Pinky Miranda Productions

I have a lot of rules that I follow when creating my videos, along with the standard set of rules, which I’ll probably explain in another post. But my rule for short films and commercials is the five second rule.

No, actually I’m not talking about the one concerning dropped food. My five second rule is that in the first five seconds of your video (after the opening titles) something must happen to drive the story and set the tone. Otherwise, you’ll lose your audience quickly, especially if your film is on the internet. There are so many things out there vying for people’s attention that the precious first five seconds of your film must pique interest, satisfy it, and bring up some sort of driving purpose right off the bat.

I know that this truth is daunting, but think of it as a challenge. Now since this will set the tone for the rest of the film, you need to know what you’re going to be showing the audience. Carefully sculpt your first five seconds like they are a miniature version of the main attraction.

There are several things to keep in mind when implementing the five second rule, which I like to call the “First Impressions Rule”:

• Keep away the cliches. Stay away from that dream sequence or bashing of the alarm clock shot at all costs.
• Use the voice over sparingly. A movie is all about showing the viewer what’s going on, not just telling them. Trailers are a different story, of course. You only have so much time to work in a trailer, and voice overs add a dramatic effect.
• Keep the scene short. The five second rule usually carries into the whole scene, so keep the scene relatively short- use it as a springboard to the next scene and the rest of the movie. The length on your scene depends on the movie itself.

Keep in mind that there are exceptions to every rule, and these are just simple guidelines, and I’m just trying to help here. Every movie is different and these may or may not apply. But you have to learn the rules to break them!

Remember, first impressions are important.

Also remember that it’s not the least bit sanitary to eat food off the floor, no matter if it’s been down there for half a second.

-Rika