Internet democratising the video production industry

The internet has not only changed the world, but the way we broadcast. Whilst the production industry has always been a service industry, there has always been a level of capital expenditure required to play in the rarefied air of commercials production that has kept the numbers of players few and the pickings ripe.

That is however changing at an alarming rate, and the reasons are numerous. The advent of the internet, a paradigm that seemingly snuck in and took over our lives and the way we do things, has changed the way we broadcast.

Genius! Seriously? You ask. Is this guy content to state the bleeding obvious? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’, because the industry has been so slow to even acknowledge the threat, never mind see the opportunity.

We still build a business model on the 30 second spot only, still view broadcast as television and still love to boggle all and sundry with the techno jargon that makes us feel that the content we create is far superior to the “loser driven content on the internet”. Especially when you take into account the reach and usability of YouTube. The content is quicker, simpler (in some cases) and easier to access.

The truth is that when there is a delivery mechanism that affords people an outlet for their creative expression, then output will happen. Somehow this wealth of output results in a gradual increase in the calibre of the work being put out, or at least that is my feeling.

Content creation is the new term for production. Some producers aren’t even sure what it is, but feel it is something they should be ‘exploring’. The truth is, in the rapidly democratising media universe we are all creating and consuming content. The proliferation of multimedia devices necessitates a cross media execution of all creative concepts. This is great news for those of us who work in this arena.

The demand is outstripping supply and may do so for some time. But barriers to entry are now virtually zero. If you have a laptop, a Canon 550D and a whole heap of talent, you can make some seriously pretty images. The industry is no longer capital intensive at all, it is talent intensive — a scary thought for some.