Humanizing our videos.
// Why?
Everyone knows about ChatGPT - it’s the homework creating, idea generating and some would say blog writing (not me) software created by OpenAI.
It set the world alight by opening up the idea of machine learning and written content generation to the masses, it has allowed people who had limited vocabulary and limited writing experience to start - start writing, start generating content and cheat at essay writing but it has its limitations as we all know.
The work generated by the ‘machine’ has limited capabilities - the way it writes is very formulaic and as I’ve covered in previous articles, it can never recall memories to influence it’s writing and it can’t generate cultural meaning. I’ve heard this phrase before but ChatGPT writing and AI content in general is the same as a ‘photocopy of a photocopy’ which has already been photocopied 100 times. The originality is not there, the quality is poor and you can just about make out what the original context was.
I have developed this sixth sense about AI written content now - I can tell when something has been written by a machine as the phrasing, structure and pace of the writing is all the same and it’s disturbs me.
The problem is, this will change over time. The quality and nuance will get better and the machine will learn how to be more human.
Copywriters and authors will say that they will never be replaced but at the pace of change which is occurring, it’s going to become increasingly competitive and only the best writers will stand out from the rest.
This week, OpenAI (the makes of ChatGPT) released their new video AI software - called Sora - into the world and it’s far exceeding anything that anyone expected - those naysayers who have described video as the last bastion of creativity will be shaken and they will see the way they could lose their standing in an industry, just the same way writers should be worried.
// Video can be original.
The thing about video is the same with writing - AI can NEVER replace you but it’s getting better at doing all the other stuff.
Below is a video downloaded directly from the Sora website which showcases the prompt: A movie trailer featuring the adventures of the 30 year old space man wearing a red wool knitted motorcycle helmet, blue sky, salt desert, cinematic style, shot on 35mm film, vivid colors.
The man isn’t an actor, he hasn’t been paid and the location wasn’t selected by a team of researchers.
It’s ALL computer generated.
There are plenty of other examples of computer generated footage, including drone footage and animations. There are obvious flaws with some of the footage and the website does a wonderful job of explaining where the limitations are but as you can see from the above footage, it’s getting good, like really good.
Those videographers who’s job it is to capture stock footage are under threat - why do I need to licence the B-Roll from a stock footage website when I can just ask AI to generate it - and the best thing is, I can make it totally unique.
// What it can’t do.
All the limitations with AI generated content come at the expense of realism when generating humans or nature - hands are never what they should look like, expressions in faces look weird - basically, anything ‘natural’ is where it all falls down.
If you’ve seen the AI generated videos of President Biden or even better, the Trump ones - you can see the mouths and more importantly, the micro-expressions around the mouths never match what’s being said but the actual sounds are excelling - our ears can’t decode what’s AI and what isn’t - just look at the spoof calls into radio stations - people are being fooled by AI generated speech.
But join all these together into one video to fool someone and you’ll fail.
Just like anything written by a human which includes experiences, memories or anything in popular culture, a video which requires a faces, voices, hand movement and expressions cannot be generated with any authenticity.
// So how do we beat it?
Ever since I started this blog, I didn’t want to use ChatGPT to write my content - I didn’t ever want a machine to write the words for me because this needs to come from me.
The same will work for video - yes, it can create the generic skylines, the fancy drone footage of a beach which doesn’t have to be location specific but it can’t replicate you talking to a camera expressing an opinion.
So we need to step up - we need to be in front of the camera and we need to show our authentic selves.
We’ve all seen the corporate videos of people talking to camera about their products and services with ‘corporate’ speech - using words they would never use in real life to try and sell their products or services - all of these are going to replicated with clones or artificial employees, except everyone is going to do it and it’s going to be a wave of mediocre talking head, ai generated content.
We don’t need to compete on the same level but if you want to avoid the wave of mediocrity, you’re going to need to learn how to be in front of the camera.
Vlogs and talking head videos will not change and it’s my belief that in the next few years, we will see a resurgence of vlog style material as our audiences seek out authenticity. The fast moving, hectic and often chaotic nature of people’s lives will never be recreated on video - storytelling and video content has to be created by a human in order to make sense.
That’s where you come in - you need to be confident enough to record yourself and learn how to feel confident on camera.
// Confidence
Being on camera has nothing to do with practice, it has nothing to do with how you look at the camera and it certainly has nothing to do with what you look like.
It has everything to do with your self confidence.
You can fluff your lines, you can have leftover food on your chin, you can even just roll out of bed and record yourself in the mirror while you’re brushing your teeth and if you’re confident enough, you’ll have people wondering how you can record such amazing video content.
Everyone looks bad at some point - no-one wakes up with a full face of makeup or their hair styled. I am currently sat in some pyjama trousers and a baggy t-shirt sat writing this blog article on a Sunday night while my kids watch a film on the TV and if I used that as a prompt in AI, it’s not going to capture the feeling or the aesthetic.
We have to embrace our flaws and understand that it doesn’t matter what we look like on camera, it doesn’t matter what we’re wearing - it only matters what we’re saying and how we’re saying it because when AI gets to the point of being able to appear like a human and replicate our mouths and expressions - the only thing we’ll have left is our faults to make us human.
Confidence can be defined as ‘the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something’.
Its going to be the only thing left when it comes to creating video - in order to build that belief in ourselves through our audience, we have to show our confident selves.
// Next Steps
Effectively connecting with your audience on video requires a thoughtful approach that conveys authenticity and fosters meaningful engagement - AI will not be able to achieve this.
We’re way off from that - We all know when we’re chatting to a bot online right?
By implementing practical strategies, you can create a genuine connection with your viewers and leave a lasting impression - one which is going to stand out from the AI generated talking heads and the clone developed videos. (Trust me, they’re coming and they’ll be cheaper than a traditional videographer and script writer
So if I was to give you three ways to deliver your videos to allow connection with your audience, I’d ask you to do the following -
Be Authentic: Maintain genuine eye contact, use natural expressions, and speak conversationally - I hate it when videos are scripted or they ‘appear’ scripted. Natural conversation has errors in it, I don’t want to see videos with too many jump cuts to avoid the ‘uhm’s and ‘ah’s otherwise it’s going to appear too forced. I want to see you stutter on a word, I want to see a little pause. I want your eyes to wander.
Honestly - this is the biggest thing you need to embrace and despite all your thoughts about how video ‘should’ look online, I guarantee that the videos you watch the most don’t have a script, the presenter doesn’t maintain eye contact with the camera the whole time and they don’t jump cut their way through so you only see the perfect bits.
Engage: Encourage interaction, invite comments, and share personal stories to build that sense of dialogue - remember, AI won’t be able to develop an understanding of humour, context or social meaning and if you’re interacting with people once you’ve posted your video, they’ll know it’s you.
Social Media is about being social and if people comment on your videos or speak to you in the street about your work, don’t ghost them. This is one of the biggest downfalls to many peoples videos, they think all the work is in the recording and editing when it’s also about the distribution and the connection with your audiences.
Finally, Passion: Demonstrate enthusiasm and passion for your subject matter to captivate the viewers' interest - there is nothing worse than watching a video delivered in a monotone voice - use pitch, use pace and more importantly, use volume. AI will be able to develop these nuances in time but there was one school teacher I remember at school (Mr Bonniface) and the only reason I remember him?
He boomed.
He spoke with authority EVERYTIME he spoke because he varied the pitch, he used volume and his pace was spot on and ultimately, If you’re not interested in the video you’re delivering, who else will be?
What do you think is going to happen over the next few years? Agree with me?
