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Speed Tweaks: How Fast Can Audiences Drive Edits?

Bryan is talking about using twitter to give you a rough EDL for live events to turn around edits in the same day. When people watching the film tweeted lines, they used that as an edit line. Then they posted the highlight quotes that night on YouTube.

Brands don’t always have the opportunity to use live events their SXSW session. And it is a scary place to have audiences dictate the content of a piece on the fly. But it can capture an idea or feeling in a very unique way. It allows the audiences to be involved with the creation of the final piece. Even if you get the cameras back out and shoot more based on the feedback.

Because of where technology is, we can go from a simple box like Knect to tech that will follow your eyes and see when they dilate and interpret your like or dislike when you watch a tv show or video. They will be able to read your expressions and even temperature.

Working with brands or other stakeholders, how do you tell a story and still remain objective? And what does Objective mean when you are trying to be apart of the process?  It is hard to define that because if you have 100 hours of film, there are infinite computations for how to put that film together. The objectivity part is telling a true story; the subjective part is telling a good story that is engaging and that people will care about. So this type of technology where you get a large swath of people and then try to combine it with yours to come up with a more widely accessible piece.

Truth can be hard to define. Does truth mean transparency? – Yes, for the most part. Someone has to have a filter or a playground that you ask people to play in; it is a curetted conversation but with enough freedom for people to express themselves.

Asking open-ended questions is a great way to get quality feedback. You don’t want to be too restrictive, but want to give them freedom to put their stamp on it.

When you open up to the crowd, you might become more objective.  Because when you crowd source the creative, you take the whims or interests of the director somewhat out of the picture.

You have to be careful because there is not barrier to entry.

Scripted content versus Documentary: If you get one minute out of an hour of footage, generally you have been successful. But that is old school. Now, what was hitting the cutting room floor is an asset that you can draw from once you get feedback on a certain piece. If people respond well to someone who was in the piece for 30 seconds but you have an hour interview, then you have more of what they want.

“Doc-uscripted” – A semi-scripted documentary with improv.

Generally you give a client a choice of any two out of Good, Fast, or Cheap.

However, generally that is becomes less and less true because you have the iPhone  that can shoot as well as a 50K camera. So the more topical you can be, the less polished it has to be because people are getting that backstage pass.

It is now more about the content and less about the quality. Fast can add energy.

If you see a woman being empowered in the middle east, it doesn’t matter if she is on HD or SD.  However this is less true where the creative area (narrative) comes in.

Again, Content is Key. Something can be gorgeous but if it is about crap, no one will watch it.

So where do you draw the line on social input to the creative…to have curetted crowd sourcing. Sports Center is a great example. You will see if something stupid or awesome is happening because it will immediately raise to the top.

Online editing of someone else’s video is coming in the near future. You can make your own mash up to make it an expression of your self.

Privacy issues will continue to be a big topic because if you are able to take a video and redo it, then you have licensing issues and taking someone else content and using it for something they didn’t originally intend.

You don’t want to be surprised in post-production by a client if they say they don’t like the story. Get at least a general handle on it from the start. Make the choice to see if the story is really compelling and is the client doing something that is bringing something to the world that tells a good story.

Everyone is a film watcher and everyone is a film maker; ultimately everyone is a watchmaker.

Your living in a typewriter world, and I am living in a world of warcraft.