The future of video production: New trends to watch in the next 5 years

Video has come a long way since it was first created in 1888 when inventor Louis Le Prince created the first motion video, lasting 2 seconds in length, of people walking around a garden. Fast forward to today and video has exploded, becoming one of the most popular content mediums for people around the world to consume information and be entertained. Looking forward, what are the future video production trends to watch in the next 5 years?

What is video production?

Video production can be summarised as the process of creating videos, taking an idea or concept all the way through to final delivery and release. It involves a number of different steps which are essential in the creation of video content. This includes script writing, writing shot lists, scouting locations, filming on set, setting up equipment, editing, colour grading and distribution of the final video.

Video production can also be divided into a number of stages including:

• Pre-production - the planning phase of a video.

• Production - the filming of a video.

• Post-production - editing and preparing the final video distribution.

Why are new video trends important?

Staying ahead of trends ensures that your content stays relevant and takes advantage of new developments in video production. Watching out for new video trends also allows you and your business or organisation to engage with audiences more effectively, stand out from the competition and potentially improve the reach of the video content you produce. There is also an early adopters advantage from which many have benefitted as a result of past trends which they’ve acted on quickly and introduced into the production of their videos. 

What future video production trends can we expect?

Video production is an ever changing industry, as new technologies and functionality is released on a yearly, sometimes monthly, basis for video creators to take advantage. Whether it’s live video, interactive features or hyper personalised content, new trends will present opportunities to test out new concepts and engage with audiences in exciting ways. 

Live streaming

Live streaming has grown rapidly in recent years, boosted by the Covid pandemic which shifted many video productions to remote setups. Live video content presents new opportunities for both video creators and audiences. It allows audiences to engage with videos in real time by asking questions, leaving comments and taking part in live events. On the flip side, it allows you as a video producer to respond to your audience in real time, gather live feedback on a concept and engage with viewers. 

The meteoric rise of live streaming doesn’t seem to be slowing. Twitch, which was first launched back in 2011 and is a popular place to consume interactive video, has grown to more than 240 million active users. Over on YouTube more than 3 million people watch live streams every day and on Instagram more than 100 million people watch Instagram Lives daily.

Interactive video

Imagine watching a video and having the option to click on a product that appears, selecting an item in the scene which you want to know more about or clicking a button to find out more about a subject or topic that’s been mentioned. Interactive video is a new video format which gives viewers the chance to engage directly with what they’re watching by clicking buttons or hotspots during a video or even controlling the outcome of what they’re watching.

Providing viewers with a more engaging experience than traditional video, this new content format offers a powerful new tool for reaching and connecting with audiences. Interactive video also offers great possibilities for self-led training videos where a viewer can ask questions, select the outcome of a scenario or select parts to learn more about without navigating away from the video.

AI powered production tools

This can’t be an article about future trends without mentioning artificial intelligence. AI has existed for many years, but has recently appeared center stage with the rise of platforms like ChatGPT. Video production won’t be left untouched by AI however and we can expect to see a number of developments in coming years.

Already AI generated video is growing in popularity, allowing users to generate video sequences from a text or visual prompt. AI is also finding its way into video editing software, offering new functionality aimed as speeding up the production process of videos. These include faster and more accurate transcription, more reliable and higher quality video effects and inbuilt generative tools.

360 degree video

360-degree video has been around for some time now, but advances in technology have made this video format more accessible than ever before with the arrival of smaller and more cost effective 360 cameras.

Unlike traditional video which is limited to one view, chosen by the filmmaker, 360 video allows viewers to step into a different world which they are free to explore. This is achieved by filming a full 360-degree view, by using special lenses, which is then combined into one video file, allowing the viewer to use a cursor, finger or headset to then look around, up and down, left and right. 360-degree video can be shared on many platforms including YouTube and Facebook, allowing audiences to watch them without the need for expensive equipment or headsets. 

Hyper personalised video content

Historically videos have been limited in their abilities to be personalised to different audiences, without the need to manually create multiple versions of the same video. Hyper personalised videos allow for the production of highly tailored content which is directed to a specific audience or even individual.

This would be achieved by taking advantage of data on an individual or group's specific interests, behaviours and preferences, which can be gathered via extensive data analysis. Artificial intelligence powered customisation allows for multiple versions of one video to be assembled from a variety of key video components including visuals, text, languages, music and audio.

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