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Best sports weekend of the year coming up with the Final Four. Y’all enjoy. I already used up a lifetime of my face planted in a TV. No judgement, I enjoyed it.

This morning tips off (pun intended and successfully dunked) with 5 ways to make your video marketing content stand out and be more effective. How? With old-school filmmaking techniques.

Let’s get into it after the quick poll below…

How to Make Your Videos Stand Out from the ‘Sameness’ of Today’s Internet

The biggest issue people have with YouTube?

It has to be the onslaught of copycat thumbnails. The same ridiculous facial expressions (shock, disgust, joy, befuddlement, etc.) aimed to lure viewers into clicking on the videos.

Barely an original thought left in Creator Land it seems.

The thing is, it’s not just thumbnails that have forgotten all about creativity and originality.

Too many video creators and marketers also use the same videography techniques as everyone else.

Nothing wrong with copying techniques that work. But it leads to all content feeling the same as everything else. As this gets worse, old-school video techniques get forgotten. 

That’s bad because these techniques are still effective at grabbing the audience and making them feel specific emotions. However, it’s good news if you want your videos to stand out from the sea of copycat content. 

See the 5 techniques below if you’re looking for ways to provide unique video content.

Black and White Era Filmmaking Techniques for Modern Video Creators

#1 The Dutch Tilt (or Dutch Angle): The camera’s tilted to create a slanted horizon line. This old school approach creates a sense of uneasiness, tension or impending doom. 

This technique could make viewers feel like something is "off" or unusual about a product or service — perfect for creating intrigue in marketing videos. The beauty? No special equipment or post-production needed. Just a creative eye and a willingness to break today’s video framing rules.

#2 Characters Leaving the Frame: Every second of today’s fast-twitch video content doesn’t have to be packed with action. Having the camera linger on an empty room after a character walks away is meant to create a moment of reflection. It gives viewers a chance to pause to consider the scene and not just the fast-talking creator. The idea is to create emotional space - particularly effective for poignant messages. 

You can easily imagine a video showing the importance of life insurance using this technique. A family watching the Super Bowl together. Dad or mom gets up to go get popcorn and never returns to the scene. 

#3 Long Depth of Field: This old-school video technique requires more lighting than shallow depth of field shoots. That’s one reason it isn’t widely used in today’s YouTube or marketing videos. Using a longer depth of field can be worth the effort, though, if you want viewers to feel like they're actually inside the scene.

If you want a documentary-like feel for one of your videos, test this technique.

#4 High Contrast Lighting: Black and white filmmakers couldn't rely on color for ramping up visual interest, so they mastered the art of contrast. High-contrast lighting techniques create bold shadows and highlights that define shapes and create specific moods. 

This isn't just for black and white content. It can make color videos dramatic and distinctive. When everything looks polished and evenly lit in 99 out of 100 videos, a high-contrast approach feels bold and artistic by comparison.

#5 In-Camera Transitions: This old-school video technique does wipes, fades, and transitions physically during shooting instead of digitally in post-production for a more organic feel. Might be just the trick to make user-generated content even more authentic.

Two example ways to achieve in-camera transitions? One, rapidly rotating the camera to blur the image, then cutting and resuming from a new scene. Two, deliberately throwing the image out of focus before refocusing on a new scene or subject.

Feeling inspired by those old-school filmmakers' tactics? 

Here’s a bonus technique for you then…

#6 Hand-Drawn Title Sequences: Custom animated or illustrated title sequences rather than digital templates can establish a unique brand identity. An older film example is Maurice Binder's James Bond Sequences — stylized mini-movies that became a sub-genre unto themselves.

A newer example is Into the Spider-Verse - features an intro that brings viewers up to speed with "nods to highs such as that '70s theme song and lows like a terrifying Spider-Man ice lolly." The sequence uses visual sound effect flashes to showcase a comics feel.

Alright. The Wrap-Up is coming up…

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Please share Inbox Hacking with a fellow marketing genius or business owner. I appreciate you reading and sharing. 

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

“Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly.” ~Anne Lamott