Making better research video, part five
Doing it: your Manifesto
Making videos: Your manifesto
The potential for engagement for researcher creatives with knowledge content is huge.
But there’s more to it than just hitting record.
So to get you started, to establish your profile and to raise awareness for your work in your field, this is a guide to draft your own manifesto video.
So what is a manifesto?
This video has a single purpose: to start an exchange with your audience.
At least in this context, think of it like your opening statement. This is the first point of engagement between your audience and your work. Like a teaser or trailer to the main event, which is you.
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to start from scratch. Go through the work you’ve already done.
If you’re a PhD candidate your Stage 2 proposal or your confirmation of candidature. For academics, presentations, drafts and publications.
You’ve already written this stuff. All you have to do is reshape it for a new audience and purpose. In doing this, you develop new communication and engagement skills.
Your manifesto video comprises four parts.
Just write a sentence or short paragraph for each part. It’s as simple as that.
A quick note: If you’re more confident going off the cuff and the idea of writing and performing a script gives you the creeps, read about the eloquent rambler. Whether you script or ad lib is up to you. It just comes down to your personal preference.
There’s no right or wrong approach. Just one that works best for you.
Part one: Catalyst
Ask yourself the question:
Where does my research come from?
There might be a distinct inciting moment. Or this research interest might have been inside you for years just waiting for the right time to rise up.
Here’s mine:
“Emerging from the intersection of my research and industry practice, my work investigates impact at the nexus of academia and creativity.”
Part two: Reshape your question
Reconstruct your research question as a statement.
Explain your research, removing any jargon or complex concepts.
Here’s mine:
“My practice-led research explores how academic researchers can more creatively translate their work to engage non-academic audiences.”
Part three: Why
Ask yourself the question:
Why is this project important to me?
Of all of the things in the world that you could become an expert in: why this?
What is your mission, the purpose of your research?
Here’s mine:
“ My mission is to empower academics, and students, to become impactful storytellers.”
Part four: So what
Something I’ve been told a lot through my own research is “so what?”
Consider the significance of your project and why people should care. Ask yourself:
What is my vision for the future?
Here’s mine:
“My vision is to develop a research program that is world-leading in the use of creativity to realise research impact.”
Emerging from the intersection of my research and industry practice, my work investigates impact at the nexus of academia and creativity.
My practice-led research explores how academic researchers can more creatively translate their work to engage non-academic audiences.
My mission is to empower academics, and students, to become impactful storytellers.
My vision is to develop a research program that is world-leading in the use of creativity to realise research impact.
Bonus script: Sharing your research on social media
Now, this script template can be used as a starting point for all of your social media video content. Practice, tweak, adapt, repeat.
Hot take (approx. 1 sentence)
Start out with juicy statement.
This might be a challenge that your research aims to solve; a controversial idea; a contrarian opinion; or a disruptive provocation.
Whatever it is, hook your audience.
Chunk (approx. 4 sentences)
Sink your teeth into the subject. What is this all about? What did you do and what did you discover? What’s new and why is it exciting?
Why should anybody care?
Cliff hanger (approx. 1 sentences plus CTA)
Encourage engagement: ask your audience a question or share an answer of your own.
Depending on your topic you might have a call to action.
If you use this structure to write a video abstract, for example, your call to action might encourage viewers to check out a journal article.
If you’re sharing a research finding, you might ask your peers or industry colleagues in your field to respond with their thoughts and opinion.
If you’re musing a research question, ask if anybody out there has the answer.
You’ve actually already seen a few videos that follow this structure, albeit loosely. The introductory video for each article! But, here’s another one.
“Research videos are crap” - or, at least that’s what I was told once by an associate dean of research. I replied, well that’s the whole point!
There’s a growing sentiment that universities are “bastions of elitist and detached liberals with little to nothing to offer society”. But, in opposition to this, academics are encouraged to actively engage broader audiences.
Institutions want their researchers to become “impact storytellers”. But, generally speaking, university research videos haven’t kept pace with audience expectations for content that’s actually entertaining, even inspiring.
At the bottom of every internet rabbit hole, I think, there’s a researcher digging around looking for answers. And institutions need to do better, to support their researchers to contribute to and lead public discourse.
So, what do you think: Are research videos crap? Well, they shouldn’t be!
Great: But what’s next...
This is just a guide. The more you write and produce your own research videos, you’ll find what works for you. As you write and create more of your own engagement content you’ll become more proficient with the process.
And perhaps most importantly, you’ll find your voice and what works for you and your audience.
These two structures can be adapted for a wide variety of purposes.
Your manifesto is the foundation of your researcher identity. When applying for a job, craft a manifesto in response to an academic or industry position description. Write a manifesto for your project, or even your research questions. If you want to start a YouTube channel, your manifesto is the perfect starting point for your channel trailer.
And the research story structure can be useful as prompts. These prompts will result in around one minute of script, forming a great outline for short-form content for use on any platform.
Next, is part six: Super simple five step video strategy
If this is your first article in this series, head back to the start