Silent Videos are Golden

Imagine you are on your morning commute. How many people are scrolling through their social feeds to see the latest news and content? Almost everyone. However, not everyone is wearing headphones.

The online space is like a huge, crowded bar – it’s noisy, there are plenty of distractions and you need to find a way to get everyone’s attention. On average, people are only interested in 10% of the posts they see on a regular feed check. That’s when your content comes in, in those fleeting moments of the scroll.

Most of the social media platforms have an auto-play function for videos, but the content is muted. People need to deliberately tap on the sound icon to hear it. That means your videos must stand out above the crowd, without any sound. Here are our tips for creating a well-made silent video.

Tell a captivating story

Silent videos make people focus more on what’s happening visually. That makes it more important to have a good story that illustrates the importance of your products while keeping the audience’s attention.

Volkswagen’s 2013 “The Force” commercial has gone pretty much viral. Based on the Star Wars theme, it managed to keep people engaged, while also highlighting their product, with no dialogue. It is probably the best example of a well-told story that keeps people hooked from start to finish:

Use bold text to reinforce the message

Text is great for explaining things when there is no sound, especially in a short amount of time. Here’s another example from the automotive world – this commercial from Honda uses fast kinetic typography to express the major points of the idea. Try to watch it soundlessly and see if it gets you hooked.

Contrast, colours and motion

Most of all, a silent video needs to stand out visually. Make sure to include shots with plenty of contrast and saturation. If you’re using graphics, stick to two or three contrasting colours and a lot of movements.

Watch old silent films

With such advanced cinematic technology, it’s hard to imagine what it feels like watching silent films. Back in the day, these were the top-notch entertainment people had, so understanding how a film from the silent era manages to express the full message soundlessly can be a great source of inspiration.

Do you have a favourite silent video or commercial? Share it with us in the comments below!

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