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Mar 12, 2026
A 'Video' Can Be Anything
I was 28-years-old when I first started posting videos on social media.
At that time, I had a learned sense of what a 'short video' was or could be based on 100 years of film history. They were framed and performed like a Chaplin bit. There was a slow ease into a narrative concept. You definitely didn't speak to the camera.
One of the things I've tracked most closely over the decade-plus since hasn't been the trends of social media, but the ever evolving 'rules' and language of filmmaking. That century of film history gets tossed out the window when your audience learns to speak with the limitations of the smart phone in their pocket.
For better or worse, it's important to not be too creatively stubborn (take note, Kevin) and learn to speak the same language. As much as I think talking to the camera feels lazy, it's how an entire generation communicates online.
A 'video' can be anything
All that to say: there are no rules. Or at the very least, let go of your self-imposed rules.
I recently wanted to try this cheeky effect where I practically swap my sweatshirt in the fraction of a second it's off screen, so I thought to myself, "How would a teenager film this video?"
Against my silent-film-loving instincts, I added on-screen clips and pointed at them (unheard of a decade ago) as a fun way to misdirect where the audience should be looking.
This video and its behind-the-scenes (below) got a combined 12M+ views on my Instagram! Given that the effect is essentially playing a game with the audience's awareness, I think talking directly to the camera was the right call.
Learn
Animator and filmmaker Julian Curi of Righteous Robot is really good at draping his process videos
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