When film works

We talk alot about information overflow and how to spread it and how to communicate with your target audience. It's about the conversation. But to create a conversation you need something worth talking about and traditional media can be useful channels for that.

The basic rules remain the same as they always have. You've got to have something to say and you've got to say it well.

My own background is within television journalism so I tend to have a bias towards the video medium in general. The example I've often used is that of September 11, 2001. Nobody remembers a headline they read the following day. They certainly don't remember the details of an article in any newspaper.

But everyone remembers the horrific and spectacular footage in New York that morning.

When sound and vision work together, they can create an incredible impact. The medium can, more than any other, portray a feeling. It can strike an emotional chord with us quickly and effectively.

The footage on September 11th was particularly tough to watch when audio was picked up. The sound of the crashing towers and particularly the sound prior to their collapse of people jumping from some of the top floors of those towers, were harrowing. Several news organisations in the US chose to mute the sound of their footage because it was too hard to watch otherwise. This may be a macabre example but audio and video mixed together had an overwhelming impact.

A much more enjoyable emotion is stirred from a video released recently on Youtube about the upcoming World Cup in football. The Somalian rapper and poet K'naan has come up with a song that, in itself, stirs positive emotions about how sport can unify races and nations. The song inspires hope and joy. Added to it are a series of well-edited images celebrating the sport of football and the World Cup competition and the mix of the two leaves the viewer with nothing but great expectations for the upcoming tournament in South Africa this Summer. If you're not interested in football, the video is still worth watching.

When video and audio are married together and work in harmony, the effect is always immense. I'm always looking for good examples of good use of video, so any other examples are much appreciated.


Andra bloggar om: kommunikation, företagskommunikation



Colm O'Callaghan is JG Communication’s Head of Operations so when he’s not blogging he’s looking after the day to day business at this wonderful communicaitons agency.
So, who’s JG Communication? We’re Sweden’s largest and, we think, ‘leading’ communications agency in Sweden. We help our clients have conversations with the people that matter most to them using the tools that matter most to us, words, sound and vision.