Inspirations for content creation by an Unqualified Content Creator
Before you read the rest of this article please brace yourselves for some unpopular opinions that most probably won’t tickle your fancies or be insightful in any way. Bearing in mind that this article was written by someone who joined the ever growing pool of YouTubers and started “creating” content merely 5 months ago, hence the title.
In general, I watch channels like Vanity Fair, Glamour, Jubilee, HiHo Kids, W Magazine, Vogue, LADbible, Solfa and etc for inspirations on interesting conversations to explore, especially on those that deal with broader topics or human interactions. While I do not have comparable resources to these large editorial companies or specialised Youtube channels, watching quality reference materials on these platforms are still very instrumental in conceptualising and stirring some creative juices for adaptation of such ideas.
Inspiration #1: The more controversial, the better (with caution practiced of course)
As a strong believer of consuming content that is not simply entertainment for entertainment’s sake, I try (yes I try) to always bear in mind that whenever I’m shooting something new, the theme of the video itself has to be able to allow the viewer to draw something that might be of use or importance to himself/herself. The easiest (debatable yes) way to do that is by exploring topics that would make people fidget in their seats or raise a few pairs of eyebrows.
An example of something that I shot with the attempt to create a “meaningful conversation” was during the heated controversy over an advertisement that triggered off very strong sentiments among certain racial groups in Singapore.
BloomrShares — Racism in Singapore?
The execution of how the video was shot required more thinking and planning on my part. I knew I wanted to have a more formal setting where the participants would face the camera and share their own stories, but at the same time it felt like a wasted opportunity if I did not attempt to weave in a “novelty factor” in the style of approach. Something that is felt or visible not just to the participant but to the viewer as well. How do I come up with something that is “fresh” within the confinements of a predictable style of the way the participants were shot?
For some reason then the idea of polar opposites came to mind, it’s like one of those experiences when you’re in the shower and suddenly hit by a random stray of idea that just comes to you and stuck with you afterwards which you then realise that it has to be put it into action before it goes to waste. I asked each of the 6 participants what were the first 3 words that came to their mind when they thought of the idea of “racial harmony”, and then deliberately flipped the meanings of half of those words that were collated, so I ended up having approximately a 1:1 ratio of both positively and negatively associated words with the idea of “racial harmony”. If you look closely in the video, you will realise that the ratio is also manifested on the 10 pieces of paper laid on the ground in front of all 6 participants. The intention behind such a move is of course to have a balance of the stories that were to be told, be it coming from a more positive/negative perspective. It was also to create a visually more direct and “in the face” style of presentation for the viewers — when you have 6 people in the video each holding a piece of paper, containing a pretty self-explanatory word that is sufficient to plant a question mark in their head, or just so enough for them to click on the link and hopefully watch the video.
In hindsight, I do not regret experimenting with the topics explored, I however do regret the unpolished editing of the video especially the colour grading (it is a pain that I struggle with today and will continue to struggle with for a long time to come).
Inspiration #2: Personal and relatable narratives/experiences that makes people squirm
This one shouldn’t come off as a surprise. I believe (in my humble opinion) authenticity triumphs over a lot of different types of content. Sometimes just recounting an experience that is true to whoever is telling the story is enough to pull the heartstrings of the viewer, even though more often than not we think that people couldn’t care less about what we have to say/share as individuals.
Experiences that are difficult to be told is a greater plus because that is precisely the reason why people would be interested to watch the content. People would very much rather someone else do them the favour of being put in an uncomfortable situation where they are required to share something that is sensitive and intimate. We crave for social connections with others and if we happen to chance upon a story that somehow relates to what we’ve encountered in life before, I maintain the hope that people would pause once in a while and actually give a listen, however brief their stopover may be. A huge reason as to why I believe that authenticity “works” is also because while people can share similar experiences, no experience can ever be felt the same, or told the same way by 2 different individuals, let alone 7.7 billion people. Therefore as emotionally repressed beings, we do not mind and are intrigued to seek out meaning(s) from strangers’ experiences that resonates; in some ways somehow able to fill the emotional/spiritual void that is present amongst all of us.
The following examples are videos which I believe would qualify for “squirmy content” —
BloomrShares — Cheated by my Ex
BloomrShares — Uncomfortable Colleagues
BloomrShares — Halloween prank
Inspiration #3: Famous experiments/Case Studies
I was curious to try and recreate a famous experiment that I believe would not just be entertaining for both the participants and the viewers, but also insightful in terms of the conclusions that can be drawn from the experiment itself.
As a student majoring in marketing, the famous Coke vs Pepsi experiment that is taught in every Marketing 101 or Consumer Behaviour class was something that seemed feasible and executable. The debate over Pepsi vs Coke has been ongoing since forever and of course I watched a few of other videos to draw inspirations from them. BuzzFeed was one of the channels that I watched to consider their style of approach: Buzzfeed — Pepsi Vs. Coke Blind Taste Test
The main gist of the blind taste test was there, but I specifically segmented the video into different elements of our five senses, rather than just the taste test itself. The intention behind doing so is to accentuate the indisputable presence of our human bias towards brands and perception, in everything that we feel, smell and taste.
BloomrShares — Pepsi vs Coke: Fans Put to the Test
After thoughts..
The quality of the work that I produce is largely dependent on the responses/reactions of the participants in the video. It is much easier for me to stand behind the camera and ask questions in comparison to the brave and cooperative individuals who have to bare their souls and leave vulnerable traces of themselves in front of the camera, waiting to be scrutinised by the rest of the world. Hence I owe many thanks to them for allowing these shoots to happen.
I try not to expect anything from what I “create” because I’m not in a position or a competency level to be expectant of some sort of outcome from the viewers. While the number beneath the title of a video does play a part to a certain extent in stroking my own ego or inflating my own sense of achievement, the main driver as to why I shoot what I shoot is because I believe that they each have their own purpose and relevance zeroed down even to an ordinary person’s daily life. It’s not that I particularly like to discuss social issues or “serious” topics, it’s more because I care and I try my best to ascribe meaning to whatever content that I create. Each and every one of us has a very different set of definitions of what constitutes meaningful content/entertainment and I’m in no position to impose my own set of expectations on others. As long as whoever is creating the content is able to attach some form of purpose and meaning to whatever he/she is creating, then I guess I hope it suffices.
In a nutshell, I have been, and will continue to subsist on the discovery of content that uplifts me and enlightens me intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and etc. I think we all do.
