With the use of better and faster technology, instant answers and swiping of posts on social media, our attention span is decreasing year after year. A recent study demonstrated the attention span has decreased from 12 sec in the year 2000 to 8 sec in 2022. What does this mean for the future and the way our minds work is a whole other conversation and needs a lot more research. Here I would like to discuss the future of commercials.

I am not sure you would agree, but long form TV ads, social media ads on Facebook are in the past with the onset of TikTok’s, Reels and now YouTube Shorts. All these platforms are heavily invested and promoting short form content. The days of 3-minute ads in horizontal format seem like a thing in history.

As a content creator, photographer and filmmaker do I like this shift? Can I tell the same story in 8 seconds vs 120 or 180 seconds? It does require some ingenuity, removal of all the fluff and just focusing on the essentials, even without showing the complete picture and letting the mind of the viewer fill in the gaps. This creates questions about the product shot, or a quick view of the landscapes of a location; the question I have is does it help sell the product or show the location in a form that makes it more interesting? Maybe. Time will tell.

However, the way things are headed, it does seem this is what people want and like to watch. I don’t think that the long form content is obsolete however there is a change happening as I type this and it’s a change, I’m not too sure about. Will I accept it and implement it? Yes, because that is what is in demand. The client wants vertical short form content, then that is what they will get.

My drone now shoots vertical, our phone cameras have become so good that we can shoot short form content and post it immediately without getting on to the computer and editing and color grading for hours. Of course, there will always be the quarrel of quality vs quantity but that has been ongoing forever.

The plan is to adapt, change and improve (hone) your skills to the ever-changing market, think creatively and just keep moving or one day you will be left behind.