Imagine presenting your products and services with many short films. When the films need to change or new ones need to be added, a time-consuming process begins of going through the material, editing the content and exporting new video files. The films can instead be built with structured code. Then it becomes considerably faster to change existing films or add new ones, while the need for manual steps decreases.
What does video as code mean?
Video as code means that recurring parts of the film are defined programmatically. That can be scenes, text, graphics, transitions, narration and timing. A rendering engine then combines the components with content from, for example, a data file and creates the finished films.
The approach resembles modern web development. A shared component can be used in several places, and a change therefore does not need to be made manually in every single film. For the client, that means the material becomes easier to maintain, vary and keep current.
When the approach delivers the most value
Faster and safer updates
A changed wording, image or figure can be updated centrally and then re-rendered in all affected films. When code and content are versioned, you can also see what has changed and restore a previous version when needed.
Several versions from the same foundation
Different departments, markets or customers may need their own variants. Instead of building each film from scratch, the versions can be created from the same components and complemented with different text, images or data. The biggest gain comes when many films share a structure.
Simpler localisation
Text, graphics and narration can be handled separately for each language. That makes translations more systematic and reduces the risk that a language version is forgotten in an update. Synthetic voices can be an option in some productions, but language, pronunciation, tone and transparency always need to be quality-assured.
Consistent visual identity
Colours, typefaces, logos and other graphic rules can be gathered in shared components. When the visual identity changes, the films can be updated from the same source, instead of being adjusted one by one.
Measurement when it serves a purpose
Code-based production does not make the film measurable in itself. But when the film is published in a learning environment, views, choices and other relevant activities can be registered, for example with xAPI. First decide what you need to know and only collect data that helps you improve the training or follow up a clear goal.
An example from onboarding
Suppose an introduction programme consists of eight films in six languages for three brands. That gives 144 possible film versions. With a shared codebase, structure and graphics can be reused, while content and language are handled separately. If a routine changes, the right piece of information needs to be updated once before the affected versions are rendered again.
That does not mean production becomes free or fully automatic. Scripts, translation, review and quality assurance are still needed. The difference is that recurring work can be standardised and that the risk of discrepancies between versions decreases.
When traditional film is a better choice
Code-based video fits best for content with a clear structure, recurring formats and many variants. An interview, a reportage or an instruction where a person needs to demonstrate a hand movement should often be filmed in the usual way. In many training programmes a combination works best: recorded material where presence and credibility matter, and code-based parts where the content often changes or needs to be published in many versions.
We produce training film in the technology that fits the assignment — in our own authoring tool Create, in your tools or in a combination. The choice of method always starts from the content, the audience and how the material will be maintained.