Length of typical Web video
 

Everywhere I look I hear people saying that you should keep your Web videos to three minutes or less. Is there anyone producing projects that are 30 minutes in length for their Web site?

I'm not buying into the short attention span paradigm. If your project is compelling, people will sit through a 30-minute piece. At least, that's what I'm banking on. Your feedback is valued.

Chuck

Charles,
Stick whatever length video, at whatever quality you see fit. Pretty soon people will be watching more video and live streaming video on their PCs than on their TV.

As I often said to my first wife, "It's not a question of length, it's quality".

Cheers,

Liam.

If the content is good, people will watch it.

I still make mine for dialup viewers
30 min? you're limited to high-speed viewers

Realize that people are watching your video on a dinky little monitor with poor sound and other distractions ("You've got mail!")

you could also make different versions....say large and small resolutions, SD and HD, teaser and full version, etc...

I've recently been hacking away at my site trying to get the video decent and yet not too long. Compression will have a large bering on it. I have the same video in quicktime and wmv, and teh wmv is a 1/3 the size less.

So I would say compression is probably a more honest question, rather than length.

...and then it comes to watching a 30 minute video with lower quality. I'd be wanting the video at that point. You could post the 30 minute clip with an offer to order the DVD.

That is fascinating to think that one day we'll watch more video online than on TV. Could be.

The two or three minute model is from the days when 56k was as fast as it got, but even then there were sites posting full length movies (of course they were 240x180 10fps cinepak jobs). Things are changing quickly but it still makes some sense to keep the vids on your site shorter. Even though people are watching more video on their computers the experience is not the same as sitting on your couch and watching the TV. I wouldn't watch a half hour movie at my desk for pleasure. But in another year, if things like Apple TV catch on, longer pieces will probably become very common.