Silent Videos: Conveying a Thousand Messages in Silence
It’s nighttime, and everyone but you is asleep. You were peacefully scrolling through the internet when a blasting sound from your phone startled the whole house. You struggled to find the volume button and were left with no choice but to hide your phone under your pillow, praying it would suppress the sound. An annoying familiar scenario, right? This is one of the many reasons why the number of people preferring to watch silent videos continuously increases.
What are silent videos, and what makes everyone crazy about them?
The main principle of silent videos is to convey a thousand messages in silence. With motion pictures, people used to watch films without sounds. These films were short but overloaded with raw emotion, expressions, and meaningful words at the bottom of the screen. As crazy as this may sound, silent videos are back in trend again- creating a huge wave in social media.
There are many reasons why silent videos have become so popular today. One of these is the increase in the number of people using mobiles to gain access to the internet. We often find ourselves watching videos in public or in places where sounds can be a nuisance and a hindrance. We don’t want to embarrass ourselves or cause disturbance to others. That’s why we turn to silent videos.
What makes everyone crazy about them?
Today, media outlets and brands are turning the popularity of silent videos to their advantage. They are now starting to use silent videos for their marketing. The reason for this is the tendency of promotional videos with sounds to turn potential customers away. Obtrusive and blasting autoplay is often regarded as an annoyance for internet users. The sound of your promotional video may capture the viewers’ attention, but in reality, they tend to have the opposite effect.
Blasting sounds can trigger an escape instinct in viewers that may lead them to immediately shut down the noise source. This will cause you to lose a potential customer, and you don’t want that to happen.
Tips on How to Create Silent Videos
Now that you know about the essence of silent videos, here are tips on how to create yours:
- Make sure to add closed captioning.
Closed captioning enables inclusivity in your video. You may have an audience with hearing difficulties, but by adding closed captions, your viewers will have a great experience with your video. Adding closed captions to your silent video will also increase your viewership. Videos with closed captions are watched longer than un-captioned ones.
- Don’t depend too much on music.
While it’s true that music adds a dramatic flare to your video, remember not to rely on them too much to imply a message to your audience. Your video should be able to carry itself without the need for music to support it. Remember: Silence is golden. Make sure that you’ll highlight the visual elements of your video more.
- Please show, don’t tell!
Every writer knows of this rule in storytelling. As someone who will create a silent video, you are already a storyteller. Showing and not telling means you give your audience strong visual elements to convey information rather than just telling them what’s happening in your story. Challenge yourself to create a video that conveys your message using images or texts.
Trust your audience; they can create more meaning from your content with just the visual elements you provide. Also, humans remember what they see better than what they hear.
- Intentionally utilize sounds.
Yes, you are creating a silent video, but it doesn’t mean you must completely exclude sound from your work. You can still use sounds to optimize your video but ensure that it will not overpower the visual elements of your works. Moreover, you can integrate simple sound effects into your video to make it more satisfying for your audience.
- The three seconds rule doesn’t lie.
You have three seconds to capture the whole attention of your audience, so make sure to give your all in your silent video. Give them something worth staying for and ensure that their time is well-spent.
Final Thoughts
We choose silence to rest from our seemingly chaotic world for some time. The essence of silent videos is not just based on their effectiveness in marketing but also on the peace and tranquility they give us.
You now know the tips on how to create your silent video. The question now is, where are you going to share them? Of course, to reach more audiences and spread your messages to the world, it’s important to have a unique video-sharing platform that will optimize the reach of your silent video.
A place like iConnectFX is a perfect place to start. Saving and sharing your content will never be a hassle with iConnectFX!
