Video content for Dummies
Training videos have been around for a long time and have served many a corporate training department from the financial industry to the oil industry. The benefits of self-controlled viewing of content, where people can choose the time, place and in some cases, the sequence of content viewing engages the viewer. Additionally, studies and field experience have shown retention of content is high for this type of viewing.
One example I found which talks about the restaurant industry.
Enter two companies that aim to make video instruction on a variety of topics synonymous with their names much like the Dummies Books and its success.
VideoJug, a U.K. based company has been creating professional content for over a year and I believe they have been in existence for over two years. I had spoken with David Tabizel, the founder of the company last year as I was intrigued by their direction and wanted to know more about their plans for production here is the U.S.
The other company, Expert Village started creating content in 2005 and according to an article in April/May 2007, issue of Streaming Media magazine has upwards of 20,000 titles.
Where VideoJug and Expert Village part company is in the area of content submission from Independent producers. Expert Village is creating a network of people, they call it an Expert Village Filmmaker, who with their own equipment would shoot content and send media to the company with a revenue share model. There is also an option to become an "Expert" on a specific topic and either link to your site from the content, or be paid $30 per clip under certain circumstances.
“On average, you will receive $300 for every Assignment you complete for Expert Village. To clarify, 15clips = 1 Assignment = $300.
Occasionally there will be the opportunity to make more money for larger, more complicated assignments. Additionally, we may have available, smaller assignments that pay a lower scale. When you view an Assignment on the Available Assignments page, you will see the pay scale that we've assigned to it".
There is also a Our Experts section with hundreds of people who have created guides from how to change you car’s oil to Yoga Poses and Positions with contact information, rating by others
VideoJug’s business model as David explained to me is to retain control of the “look” for produced content and as such, they produce the content. Since that time, they have added a section “Made by You” where people submit content within that channel. There is however, no revenue option for Indie producers and you are giving up any rights once you submit content to them, their contract states:
“Where you are invited to submit any contribution to VideoJug (including any text, photographs, graphics, video or audio) you agree, by submitting your contribution, to grant VideoJug a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive, sub-licensable right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, play, make available to the public, and exercise all copyright and publicity rights with respect to your contribution worldwide and/or to incorporate your contribution in other works in any media now known or later developed for the full term of any rights that may exist in your contribution, and in accordance with privacy restrictions set out in VideoJug 's Privacy Policy.”
I personally have no motivation to submit content for free; this is what the current UGC model is all about. That said, David had spoken of widening their network of production personnel that met their growth requirements and as such, this may offer producers opportunities in the future.
These types of sites should see growth in popularity, as people want short digestible content delivered to fixed or mobile devices. Also, as more of this type of content is delivered on-line the need for high-end production quality and budgets as seen in “Mainstream Media’ projects will not apply and this will shift the paradigm, much like the move from film to video for most corporate projects.
The key to quality production is and always has been lighting and composition, which only require talent and not necessarily large budgets. For those content producers who wish to exploit this market it’s an opportunity and a trend, for those who scoff at the direction this is taking all I can say is the handwriting is on the walls...
