you need to check out and one that I will more than likely emulate in the future.

Addition on July 12, 2018:  


Here's my first edit for Instagram.  The main focus is still on storytelling, but I'm using some of the techniques that I discuss above.  

IGTV:  https://www.instagram.com/p/BkxhUd_g6sA/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKn_3tRy-dY


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