Do you struggle to hold your audience’s attention no matter how short your videos are?
As videos on social media get shorter, so do the attention spans of the average social media user.
In this post, we share tips on how to use cinematic storytelling techniques to create more engaging short-form videos.
1. Understand why short-form videos are so impactful
Before the internet, the public consumed videos in the form of feature-length films, television shows and news broadcasts.
YouTube helped make long-form videos (videos that are over five minutes long) more mainstream. It helped long-form videos hold supremacy on the internet for a solid 15 years.
But when TikTok became popular in 2020, it helped create a surge in popularity for the short-form video format.
Now, videos that are under 60 seconds are the norm on social media. Instagram, Facebook and YouTube have even followed suit by creating their own respective short-form video format.
Short videos are easy to consume and are highly rewatchable. These two factors make them shareable as well, which fuels the number of engagements they receive.
When it comes down to it, because short-form videos are able to hold an audience’s attention more effectively, they make it easier for you to spread your message to a larger group of people.
2. Understand why storytelling is important on social media
Let’s start this section off by defining storytelling. Storytelling refers to a piece of visual content that has a start and an end with content that guides viewers from one to the other in a natural flow.
Because it has a distinctive start and captivating moments throughout, viewers want to stick around to see how it ends.
Cinematic storytelling has the same definition, only this type of storytelling uses high-quality visuals, drama and suspense, even in videos as short as 15 seconds.
Again, attention spans are getting smaller and smaller. Cinematic storytelling is a technique you can use to ensure every second of every video you create is compelling enough to stick around until the end.
3. Plan out your video
You may not have a script for social media videos, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make plans for your content before you start shooting.
First, determine what type of content you want to make:
- Relatable content – Story times and in-the-moment experiences you’re having about situations others may be in as well.
- Emotional content – Content that plays on your viewers emotions. Those emotions can be joy, sadness, anger, etc.
- Valuable content – Tutorials, reviews and guides that demonstrate how to do something in your niche or demonstrate a product made for your niche.
Next, choose a subject, and determine the journey they’ll take.
If you’re reviewing a product, do you want your viewers to know how to use it, or do you want them to understand how good or bad it is?
If you’re documenting a project you’re working on, do you want to show the entire process, or do you want to share updates throughout?
Figure this stuff out before you move on to the next planning phase.
Finally, choose an editing style.
Should this video be filmed with no cuts? Several cuts? Should you film the scene or include yourself in each shot? Will you use dramatic editing techniques, such as slow-motion shots? How should you frame each shot?
Figure this kind of stuff out before you start shooting to avoid the amount of guesswork you need to do on shoot day. Just make sure the editing style you choose matches the audience you’ve built.
4. Improve your audio
Video quality is important, but it’s not as important as audio quality.
Social media users are lenient when video quality isn’t up to par because most of the time, they can still tell what’s going on. If your audio quality is even worse, they really won’t be able to tell what’s going on.
So, make a little investment in your brand, and purchase either a high-quality smartphone that has decent audio built in or a microphone designed exclusively for smartphones.
That is, if you’re not using a dedicated camera, such as a DSLR camera.
Search “lavalier microphones” and “camera mounted microphones” wherever you shop for tech products, and choose the best options for your budget.
Lavalier microphones are microphones you walk around with. Most are wearable. They’re great for situations where you’re not necessarily right near your smartphone where sound is picked up easily.
Camera-mounted microphones are great for DSLR cameras, but you can also buy smaller versions for your smartphone.
Be sure to remove your phone case if you’re filming with your phone. Some phones have multiple microphone holes, and cases sometimes interfere with each.
You can also use a tripod to ensure you don’t cover microphone holes while filming. It’ll also reduce camera shake.
5. Use eye-catching visuals
Just because social media users are lenient on video quality doesn’t mean you should necessarily skimp on it.
Make another investment in your brand and buy a flagship smartphone from iPhone, Samsung (Galaxy S) or Google (Pixel).
Improve your lighting and lighting choices in videos. Purchase a few ring and panel lights, especially ones that can change colors. The colors give you additional visual options to choose from.
You can also be meticulous about the time of day you shoot at. For instance, a lot of social media influencers rely on natural light for indoor video shoots.
If you’re filming outdoors, use light modifiers to reflect light however you want it. Your subject should have minimal or no shadows cast across it. Do not film in such a way that parts of your subject are not visible at all due to shadows.
Determine what each shoot needs while you film. You can use the sun to light some of your subject or all of your subject or use it as a backlight.
You can also find a patch of shade if the sun seems too bright.
Video framing
Pay attention to the way you frame your content as well.
Use the rule of thirds to film dramatic shots. This is especially useful if your background is quite captivating.
The rule of thirds refers to a framing technique in which you divide your frame into a nine-grid layout and have your subject only take up ⅓ of that grid.
For most shots, center framing will work nicely.
If you intend on having additional subjects in your video, have your main subject stand to the side of your frame so that space is left open for your second subject to appear.
Wide framing can also be used for dramatic and comedic shots.
6. Record more footage than you need
Have you ever seen behind-the-scenes footage from films?
They say “Take 1,”Take 2,” “Take 47,” etc., to depict which attempt they’re making at getting the shot.
When they finally get the shot, they don’t scrap those other takes. They save them in case they need them during the editing process of the film.
You should do the same with your content.
Record more footage than you need so you can pick and choose the best shots for your video.
Share the other shots as bonus content.
7. Start with a hook
Again, cinematic stories have a distinctive starting point. Your social media videos should as well.
It’s actually more crucial to have a hook for a social media video than it does a movie.
Viewers have to plan to watch movies now since our days of mindlessly channel surfing while bored are long behind us. So, when a movie starts off slow, they don’t mind continuing with it since they made the choice to sit down and watch it.
