Lush Creative Director Gavin Carroll and I have just returned from an overseas filming expedition for one of our clients. The trip took us to South Korea for 11 days to help document a huge project that has been happening for the past few years.
Working alongside an executive producer, we were instructed to produce an update video to be shared with internal stakeholders and interested external audiences via social media, as well as to build on several story threads identified from previous trips to Korea and other locations. The ultimate aim is to produce a feature-length documentary with broadcast potential.
The client understood that to justify a trip of this size they needed to create a wide range of content to satisfy those back in Perth and beyond. Different departments in the head office had a keen interest in using this project to promote their own needs – whether it was recruitment, safety or updates for high-level meetings. All of this needed to be considered when we were planning our day-to-day activities.
Over the 11 days we generated a huge amount of footage, 800 gigabytes no less, and before we’d even left for home Gavin had finished an edit. He was able to do this by turning his hotel room into a traveling editing suite, where he produced a 2-minute piece for one of the internal departments.
It’s fair to say that not all the shoots we do are of this scale, but we nearly always come away with more footage than we are ever going to use in most edits. There is always huge scope to repurpose content with just a bit of forward thinking.
The value of repurposing content
Of the majority of the time we film, we probably use about 10-20% of the footage captured. The final edit is usually only 2-3 minutes long. Lots of great content has the potential to go to waste, but by thinking ahead you can easily create more products from this.
A longer video can easily be cut down into smaller edits focusing on one particular angle or character. A particular contributor might be able to talk around a number of subjects, which leads to more content being created than the one video you may have had planned
I like to think of the old 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce
Can the overall edit be cut down into any smaller content? Different audiences consume content in different ways. What length is going to work best to hit your target audience? The duration question is something we get asked about a lot, so understanding what works and what doesn’t is important in having the most impact with your production.
Reuse
What else can be made from the footage we shoot? In larger organisations it can sometimes be hard to keep track of what is happening in different departments. If you are going to start creating videos, why not talk to other people in other departments and see if they will have a use for any of the footage you are getting? They may also help cover some of the costs of the additional edits if you ask nicely.
Recycle
So much content is wasted; can your video be reused down the track? A lot of content that’s created is only ever used once. A bit of planning and identifying opportunities down the track means productions may see the light of day again. Even an event sizzle can be repurposed to promote the event the following year. Just think about where there might be scope to recycle what you’ve created previously.
To find out how to get the most out of your video content, contact Lush Digital Media. We can help you extend the initial investment in your video content and produce more assets for your business.
By Ian Bignell
Image Credit: Feeding a hungry creative director by Lush Digital Media
