Interested in the future of downloadable videos? My goal in this analysis on the development of internet based sites with TV broadcast capabilities is to try and recognize the trends that are showing themselves in this medium as well as notice topics and formats that have a possibility for becoming potential trends.
If you are interested in starting your own user sharing video site, this article is for you. I think that it is important for the sites to be very user friendly with graphics and text that are clear and easy to understand as well as having a cleverness and upbeat attitude that make the videos sound interesting and attractive for viewers. In general, I think that the site should try to use technology with a "one-push" attitude. One push plays the requested clip as well as bringing up other related play lists and other subjects of a similar nature or common foreign language.
There seems to be very heavy involvement by teenagers with this new technology, partly monologues to the camera and partly short films that are of interest to youth, and that should definitely be taken into account. There is an interesting series of videos made by a man called geriatric1927 on YouTube that are getting a lot of attention and show that the retirement age market is farther behind than the rest of the others, but has great possibilities for development, and has an enormous client base if it can be tapped into. With the rapid rise in interest of these downloadable videos come the advertisements, promos, and reality clips from the commercial sector of the market. Celebrities are always of interest in this genre, but care should be taken to use clips that show us an alternative side of the star, something unknown to the average person. Pictures and scenes from the star's private life, whether at home or in recreation, will give viewers the feeling that they are seeing something that they haven't seen before. Movie trailers to upcoming movies fall into a similar category. Some of these previews are interesting and will have a wide attraction on the net, and others include an entire list of separate films for every single character in the movie and are tedious and repetitious and just more of the same old thing. I believe that this side of the market will begin to grow very quickly and this phenomenon should definitely be integrated into programming although it should not interfere with the millions of downloads from the other sector that is dealing with mostly hand made films. These home movies are providing a lot of interest now and they are a way for people to get them selves heard and say what is important to them (or not say, as the case may be). I feel that these films need to have a platform that will not be taken over by the large production companies in the entertainment industry, and to provide a place for those who are only interested in this aspect of the medium.
These films may look naïve and unprofessional but they represent a large portion of the medium and I believe this will become even larger as the technology becomes more common and widespread.
There are a wide variety of clips that belong generally in the "candid camera" genre. These include spoofs or jokes on people filmed by family or friends and occasionally programs recorded from TV with or without additional editing. There is also a wide variety of video bloopers showing funny things that happen to people or
animals, either as short videos or as collections of scenes. A lot of these videos are very funny and entertaining and seem to be getting high ratings.
It should be noted that these films don't lose their value over time and can be enjoyed now or in 3 years from now without lowering their value or interest.
There are literally hundreds of animal clips, mostly house pets filmed by family members. They sometimes have amazing animals, a 3-legged dog or a rare breed of cat or puppy, but most are just normal pets doing funny things around the house or in funny situations. There are lots of clips that are just simple clips of animals playing or fighting that are getting interest if they have dramatic/humorous editing and interesting titles and cover pictures.
Comedy in general, sometimes as short 30 second gags, or as humorous clips and films seems to be given high ratings. Some of these films use editing and music soundtracks, and some are more in the stand-up comedy vein and can be very funny and amusing. Some videotape crazy phone calls while others have funny dance routines, and many of these films seem to have a large audience. It seems that there are plenty who want to look at their computers to give them a good laugh, and there are plenty of clips that do just that.
Sports are an interesting subject for video clips. This medium is being used heavily by all kinds of sports enthusiasts and shows people doing crazy things in every corner of the globe that are interesting and exciting. There are lots of clips of soccer players doing tricks with balls and there is an assortment of amazing soccer goals of all times that are always interesting to fans. This genre would not be complete without showing all types of sports catastrophes, everything from race car crashes and sports mishaps, to skateboard wipeouts and extreme sports feats gone wrong. I noticed a disturbing amount of filmed bare knuckle fights and it is important that these scenes have some kind of value and are not just violence for violence's sake, filmed and distributed as documented crime scenes.
Music and music clips are already a very powerful part of the internet experience and this new video technology will obviously continue to build this aspect of the market even more. Well known singers and musicians have already established themselves in this industry, broadcasting intimate films showing their personal lifestyle interspersed with live and backstage concert footage, and this will continue to be an important aspect of this medium. Unsigned artists - singers, musicians, and bands that are unknown, are becoming a large force and should be represented in the site in a way that will give viewers a chance to rate their favorite "amateur" songs and look for a new "song of the day/week/month" that will be of interest and generate responses from viewers and subscribers.
Care should be taken to recognize films that are criminal in nature, films that contain explicit sexual content, or films that include copyrighted material, and deal with them in accordance to the guidelines and policies of quality internet broadcast content.
