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By now, few can dispute the power of the video medium on the internet. It’s estimated that video streaming and downloads will make up 82% of all global internet traffic by 2022. It’s to be expected: videos are fun, engaging, and so easily adaptable to every communication need. Think about it. When was the last time you’ve referred to a wordy instructional manual when trying to figure out a gadget? It’s more likely that you searched for a quicker, more easily understandable ‘how to’ video online.
From these ‘how-to’ videos to daily vlogs, videos have really become part of our daily lives. Though we tend to simply enjoy the content we watch, it’s interesting to note that most videos actually fall into a number of categories. Here, we’ll show you what they are and how you can identify them.
Video case studies essentially advertise advertising. They’re a type of video marketing companies use to illustrate their value through highlighting the success of the projects they run. In true ‘show, not tell’ fashion, video case studies use real-life clips and customer testimonials to support their statements instead of making baseless claims. Hiring a Singapore video production company to produce case study videos can definitely boost your overall video quality if you have the budget.
Oreo’s daily twist is a good example of this. They introduce their campaign, what it sets out to achieve, and how it did so through showing the campaign’s viral impact on its audiences.
Animation videos manipulate digital elements to produce moving images instead of live filming. Though most of us would naturally think about kids’ cartoons like Mickey Mouse and anime when it comes to examples, animation can also be used for wider purposes like PSAs and advertisements.
Take this Suki-ya video as an example. An advantage animation has in comparison to live action content is its ability to manipulate and emphasise almost every element, something live action cannot do. However be sure to hire a good animation studio that knows what they are doing for the best results. In the video above, the joy and excitement of enjoying a hotpot together with loved ones is definitely better highlighted with the digitally created warm colours and exaggerated facial expressions of the characters featured.
Similar to animation, motion graphics also take advantage of digital elements in a video. Though animation often incorporates a narrative, the difference between the two lies in the fact that motion graphics place a heavier emphasis on design.
Corporations often work with good motion graphics Singapore studios to use motion graphics to show off their progressive technologies since this format brings professional-level transitions and designs to the forefront. This straightforward format pulls more focus to the graphics, making it a very effective way for companies to communicate their brand style.
Just take a look at this Slack video! The clean, yet vibrant designs really highlight the value of organisation the company holds.
Interview videos are exactly what they sound like - a video where someone interviews another. As simple as it sounds, this type of video usually attracts quite a bit of attention as the people interviewed tend to be industry professionals or known personalities. Interviews are engaging and a great, direct way to get personal insight and expertise from credible sources.
There is no hard and fast format to interview videos. This Chit Chat with Smart Nation Scholars video for example, was filmed in a more casual setting yet still incorporates elements of an interview. In this instance, students' opinions are shared, enabling the audience to get a glimpse into their learning journey.
Product demonstrations are videos introducing a product in its entirety, including all of its features and its functions. They communicate the value of the product through setting expectations on how the product should work in real life.
Product demos are slightly similar to video case studies in that they both provide concrete evidence to support their claims regarding the product. Snack by NTUC Income here made use of a product demo to show how the product’s features suit their target audience’s lifestyles and its ease of use.
Where 96% of people turn to videos to learn about a specific product or service, product demo videos are definitely in demand, and might help to persuade a potential customer to make the jump.
Advertising and commercial videos are advertisements made for television or social media. With more and more people using the internet as part of their daily lives, video advertisements are growing in popularity: 60% of businesses use this as a marketing tool.
While they do introduce a product and perhaps a few features, the spotlight of commercials falls on storytelling. The best advertisements promote the product in an innovative way, with clear branding and exciting content to boost the chances of a viewer carrying out the intended call to action.
As an example, this Health Promotion Board advertisement focuses on the value of community and how their application improves it. Rather than directly selling the product, it tells a believable story of how the application can put the worries of working adults at ease with direct access to their dependents’ health information.
Event highlights are exactly that - they are videos that encapsulate the essence of a particular event. This event could be anything and everything from something personal, like weddings, to corporate events and conferences. Regardless of its duration, event highlights capture the event’s most important moments in a short two to three minutes.
