What do you think of video intros? I have to admit, they can be brutal at times.
Back in the day, as the internet was just starting to gain some ground, a good percentage of websites used Flash animation for their intros. You could not access the website until you were forced to endure up to 20 seconds of self indulgence from some “wannabe animator.” For the most part, the animations were cute, but only for about 5 seconds. There was no way to fast-forward or anything like that. I don’t know about you, but I really start to lose interest after watching a few seconds of some abstract, form changing, geometric shape, logo, or text.
Fortunately, those days are long gone, but we’re still dealing with a similar phenomenon when it comes to video.
While there are some great videos on platforms such as YouTube, I’m noticing an increase in self indulgent intros that are really starting to annoy me.
It’s no longer someone abusing their Flash skills (thankfully), but a jumble of quick cuts taken from the creator’s files with generic, upbeat music laid overtop. Usually it’s the “best” scenes from previous videos, packed into a collage that is somehow supposed to brand the channel and let you know what’s it’s all about. In reality, I think it’s just self-indulgent and designed for the person’s own ego. Okay, I get it, but this isn’t reality tv and you are not an actual producer; or maybe you are, in which case, I apologize.
Sure, some people achieve exceptional production quality in their intros and videos, but they are few and far between.
I can tell you that I personally jump forward to the actual video. Once I’ve seen your intro once, that’s enough. A tip for those who do this sort of thing: Make it short – like 10 seconds, max.
As a Youtuber, I would be concerned that people are skipping my intro. The algorithm might take that as a negative; hard to tell for sure though. And then some might click away altogether after seeing a slightly corny intro – I don’t know, I’m just guessing.
Anyway, that is my rant for today