They aren’t as forgiving with social media content.
If viewers aren’t drawn to your video within the first three seconds, they’re going to scroll to the next one.
Be creative, and come up with hooks to captivate your audience within those first three seconds.
Hooks can be phrases you say to get your audience’s attention or shots that do the same.
Examples of phrases:
- “This is the only kitchen knife I’ll ever use for the rest of my life. Let me tell you why.” Using “only” in place of “best” has a dramatic effect.
- “Have you ever wondered what the inside of your sink looks like? Yeah, me neither, but I’m going to show you anyway.”
- “Here’s how to care for most succulents in 10 steps or less.”
Shots that can be used as hooks include stunning scenery shots, funny shots, inspiring shots and shocking shots.
You can also share the best highlight from the video at the beginning.
8. Add jump cuts
It’s easier to film and edit videos that are shot in one take, but this isn’t what’s necessarily best for your viewers.
Add jump cuts throughout your video to maintain their attention.
A “jump cut” is what it’s called when you remove a small portion of a video clip so that a shot is cut and “jumps” to another shot of that original clip.
It improves pacing by allowing you to remove shots that are unnecessarily long, such as a shot of you walking to your tool cabinet to grab a tool, then walking back.
You can also use jump cuts to remove all of your “ums” and “ahs” from a video.
9. Change your setting throughout the video
This technique is best used when the only subject in your video is you talking to the camera.
These types of videos pose a great challenge for social media users unless they’re genuinely interested in what you have to say.
To maintain their attention, have each jump cut you make jump to a new setting or background.
You can also take a walk with your camera so the background changes constantly. Some influencers even talk while they do something so the setting changes as they get to a new stage in the project.
10. Add engaging edits
Similar to jump cuts, certain edits you make to your video can engage viewers well enough to keep their attention spans locked in on your content.
One of the most common edits you’ll see on social media are zoom-ins.
These are mostly done on the subject’s face, but they can also be done on other parts of your shot.
For instance, when something happens in a video that you weren’t aware of at the time of shooting, you can zoom in on it for comedic effect so that your audience is aware of it even though you aren’t.
Freeze frames can be used in a similar manner.
If something exciting or unexpected happened in your video, freeze the frame, then zoom in on the unexpected moment to draw more attention to it.
The slow-motion effect can be used to add drama to your video. Have the moment you want to put in slow motion play out in real time, then follow that shot up with an instant, slow-motion replay.
A good transition has the ability to captivate your audience as well.
A lot of influencers use the snap and cover up transitions.
The snap transition refers to a moment where the influencer films the subject looking ordinary, snaps their finger, then makes a jump cut of the subject looking a lot different.
This is done for outfit changes, clean ups and completed steps in a project.
The cover up transition is similar except it features the influencer using their hand to cover up the camera instead of snapping their finger.
When they make the jump cut, they start the next shot with their hand covering the camera, then back up. This completes the transition.
If you have the time, patience and talent, be more creative with your transitions.
If you’re filming a chocolate chip recipe, zoom in on a chocolate chip while it’s still in the batter, then film a completed cookie by starting the shot while you’re zoomed in on a chocolate chip, and zoom out.
Some influencers get even more creative by taking two objects that look similar and using them to transition from one setting to the next, such as transitioning from falling table salt in your home to falling sand on the beach.
11. Add captions
A lot of consumers will not watch movies and television shows without subtitles. They claim it makes it easier for them to “hear” and pay attention.
Do the same for your social media videos. Do not rely on a platform’s auto captions.
Captions also play an important role in getting your audience to watch a video even if they aren’t able to listen to it.
12. Narrate your video
Narrations guide your viewer through a video by setting up each shot or explaining them as they come.
There are two ways you can narrate a video:
- Talking to the camera throughout your video.
- Including a voice-over narration that plays throughout your video.
Choose the option that’s best for the original video you shot.
If something unexpected happened in the video, choose the first narration option so you can add more drama to your video by telling an actual story.
If you merely filmed a video of you doing something, edit it so that it plays in fast motion, or include jump cuts to reduce its runtime.
Then, record a voice-over narration of you explaining each part of the video as it plays.
13. Use tension and suspense
You can’t always build tension and suspense in videos you film in the moment, but you can set up shots so they build suspense naturally.
For example, if the point of your video is to showcase something, start with that something being hidden or “unboxed.”
If you’re showcasing a house, start outside, and explain how it looks or why you chose its decor to your audience before you enter.
If you’re showcasing a product, leave it in its original packaging, then unbox it in the video.
Be mindful of your pacing to help build suspense.
This is something films excel at. You’ve probably noticed how the second act of nearly every action film ever is quite slow as it deals with the fallout of something that happened in the first act.
Your video might not be a two-hour movie, but you can slow things down to create tension and build up to a dramatic end.
Fishing videos in which something large or unexpected is caught do this unintentionally.
As the fishermen sets the hook to begin the catch, the audience is hooked in. The time it takes to reel fish in mirrors the second act of an action movie, then the catch itself mirrors the exciting third act.
14. Add surprising parts
If something exciting happened while you were filming, make it the subject of your video.
Start with a hook, build suspense, then show the surprising part to your audience.
15. Give away the ending
A lot of influencers hook viewers in by sharing the most exciting part of a video at the start.
They then cut to a few moments before that exciting part occurred. This builds tension as viewers wait to see how the entire event unfolded.
Final thoughts
Love them or hate them, short-form videos are not going anywhere. They’re here to stay.
And in a world where everyone is constantly upping their game, cinematic storytelling techniques offer a way for you to level the playing field. Or in some cases, gain a significant advantage.
So, give them a try and see what happens to your video performance.
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