Science Fiction has long been heralded as much more than fairytales. Though unimaginably far fetched at the time of their creation, the ideas proposed in these stories more often than not prove to be an accurate prediction of our future. Ray Bradbury should need very little introduction for most, he is considered one of the founding fathers of this genre, and had a keen focus on what he predicted would be the evolution of our growing love of technology. Here at Front Runner, we are fans of his work, so we thought it would be fun to explore 3 of the ideas he presents in his most recognized work, “Fahrenheit 451”, and how they support the importance of high-end, professional video production for your business.
ONE: Our Obsession with Screens of All Sizes
In the futuristic world that the story is set in, people are addicted to their large, flat-screen television screens. Completely omni-present, the very walls of homes are entirely covered by screens.
Similarly, today most of us find ourselves glued to our phone or computer screens for large portions of each and every day. Our beloved tech devices provide us with the majority of our news, entertainment and information. This year (2016) the average American watches more than 5 hours of television a day, and in additional to that 78% of people watch videos online every week. With video being the majority of the media we consume, it seems foolish NOT to have high-end video communicating your brand, product and company. In fact, if you don’t, and you’re competing with companies that do, you may be getting passed over.
TWO: Video is Our Preferred Form of Communication
The inhabitants of the society in which Fahrenheit 451 is set, communicate primarily via a digital wall that is reminiscent of video chat software such as Skype or Facetime, with elements that bare more than a passing resemblance to social networks such as Facebook.
The latest research suggesting that online video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic, so if text and chat were the new email – then video has trumped them all. Surges in the use of video applications such as SnapChat and Instagram’s newest addition of video postings further prove this trend. Video has become our preference when searching for and consuming information and given that body language comprises 55 percent (or more!) of communication, it’s not really any surprise. In an eye-mapping study of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), video results commanded more attention than other listings. For improved SEO alone, all business’ should consider an online video presence.
THREE: Short and Sweet Communication of Information
In the book Bradbury describes an America where people are obsessed with bitesize factoids. He even predicts the decline of newspapers as the public appetite moves to shorter, headline-news stations.
It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, according to Forrester Research a video is worth closer to 1.8 million! As we become exposed to information to the point of overwhelm we search for the quickest, most densely valuable nuggets to feast on, and video is the perfect tool to cater to these tastes. People no longer want to read about your product or service, or even look at your pretty pictures. Whether it’s an ‘about us’ branding video or a video that educates your audience about a specific product, you should be communicating visually through video.
The Prologue
If you have the attention of your potential buyer for a mere 15-30 precious seconds, the question becomes what story you want to tell and how quickly and effectively can you tell it, in the format that is most preferred. With experts predicting that 74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video, it seems that Ray Bradbury predicted our screen-obsessed-culture very accurately indeed It’s now integral to the success of all business’ to begin (or continue) to communicate with video across broadcast, online and through social media platforms. If you’d like to know more about all that professional video has to offer your business, reach out and say hi. We’d love to help!
Front Runner Films is a Los Angeles based, award-winning Production Company specializing in telling humorous and unique stories for business. We are experts in finding the heart of your company’s story and communicating it effectively in the form of commercials, corporate and branding videos produced to the highest quality on time and on budget. Every time. Because we love what we do. Find out more about us here.