Video killed the radio star, but who’s going to kill video?

In many ways, I am a terrible digital-savvy millennial. I hate video as a media format.

When I open my Instagram app these days, I’m hit with Reel after Reel with a “suggested for you” one every few posts. I know that Instagram is duplicating TikTok. I know that video is what’s next and what Instagram is going for. They’ve already announced this, so I’m under no illusion that it’ll change. But if I wanted to look at TikTok format videos, I would be on TikTok! Instead, I find myself yearning for the earlier days of Instagram when we had more terrible camera photo quality, and it was only capable of single-image posts. At least those felt a lot more authentic.

There have been very few times when I watch videos. Software onboarding how-to guides are often more helpful in video because you’re watching screencaps. Clothing that is better modeled in action versus in a still is useful. My current favorite is Klassy Network because they use models of all sizes. And lastly, videos of cute dogs doing cute dog things. That’s it. Oh wait, those oddly satisfying videos are also great: a horse pedicure, power washing.

You would think that as a photographer, videography is just a simple step away. But the part I dislike about photography is the post-process work. In videography, you spend time storyboarding, filming a million takes, and then a giant percentage of time in the editing portion. I want to like video, really. I want the desire to create videos and put my face on the camera and be interested in a format that everyone is embracing. Unfortunately, none of this sounds appealing to me. It would be so much easier if it were!

As high-quality video recordings become more accessible, I have yet to enjoy the filming style à la Blair Witch Project. It makes me dizzy to see a video filmed with a shaky hand, just like it makes me dizzy to watch IMAX and 3D movies.

Is video a necessary evil? I don’t think it’s reached that status yet, but it sure feels like it will. All this being said, yes, if you like video, go for it. If you feel like you need to do it, go for it. If you hate it but are willing to do it, may I suggest using screenshots or text with a background video like in this post. And if you’re like me, who watches videos when absolutely necessary, turning captions on and playing at 1.5-2x speed has made it much more tolerable.

I dislike the word “hack,” but in this case, I’m all for it: do you have a hack for filming videos? Editing them? Are you a former video hater but now converted? I want to know.

The only videos I’m willing to take and share are of my dog because I believe we can always use more cute dog videos. Here’s one, enjoy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgP270ZATb4/

Side note: Zoey’s IG profile post engagements are usually in the low double digits. Within an hour of posting this Reel, it had over 100 engagements. I hate this timeline.