Telling your school's story with video
“Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes ”
The infamous film showed French workers leaving the factory after a hard day at work.
The world's first video "La Sortie de Usine Lumière à Lyon (1896)"
120 years on and video is EVERYWHERE:
- 4 billion daily video views on YouTube
- 300 hours per minute of video uploaded to YouTube
- By 2017 74% of all content on social media will be video
- Snapchat users watch 8 billion videos per day
- Half a trillion Vine loops a year
- 1.5 billion daily Vine loops
- 600% yearly growth in video posts on Instagram since 2014
Many social media experts (including ourselves 😉 ) have predicted that 2016 will see the rise of video on social media.
It's predicted that, by 2017, nearly 74% of all content on social media will be video!
Perhaps you didn't know it was possible to upload video to some of these social channels...
...so here is the complete guide to uploading video on social media! Enjoy :)
YouTube
The home of video!
YouTube is now 11 years old. It seems like it has been a part of our lives forever.
If you have verified your YouTube account you can upload pretty much any video, any size, any length.
- Not verified your YouTube account yet? Click Me :D
Here is what YouTube has to offer:
- 128 GB maximum file size (The Lord of the Rings trilogy in blu-ray is roughly 35GB, so to upload a 128GB video it would take something very special).
- 11 hours maximum video length: People may lose interest after 10 hours (we don't mean to be pessimistic- sorry).
- Upload as many videos as you like: The only restriction on YouTube is that after 2000 video uploads you may only upload 50 videos a day. They're generous.
YouTube should be the centre-point of your school's video content. It's the second biggest social network in the world and is taking over television for attention.
Have you ever seen the first YouTube video?
For a great example of how to use YouTube in schools check out our "For the love of social" blog post.
Vimeo
Vimeo is actually older than YouTube! It's one of the oldest social media websites. Vimeo is a dedicated video-sharing service.
Vimeo was the first website to support HD video and has had a long association with high quality videos. Vimeo is arguably a much more professional network than YouTube.
Vimeo tends to be the professional film makers choice - but if you want attention and reach YouTube is your 'go-to' video platform.
What are the features of Vimeo?
- 500MB per week of upload space
- Unlimited HD embeds
- The ability to upload up to 10 videos per day
- The ability to create 1 Channel, 1 Group, and 3 Albums
- The ability to download converted video files
- Basic-yet-robust privacy controls
- Basic embedding features
To really utilise Vimeo you need Vimeo Pro - which costs £137 a year. We believe that YouTube is better for schools needs. Vimeo is really for professionals and active members of the filmmakers community.
Feel free to try Vimeo but we strongly recommended YouTube for schools.
The world's biggest social network. So just how has video grown on Facebook in recent years?
YouTube has 4 billion daily video views.... Facebook has 8 billion daily video views!!!
These statistics are crazy! In 2014 Facebook had under 1 billion daily video views and in the space two years has doubled the number of daily video views which they are on YouTube.
You probably hear a lot of statistics around Facebook video views, something to be aware of is that Facebook autoplays videos and counts a view as 3 second play.
So although Facebook video stats are incredible, the likelihood is that the view counts may be lower than reported.
So what are the features of Facebook Video?
- 20 minutes maximum video length
- 1 GB maximum video upload.
Unbelievably, Facebook does not officially list this anywhere officially. We had to dig out the information from a Facebook FAQ!!! The main restriction here is the file size. It's unlikely a Facebook video will ever be over 20 minutes.
So why is Facebook video so popular if it appears so restricted?
Facebook's timeline and newsfeed style supports video content fantastically because of the invention of the autoplay feature and the impact it has made.
Of Facebook's 1.59 billion users, a staggering 1.442 billion users are on mobile.
An overwhelming majority of Facebook users are on mobile. Videos autoplay in people's news feed. Facebook video is fantastic and is the Facebook feature which gets the most user engagement.
The reason the limit and size aren't a problem is because Facebook videos should be short, engaging and to the point.
EXAMPLE: Your school is putting on a play....
- Create video marketing content on Facebook to advertise the play.
- Upload the full video of the play on Youtube
Facebook video is immensely popular. The next time you are on Facebook scrolling through your news feed, just look at how much video there is and see what content grabs your eye.