Have a look at this Nutrisoy video. It aptly captures the mood and success of their pop-up event in less than a minute through filming the company’s efforts and audience reactions to their drink.
By now, you’ve probably done away with the hassle of instruction manuals and instead watch tutorials whenever you need help with a product, service, or anything in between. You’re not alone: Google’s consumer trends have stated that users are three times more likely to prefer watching a YouTube tutorial video than reading a product’s instructions.
There’s a bit of a difference between these types of videos. While ‘How-tos’ generally show you how to do things step-by-step, tutorial videos usually refer to a very specific task or problem you want to solve, like a tough math question or a quest in a video game.
When it comes to picturing a location, photos can only do so much. Walkthroughs help in this aspect. These are videos that aim to display a certain location as clearly as possible, so they are often shot like a tour, with a guide showing the viewer around the area.
Due to the nature of walkthroughs, they are often most utilised by the real estate industry, so that their clients can view property listings without being physically present. However, this doesn’t mean that walkthroughs are limited to location viewing. They can be used to enable an audience to venture into a space and all of its inner workings. In fact, many good walkthrough videos will capture human interactions with their spaces for a personal touch.
This Singapore Sports School walkthrough is one of them. The video simultaneously shows off the vast infrastructure and facilities the school possesses as well as how their students live within them.
Teasers are short videos made to build hype around a new release. This can apply to almost any new launch, from a music video to a product. These videos are essentially big neon signs calling as much attention to your launch as possible before the drop. For this to happen, teaser videos should be easily shareable, so they tend to be usually short and straightforward.
When it comes to the business of creating hype, teaser videos have shown to be extremely effective. Viewers are twice as likely to share video content with their social circle than any other type of content, including product pages and social media posts.
Take a look at Apple’s teaser for the new iMac. Though the newest iMac comes with a wealth of tech-based upgrades, the teaser hypes up the one feature users have never had with this product: the choice of different colours.
Webinars are simply seminars, held live online. This type of video has become a staple in the era of COVID-19, since physical seminars have been close to impossible to hold since. Webinars can be about anything, as long as they are educational, though they are often business-related concerning industry obstacles, solutions, and trends.
Big 3 Media has held several webinars during the pandemic revolving around the topic of adapting to the new normal. Check out one of our webinars here.
Just like webinars, the popularity of live streams has exponentially risen since COVID-19 first hit - and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. In fact, the live stream market is expected to be valued at $149.34 billion by 2026.
Live streaming is when streamed media is broadcasted over the internet in real time, without prior recording and storing. This media format is favoured for the high level of engagement and interaction it offers. Viewers’ comments can be seen by the broadcaster while they film, enabling live interaction over video should the broadcaster choose to respond.
A podcast is an episodic programme of spoken word digital audio files available online, often downloadable for easy listening. A video podcast is one that incorporates a video element. Most of the time, the visual element would either be a static thumbnail image while the audio plays, or a video of the podcast hosts while they film.
Video podcasts might sound counterintuitive, since the whole point of a podcast is its emphasis on audio, but doing so is surprisingly strategic. The common rationale behind video podcasts is to enable uploading to Youtube, a surprisingly popular platform for podcasts listeners. In fact, a staggering 43% of monthly podcast listeners claim they go to YouTube to podcasts in the past year, compared to Apple (34%) and Spotify (23%).
If you’d like to check a video podcast out, have a listen of the Zach Sang Show on YouTube, where he uploads all his video podcasts.
This type of video features clients sharing the positive experiences they’ve had with a company. You’re likely to come across testimonials of any form on a company’s website. Often, the client faced an obstacle the company helped them overcome. While this may sound similar to video case studies, the key difference between the two is that testimonial videos are client-driven while video case studies are more project focused, featuring their campaigns first and foremost.
Testimonial videos have proven their success: two out of three people claim that they would be more likely to make a purchase after watching a testimonial video demonstrating how a company helped someone like them.
Have a look at Apple Watch Real Stories, where Apple Watch users share how using their watches have changed their lives.
