Imagination Multimedia DBA Image, Inc.: Article

Believability – Making sense

by steve
Wednesday 21 July 2004 - 01:16:13

In order to be effective, your program must be believable. Is the content correct? Would a person with a mastery of the subject matter say “Hey, that’s not right!” You must review your program’s content for accuracy. Anything, which would jolt the user and lose their attention, must be modified. In producing the video, you are working hard to create a “world” for the viewer. All things you show must fit into that world, or the viewer will realize “I’m just watching a screen, this isn’t reality.” If it’s not believable, it won’t get your viewers to react as they should.

How? Show the viewer something they are familiar with. When people see things that are familiar, they become comfortable. People care about how your message affects them personally. Newspaper writers are masters at this. They get the “local angle” on a story. They work hard to find a connection between a world event and the local community. If soldiers are dying in a conflict, they report about those that live in the area and about how the families in the local area are being affected. They don’t emphasize other soldiers also dying that live in another state or across the country.

Show the viewers people that are like them. If you are targeting upper class unmarried males. Then the on-camera talent ought to be portrayed as upper class unmarried males. The one exception is an authority figure on a particular subject. They are believed by a diverse group of people. For the most part, make sure your audience is saying (subconsciously) “hey, that person is just like me!”