Pizza Today -December 2022 - 39

words; then a video is worth a
thousand pictures. Video allows you
to tap into not only visual elements
but movement and sound. Creating
a 15-second video allows you to
appeal to the short attention span
of today's social users. The shorts are
bite-sized and easily digestible.
Let's talk Short Content
You don't have to reinvent the
wheel to come up with captivating
video shorts. You already have one of
the hottest subjects on social media
to work with - pizza. Make them
obsessed with your pizza. It's
15-60 seconds. To go even deeper
on video length, the sweet spot for
TikToks and Reels is often suggested
at seven to 15 seconds.
* Show Off Your Food. It goes
without repeating but I'll say it
again, show off your food! We have
seen static short-form videos that
are photos of a special's flyer. That is
not going to sell your pizza.
The basic rules of food photography
still apply to video. You need
good lighting and an engaging
composition. With video there is
another element, motion. There are
some basic motions you can use to
energize your videos of a new pizza,
pasta or appetizer. Tilt is when you
hold your camera or phone in a
single position and slowly tilt the
lens down or up to reveal the dish.
Pan, in addition to being a delicious
pizza style, is when you move
the camera slowly from side to side.
Zoom is where you make mouths
water as you go in closer to show the
dish's ingredients.
* ASMR. It stands for autonomous
sensory meridian response.
The most literal definition of ASMR
is a tingling sensation that starts in
the scalp and moves down the neck
and back. ASMR can be triggered
by stimulating or relaxing sights and
sounds. It's is a hot trend in shortform
video.
What does it have to do with a
pizzeria? You have so many ASMRinvoking
possibilities in your restaurant
that will captivate your social
followers.
What you see as an ordinary
action in a pizzeria can actually
seduce your social audience and trigger
real salivation with optimal end
result of ordering pizza.
For example, slicing pizza after
pizza isn't exciting for you, but get
a close-up video of it and capture
the sound of the crunch as blade
works its way through the crust,
that's ASMR. Here are a few more
ASMR ideas:
* pizza being released from the peel
into the oven
* a pizza maker turning a pizza in
the oven
* someone eating a piece of pizza
* the dough stretch
* a sizzling pizza landing on the cut
table
* opening a box, putting pizza in and
closing the box
* a beer or soda being poured
* a topping being chopped
* dough going through its final mixing
stage
The possibilities are endless.
* Go Behind the Scenes. Draw
back the curtain and give your
customers an inside look at your
operation. Your fans want to see
how you make such incredible food.
Give them a window into what
makes your pizzeria tick. Highlight
employees. Showcase their talents.
* Be You. Whatever you create,
be sure that it is genuine and
represents your brand. Trends can be
a great way to increase visibility. But
evaluate whether they match your
pizzeria's visions and goals.
Getting Professional Video on
a Smartphone
While many successful short-form
videos are professionally made by
videographers and marketers, many
others take a grass-roots approach
and are created by business owners,
employees and even customers. You
have the technology in your hand to
create captivating short-form videos.
Since the editing happens in the
social app, you need to concentrate
on the quality of the videos you are
using. Here are some tenets to producing
professional-quality video:
1. Light it up. Natural lighting by
windows is your bread and butter.
But if you don't have great lighting
(like in your kitchen), create it. This
does not mean using your on-camera
or phone flash. There are simple,
compact and effective light kits for
smartphones that are affordable and
connect directly to your Bluetooth.
2. Steady. Lock down your
phone with a tripod. If your hands
are shaky doing handheld video, try
a stabilizer, like a gimbal. Unless you
are looking for that grunge, home
movie look to your video, you should
stabilize your device. If you don't
have a stabilizing gadget, try holding
it against a wall or table to hold it
steady.
3. It's all in the angles. It is
often boring to see the same direct,
head-on view in a video. Think
about what will draw watchers in.
Try different perspective angles until
you find the best way to highlight
your subject.
Now get out ther and create great
video shorts. Don't forget to tag
@PizzaToday.
DENISE GREER is Executive Editor of
Pizza Today.
NOVEMBER 2022 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 43
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
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