Twitter seems to be changing a lot recently. Ever since Twitter developed the autoplay feature for video it has been a massive hit. The prominence of video on Twitter has been very apparent to all.
SO WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF Twitter VIDEO?
- 15MB file size limit
- Duration should be between 0.5 and 30 seconds.
- Frame rate should be 40fps or less.
- MP4 files only
Twitter video is very, very restricted. It is restricted for a reason however.
If Twitter were to allow lengthy video with a massive file size it would really go against the whole ethos of Twitter. Twitter videos should short and to the point.
Twitter videos are a great opportunity to share real-time bursts of content.
The key phrase here is "real-time".
Post real-time video, like you would do real-time tweets. Twitter is your 'what's happening?' channel. Everything is LIVE.
If you want to upload a video to archive it, so you can forever cherish the moment, then YouTube is the place to go.
'I thought that was for pictures - right?'
Initially, a purely photo-sharing service, Instagram incorporated video sharing in June 2013, allowing its users to record and share videos lasting for up to 15 seconds.
SO WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF Instagram VIDEO?
- Maximum video length of 15 seconds
- 15MB maximum file size
- MP4 file uploads only
Instagram video is functionality is very, very similar to Twitter (if not exactly the same).
Instagram is a real-time photo and video sharing network. Although Instagram does archive content more so than Twitter, uploads are intended to be short and sweet.
Instagram videos are fantastic for breaking up people's Instagram feed.
Instagram trumps Twitter for engagement.
Instagram is one of the best social networks for engagement and posting native video will only boost your chances of delighted viewers.
Visuals on social media are EVERYTHING and this is why Instagram is such an engaging social network.
For a great example of how to use Instagram in schools check out our "For the love of social" blog post.
Vine
Vine - Twitter's best friend. Founded in 2013 Vine was created to work in unison with Twitter. Vine adds a whole new dimension to video content on social media.
SO WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF VINE VIDEO?
- 6 second maximum video length
- Looping videos
- Camera records only while the screen is being touched, enabling users to edit on the fly or create stop motion effects
- Vines can be viewed on desktop but only uploaded via mobile
Vine allows you to be super creative. This is just one fantastic example of how to utilise Vine's stop-motion features.
Vine is a really unique application that add something different and original into your news feed.
Download the Vine app and try it out for yourself. The best way to learn Vine is to try it out for yourself. Check out the beginners guide to Vine.
Periscope
The original periscope was first invented back in the 1400's to help pilgrims see over the crowd at a festival but unsurprisingly this is not the periscope we are referring to.
What's more real-time than live streaming? Periscope launched back in March 2015 and has propelled live streaming into the mainstream.
As we predicted in our social media predictions 2016 blog! Periscope live streaming has been integrated into Twitter.
SO WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF periscope VIDEO?
- Mobile/Tablet apps only, no live streaming from desktop. Though you can watch a stream on desktop.
- Periscope has its own channel on Apple TV. Watch people's live streams as a unique television channel.
- Public/Private streaming. Either stream directly to your adoring public or just a select group of people.
- Periscope is live, it is not edited or tampered with. What you see is what you get. Real stories and a real insight into peoples lives.
- It's free. How much would you have to pay to broadcast an event several year ago? Periscope is free and you can broadcast any event live from your mobile phone.
Check out our "Streaming your stories as they happen" blog for information about live streaming.
Snapchat
Founded in 2009, Snapchat is now a household name and one of the hottest social media among young people. It is the 3rd most popular social media channel for teenagers only behind Facebook and Instagram.
- 8 billion daily video views
- 10 second maximum video length
- Native video recording only (can only record on app)
Snapchat video uses a style of messaging called 'ephemeral messaging'. This means that once your video is sent to the recipient(s) it will automatically delete after they have viewed the message.
You can post a video to your 'Snapchat Story'. This will make your video available to view for 24 hours to all of your followers. Snapchat stories have great engagement.
Subscribe to #SchoolBytes for our ultimate Snapchat guide coming in the next two weeks :)
Video has become a massive part of all social media channels and will only become more influential on social media over the next few years.
It's really important and beneficial for your school to start getting involved with video now across all platforms. Have a go and experiment with posting video content on your various social channels.
We would love to hear and comments/thoughts you have on video and social media below :)