I’m continuing with little TikTok experiments - long videos short videos, memes and carousels. At least when it comes to history and heritage, I’m realising the script and topic are key.

From my experience, it helps to explore a topic through a hook, question or a central event that hints at the wider topic - but if you try and cover everything you suddenly have a 5-minute video that’ll only succeed if you’re extremely charismatic. Then, your script can’t just be reading out Wikipedia - you need some asides, you need personality, and you need to intrepret the history with similes, commentary and Talking Like A Human.

At least that’s where I’m headed within the specific genre of ‘say some shit about history’. It becomes a million times harder when you don’t have something to film, because you’re then trying to source 100 images to make fast enough cuts for just one minute of talking.

It all comes back to this simple fact: there is always an audience for what you talk about, but you can’t take that audience for granted. The content still needs to hook them in, entertain them while informing them, and give them something to look at.

Content of this week

• Another in a long series of ‘just film the stuff we take for granted’, the Arizona Historical Society have done a fun little video about how when you work at a museum you get to step across the rope barrier.

• Another in a long series of ‘just film someone who does an interesting job’, I liked this video about set design by the Dutch National Opera & Ballet. It looks simple, but getting someone to talk naturally is like getting blood from a stone.

• Or just film the set itself if it’s metal as fuck.

• I usually recommend that people keep their videos to about a minute long, but I watched the full however-many-minutes of this video about going into a massive organ to remove a naughty pipe.

• American libraries are truly at the forefront of tying into online culture in a way nobody else can.

• Rate your weird dogs in paintings on TikTok while it’s hot.

The bullet point bit

• I did a module on social media for a university recently - it’s over 150 slides but you can have a look if you like. My main takeaway is that I was too depressing about the state of social media (I think we should note the awfulness, but focus on the good we can do with it), and that it should have focused a ton more on practically coming up with ideas, writing, and planning videos.

• Watershed had some people complain because they thought their recent campaign was made with AI. One thing I like about theatre is they always credit everyone (including the poster designer), and it’s something we should all start doing.

• That’s it. Go outside and touch grass.

Personal stuff I do for me and you can just skip this if you like

🎮📖 what I’m consuming as a consumer

I’m just playing Europa Universalsi V and will probably continue to do so for the next calendar year.

🐕 Keith

Here he is