Silence Vs Sound; The Social Media Conundrum

To listen, or not to listen, that is the question... at least for those scrolling through the myriad posts on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.

But can sound and pictures ever work in harmony on social media feeds and what does a video post lose when it doesn't imediately imply sound? Indeed, what does it need to add to make a viewer stop, take notice and ultimately turn the audio on?

Two people argue the case for and against silence and sound...

Peter Corbett, founder & president, Click 3X

"The issue of silent video ads applies across all types of social media platforms, everything from Facebook to Snapchat. Yet, as content creators, we have to understand and accept that in most cases, people won't be watching content with the sound on. Instead of fighting against this issue, we have to focus on making the visuals as compelling as possible so people are choosing to engage and maybe, just maybe, they'll be inclined to turn the sound on.

This turns everything we are used to in storytelling on its head! We have to make visuals that capture attention quickly, or in other words, resolve the plot first, and then tell the story leading up to it. You must now announce the brand early and make sure there’s a visual that articulates the offer or call-to-action from the beginning, without relying on sound to draw people in. We must focus our attention on making the visuals lay a plot thread that encourages people to view the video to the end and perhaps want to listen as well.

All of this needs to be achieved in a silent screen world, allowing the audio to be additive and not essential.

There are additional technology solutions to make that a reality. For example, 360° videos encourage the viewer to engage. Interactivity and customisation can also be brought in to increase the likelihood of creating magnetic content. Ideally, by using these tactics, you can turn videos into content that people want to listen to and share.

The good news is that video reigns supreme – as it always has. As content creators, we just have to take much of the language of cinema and continue to make content that seamlessly fits into people’s behaviours. Director Jean Luc Goddard famously stated, “A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end... but not necessarily in that order.” That is certainly true for video in social media, with or without sound."

Josh Berger, re-recording mixer, Harbor Picture Company

"Whether you want to take Facebook’s conservative estimate that 50 per cent of viewers are watching mobile ads on mute, or a widely reported statistic that the number is closer to 85 per cent, that still doesn’t mean you should serve people half an ad - it means you need to do the work to get people to want to watch it, and then deliver a great story that uses quality visual and audio elements.

Sound matters, and that isn’t going to change with the size of the screen we’re looking at or the attention span of the viewer. We only need to hear four notes of the iconic Jaws theme to know that sound helps drive lasting emotional connections with the visuals on screen. This is as important in brand storytelling as it is in film. Turning on your Mac computer and hearing that familiar chime helps build brand awareness. We can associate a sound with a company.

To take it a step further, by using clever and catchy elements of sound design or score, ads are retained better in viewers' memories. It’s easy for a viewer to associate a product or a service with a specific sound or jingle. Often, it’s integral to telling the story to have specifically crafted sound elements that enhance the picture.

But another important, yet frequently overlooked aspect of sound, is the important role it plays in the creative process. The best stories are created when people with varied expertise come together to share ideas and approaches, and craft something greater than anything they could do on their own. By focusing only on a visual perspective, no matter how stunning, you’re missing out on the collaborative interactions and ideas necessary to make an immersive and memorable piece of work that can transcend the medium of mobile and truly connect with people."

Hi hon,

We have a new addition to the VR Creative Summit programme in the form of John Lewis.

Andre Assalino, Interactive Creative Director at MPC Creative will be revealing how the John Lewis Buster the Boxer Christmas advert was brought to life though a new VR experience which is currently available to try in John Lewis Oxford Street, London. From initial idea through to the final delivery in-store, delegates will find out how the experience was conceived, the technologies that were involved and the in-store experiential spin-off in what is a massively pioneering move from John Lewis.

The session is called – John Lewis: Unwrapping Christmas’s biggest VR experience.

This runs alongside another new session from Microsoft that has been confirmed - where UK director of new device experiences Leila Martine will be discussing the reality of their new Hololens device that’s ground-breaking 3D holographic content promises to ne story-telling possibilities to the masses.

Plus there will be a demo of Fantastic Beasts from Google daydream and a series of masterclasses and demos from Framestore, Sony, Rewind, Sky, Alchemy and Nexus all taking place in the curated exhibition area of the event. Have a look here http://vrsummit.co.uk/masterclasses-demos/

It’s the final week to book tickets for the event – vrsummit.co.uk