Ukeleles are often used in web videos. But isn’t there a much better way to create the perfect mix of video footage, voice over, sound effects and music? Here’s how to pick music according to the AIDA model.
Hi, I’m Jente Kater from Voicebooking. How come so many ukuleles are used in web videos? Actually this video could also have been called: How come so many banjos are used in web videos? Because they often get confused with one another. To get us off on the right foot: This here is a banjo. It’s used in the American midwest. You hear it a lot in Western movies. And this here is a ukulele.
Now, let’s grab ourselves some background music. A piece of music that might make you think: Hey, I know that! I’ve already heard it under hundreds of web videos. Could be true! What’s happening here? It’s got a nice rhythm. You can talk over it very easily. And it doesn’t really matter what kind of voice over you put on top of it. Boom, spot on! And it’s cheery, very cheery. You can sell all sorts of things with that. Whether it’s an app. Or something for a plumber. Maybe even something for a crematorium.
Nice! But, on the other hand. Not much is really happening. It can go under anything, sure. But you’d rather get the maximum impact out of it, right? Ok. The max, let’s see. You have an idea, you have a script. What does a script always contain? Structure. And often that structure is the AIDA model: Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action. Every step in that model is a change of mood. And if we consider the ukulele music we just heard: There are no mood changes in it.
What would happen if we chose a piece of music that did have a change of mood in it? I’ve just picked one. With this intro you can easily explain what your Awareness is. With a violin. Nice. That works.And to follow up, you’re going to explain what exactly is going on with that product of yours. Why it works so well. Eventually you get to that moment where, hopefully, you’ve got the viewer to the point where they think: I want to buy that! And you drive it home in the Desire phase. Buy! Buy! Buy me!
And then there’s just one more thing: Action! Then it’s good if that music comes down a bit, gets to a kind of ‘and they lived happily ever after moment’. Where you only need to say: Hey, wanna know more? Then go to www, etcetera. So, you need mood changes. And that’s something completely different to that fake smile you had with the ukulele. So, are you looking for music and would you like to try something else than a ukulele for a change? Ask yourself: What do I want? Who is my target audience? How fast is the text spoken? Are there mood changes in it? And to time the mood changes in the right way: Is the music editable?