As technology makes video production easier to do and even easier to distribute, the martial arts world is getting more content than it can handle in months of sleepless, rabbit hole diving nights. Entering the fray of creating your own content is simple, yet daunting. There is quite a bit of good stuff and exponentially more garbage. Here are some things to think about when creating martial arts online content for social media.
1. the BIG number 1: trolls will bust your chops period, no exceptions. Social media is full of “that will never work” guys and their inbred cousins the “you’re doing it wrong” guys and “that’s not real (fill in name of art or style here)” guys. Everyone, including the best, most renowned martial artists of the past 5 decades, have been swarmed on by these trolls. In the end, the opinions, if we want to be so kind as to call it that, of those types don’t matter. Don’t concern yourself with criticism from someone you wouldn’t ask for advice.
2. Know your audience. What is the purpose of your video? Are you trying to teach something. Are you looking to get advice (sorting through all the troll drool) on your technique/form? Are you looking to show off a bit of your skill? Each purpose will draw a different audience. The best videos seem to be aimed at a purpose and focus themselves on that.
3. Different audiences react and engage more than others. If you’re doing something that is showing off some sort of skill, honestly, unless it is some professional circus level trick, your engagement and positive feedback will most likely be from a handful of people you know. The ones you don’t know will criticize: see number 1. If you’re showing something that you want feedback on, everyone will give you their advice, and much of it not friendly or constructive (again see number 1). There will be diamonds in the rough though so look for those. If you are teaching something, you will also get a mixed bag of interaction (yes, see number 1). Unless the criticism is coming from someone who is an actual expert on what you’re teaching as well, any technical negative feedback is probably worthless to you.
4. Plan out your video. In film and television, pre production (the actual planning of the shoots) is usually twice as long as the actual production. Picture what you want before you turn on the camera. Plan it out in advance as it will give you more confidence on camera. Make multiple takes and takes from different angles so you will have material for number 7.
5. Get clean sound. Audiences will forgive sub par visuals as long as the audio is clean. Its worth the effort to shoot somewhere where the sound is controlled and/or worth the money to spend on a good microphone.
6. Shoot steady, clean visuals. Handing the smart phone to your friend who had 5 cups of espresso before helping you wreaks of amateur video making that no one wants to watch. Learn how to frame properly and techniques for following action with the camera.
7. Learn to edit. Attention span of people on line is extremely short. Depending on the research you read, you have about 1 to 8 seconds to engage someone. Depending on the type of video you are doing, audiences have various attention spans if you actually get their attention in the first place. A long talking head takedown with no coverage (understand what this term means when you learn to edit) of why instructor X doesn’t do real Flying Monkey Butt Style probably won’t get people to view it longer than 3 seconds.
8. Be genuine.
Now get out there and make some engaging martial arts content for social media.