Before every video you have to make one choice. Which one of these three actions are you going to take for your subject matter?
- Dramaticize
- Beautify
- Simplify
Maybe these three can be seen as dimensions for a video.
For example if you are covering some news, you can choose to dramatize it and spread panic, or you can chill out and simplify what is going on and explain it to people.
Another example is travel vlogs. You can either be the obnoxious tourist screaming in vlogs or you can make some silent shots and then stitch them together later beautifully.
I think simplification is a blessing for a lot of people who don’t have access to beautiful or high-status places and don’t want to be the dramatic monkey in front of the camera.
Like always I will say it again: mass interest cannot be generated; it can only be diverted. You can get a share of it by dramatizing, simplifying or simplifying what already holds people’s attention.
For example AI is the hype right now. I can go in front of the camera, make exaggerated faces, and say, “Hey, it’s going to eat your job.” Or I can simplify how it works. Or maybe even beautify it by making cool diagrams that are really intuitive.
Simplicity is hard to manufacture. A lot of complex things hold a lot of interest. Tastefully simplify things and include intuitive visualizations in the presentation to make it beautiful, and you will do well. Because you will be actually the producer of something that is rare: simplicity in the face of complexity
I really like if you go all out on the beautify and simplify direction. But of course drama also has its place. You need the hooks, you need the suspense, you need the payoff, you need the build up. You need drama as the structure supporting the simplicity and beauty and not be the end product itself.