A virtual event is an umbrella term for events meant to be experienced online, including webinars (mentioned earlier), virtual conferences and internal hybrid events like town halls among others.
Since the pandemic hit worldwide, most events have been shifted online where possible. However, what was first seen as a quick fix to COVID-19 restrictions may be here to stay due to their various benefits. Key benefits are that virtual events are completely weather and travel ban proof due to their accessibility, and are also more cost effective since there is no need for elements like location rental and catering in the budget.
A recent instance of this is the Blockley graduation organised by the UC Berkeley campus. Students could jump into the server, explore their virtual campus and even have a graduation ceremony online.
These videos are exactly what they say on the tins. Music videos are songs accompanied by visuals, often led by a narrative. Take a look at Sam Willows’ All Time High music video for an example!
Travel videos are flexible, from casual vlogging styles to more street run-and-gun style shoots, to show off your travels. These often call attention to the culture and excitement of different countries.
Educational videos are videos to educate: they often explain an educational topic or to help the viewer achieve certain learning goals. These videos are often made by educators and education centers, but also can be by Youtubers who focus on niche topics.
Both brand and corporate videos are marketing content by a company, meant to mould favourable perceptions of the firm. The two types of videos here differ in their target audience: brand videos target prospective customers while corporate videos aim for their own current employees.
For better understanding, watch this Dulwich College brand video. The video brands the college as one that fosters leadership in its students as one of the best international schools in Singapore.
Unfortunately, most corporate videos are under non-disclosure agreements, preventing them from being seen from the public.
A time-lapse takes a sequence of frames at set intervals to record changes taking place over a period of time that otherwise cannot be shown in video. When the frames are played at normal speed, the action seems to elapse much faster, like a stop motion picture.
Though often used as a cinematic tactic in television series and movies, this type of video is growing increasingly common in commercials and branding videos too, since it is an artistic way to reveal changes over time. Understandably, sectors like sports, cars, and tourism are fond of using this since these industries do revolve around time and how they’ve changed over the years.
Check out the transformation of D'Youville’s campus, which skillfully uses time-lapse to show the before and after.
Infographic videos hit the sweet spot between motion graphics and animations. They are a visual representation of data and knowledge through vibrant images, colours, and movements. Through doing so, infographics present information in an easily digestible and attention-grabbing way which ultimately leaves a greater visual impact on the viewer. When successful, infographic videos should be captivating enough such that the viewer would be able to follow the driest of data.
Youtube channel Kurzgesagt uploads plenty of great infographic videos. This one, for example, explains the harms of meat through bright visuals and animated characters to accompany the analogies and theories explained.
Technology has permeated every industry, and video production is no different. Virtual reality champions immersion through shooting from a first person perspective so that the user feels as though they are watching the scene unfold before their own eyes.
360 videos, while similar, are filmed using omnidirectional cameras which enable complete 360 degree filming all at once. This creates a video users can swipe or scroll around to view the entirety of the scene in all angles, as if they were actually there.
These videos can be useful especially to show locations that wouldn’t be accessible otherwise. This video by We the Curious takes the viewer on a virtual tour of six exoplanets, enabling the ordinary man to have a look at what it would be like to stand on the surface of another planet.
These videos use smart devices, like your smartphone or tablet, to augment the real world. The end product of this is the ability to see the world the way it is right in front of the viewer through their device, but with an additional layer to their surroundings. This layer often manifests itself in the form of an animation.
Go To Magic here creates an augmented reality zoo, where a cosmopolitan mall becomes the stage for virtual wildlife.
Projection mapping is the projection of a video screen onto objects, often irregularly shaped. This can be done on curved walls, oddly shaped screens, and even on the sides of buildings.
This video format means endless possibilities: videos aren’t limited to being screened on a device or screen in public. Anything can become a canvas for video. For instance, iLight Singapore, a sustainable light festival, makes heavy use of projection mapping for its installations and narratives.
It might be overwhelming to think of the vast types of videos available out there, but it is useful to get a grasp of - especially because it can help you find exactly what you’re looking for!
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