1.2: When Should You Use Video?

Too often people use video just because they can. Most of us have a smart phone with video capability or a digital camera with us as we perform our jobs in the lab and out in the field. However, don't capture a lot of unplanned video just because you are out there and you have a camera. Not every situation is worthy of a video clip; you need to have a reason and a plan.

Great reasons for making a video:

When Describing a Process: There are times when you just need to see somebody do it. This makes “how-to” videos extremely valuable. Whether demonstrating how to measure some aspect of soil quality in the lab, or how to use a tillage implement in the field, videos that describe a process provide a more impactful learning experience than a written article with photos.

When Personal Experience Helps Deliver the Message: People value the experiences of other people. A video of a person who is passionate about her/his work describing what s/he does and why will be much more successful than an article describing that person's work. Videotaping a seasoned farmer discussing and demonstrating his or her cover cropping strategy is a good example of this. Farmers like to see what other farmers are up to. An excellent example of this is the video you just watched of of Suzy and Robelee Evans discussing and demonstrating their Reigi Weeder. They bring the story to life!

When Space and Time Efficiency is Required: Video can be a very space and time efficient way to get information out. Imagine if video websites were manuscript only, where the text from all the videos was typed out on the page. Not only would that be incredibly boring, it would also take up more space on the page. Many people are more likely to watch a video, as long as it's not long or boring. However, not everyone can watch a video, due to physical limitations or poor access to high speed Internet, and some people prefer to read information. For these reasons, eOrganic requires that all published videos are also available as transcriptions.

Poor reasons for making a video:

When there is nothing to demonstrate: Do not shoot a video of someone is standing in a field talking about something conceptual unless they are incredibly charismatic and the point of the video is to introduce them to the audience.
When the person speaking is unprepared and unscripted: Save time and frustation by preparing your speaker well ahead of time.
Taping in-person workshops or field days: As a rule, don't do this. Capture the information on another day specifically for the video.