Who are video reviews catered to? As we were thinking about the types of people who would watch videos such as this, we talked to several of our peers and eventually came upon the conclusion that the targeted audience is not so much a specific age group or working class, but rather, people who have the interest in knowing more about a certain product or service.

As the terminology used in video reviews would contain jargons, it may come off as too complex for those who are not usually exposed to that sort of knowledge. With that, some would rather listen to their friends’ individual experiences or look to others for advice in order to decide whether or not they should invest in a certain product.

As for those who find interest in upping their tech knowledge each time there is a new product in the market, the chances of them understanding or being enthusiastic about a video review would be significantly higher. It provides them with the opportunity to hold conversations with other techies, or to make better buying decisions, knowing that their preference would be based on what they feel is best catered to them, and not based on what their peers prefer.

There will certainly be people who fall in neither category – perhaps they would look to video reviews if they intend to make a purchase. However, if we were to make a generalisation, we’d say that the majority of people who watch video reviews are those who find interest in keeping up with all things tech.

Based on the two videos shown, which do you feel was better?

When we watch video reviews, we are – be it consciously or unconsciously – looking to find something that would help us come upon a decision. Whether it is to help us see what is currently best in the market, or to decide what better caters to us, or simply to find out just how good a product is, we would often be left with something to think about.

Seeing as how a majority of people are iPhone users, we wanted to see and evaluate the reaction towards the comparison videos we came up with. For this sketch, we decided to test the back cameras of the Samsung S3 and iPhone 5s. Both are decent models in the Android and Apple market respectively, and we wanted to see how their videos functions would play out in equal conditions.

The first part of the clip gives you an idea of the audio quality on both phones. The second part features a close-up shot of a watch (both phones were placed at an equal distance away from the object). The clip then ends by zooming into a scene, showcasing its colours and clarity. From the test we did above, we found that the Samsung did a significantly better job.

So, despite knowing that Android phones have better video capabilities, would one continue to stay loyal to their current brand (if it is an iPhone) or would they consider changing to something else? Although we only experimented with the phones’ video functions, but this is something that we found interesting; how video reviews have the power to test and influence a viewer’s mindset.

When you make a comparison to something else in the market, you introduce viewers to the context in which you are reviewing the product. As an example, we used three different operating systems – Android 4.4 KitKat, Windows Phone 8 and Apple iOS 8 – for this sketch.

All three have taken up most of the market today, and each have their pros and cons. The Samsung has many customisation features, but can be complicated to use for first-timers. The Nokia is stylish and innovative, but it lacks in the variety of apps. The iPhone is simple and has essentially everything you need, but customisation is minimal and might be considered a “downgrade” for Android users.

Having that said, when you compare the product you are reviewing to something else, it gives viewers a better idea of what they might prefer. As different people come from different backgrounds, they might be inclined towards different things. From which can they benefit most from? Is an upgrade necessary? Which would meet their needs.

This point is also amplified in Marques Brownlee’s video review, when he talks about the iPhone 6 and how he is a “Googler” and prefers what they have to offer, as compared to what Apple can do for him. By comparing it to something else in the market based on his personal preferences, he gives others a clearer understanding of his background and how it works for him. From there, viewers would slowly be able to gauge whether or not it might work for them as well.

After studying Marques Brownlee’s review on the iPhone 6 as well as several other video reviews on YouTube, we have found that there is a structure that makes up this form of informational online video.

Of course, we begin by introducing the product – in this case, we will be using Apple’s current flagship phone, the iPhone 6, as an example for our study. We look first at its physical aspects, from its weight and overall dimensions, to the size of the display and other physical traits like the material it boasts or available colours in the market.

The reviewer would then begin to talk about the product’s internal specs. How fast is its processor? How great is the camera? How big is its internal memory and what is the screen’s resolution like? All these facts are necessary, especially when you’re talking about a tech review. In fact, this part usually takes up most of the video, as there is often quite a bit of information to cover when it comes to gadgets.

Then comes the comparison with other brands or models in the market. Comparisons are sometimes done with the product’s older model – for example, the iPhone 5s as compared to the iPhone 6. How has it been upgraded or improved? In other cases, it would be compared to a gadget of a completely different brand with nearly or the same internal specs. Which works better or produces better results?

Lastly, the video would end with the reviewer’s personal opinions. Although he/she would inject his thoughts throughout the video every now and then, but the final resolution often lies at the end of the video review – in what ways does the reviewer like or dislike the product? Why or why not?

Video reviews with personal opinions creates acknowledgment, such that the viewers are able to experience “using” the product with the reviewer. Personal opinions can be incredibly useful for those who are looking to invest in a product.

Nowadays, more and more consumers are watching video reviews as part of their pre-purchase research. These video reviews have the capability to affect a product’s image. How so? Well, when viewers acknowledge a reviewer’s personal opinions, they may choose to adopt the same mindset towards the product being discussed. They can “collect” these opinions and eventually come up with one for themselves, allowing them to decide on which product might be best catered to them.

Here, we decided to come up with a sketch with personal opinions alone, with the absence of factual information. Is this helpful at all? In the sketch, we have somebody who is supposedly reviewing the Samsung Note 4. However, he elaborates only on how he finds it faster and better than his old phone, and not giving any information whatsoever on the technical specs of the product. How many megapixels is the camera? What processor is it running on? What are its physical dimensions?

Yes, personal opinion is important and very necessary, but a video review with just that would not be convincing or reliable without any factual information.

In Marques Brownlee’s video review, he often states facts and provides his personal opinions on the product that he is reviewing. By doing so, it helps the viewers to better visualise or understand the product at hand.

After watching his video review, we decided to explore how it would work if a video review only contained facts and information, without any personal opinions. How would this play out? We then decided to make a sketch that only covers a product’s facts and information. We used an iPhone 5s to illustrate our point.

We find that the sketch with facts alone is dull to watch, as there is nothing else to it. If we look at it this way, people may as well check on a product by finding it on the official website, or getting a brochure from a physical store nearby. Why would they need to watch a video review?

This is why it is important – people tend to look to video reviews before purchasing a product, because they expect that they would be given more insight to help them make a decision on whether or not they should buy a product. They would like to know an experts’ view on the product, and some comparisons made in the video review would be helpful as well. Without these elements, viewers would not be able to have a better understanding of the product.

Marques Brownlee’s videos in the past had an average of only 10,000 viewers as he was simply making product reviews by showing pictures that he had found on the Internet. However, as he gradually became more popular among netizens, companies began to provide him with the products to sample and try out. The fact that he is now able to physically test the products, makes his reviews, statements and personal opinions more reliable.

For our sketch, we put two clips side-by-side – the one on the left shows pictures of the Classic Oxford Lady (found on Daniel Wellington’s website); the one on the right are clips of the actual product. We included a quick voiceover for our sketch. After we had done so, we realised that it is very different to see the product in real-life conditions rather than to have one where the product is simply stagnant.

From this, we discovered that the video review showing the physical product is much more appealing and convincing than the one with just pictures found over the Internet. As the reviewer gets to physically try out the product, his personal experience of using the product makes his stand stronger and more dependable. Apart from that, viewers also get a better sense of what the product is really like, compared to over-enhanced photographs or brand advertisements that are only designed to sell.

Certain information can be hard to catch sometimes, especially when lengthy or abundant in numerical and informational aspects. Having that said, it is usually important to include on-screen text so that viewers can easily remember or pick up essential information without having to replay parts of the video. It certainly makes watching video reviews a little easier – to have all the information nicely broken down, rather than to have paragraphs and sentences of text to digest.

In general, a lot of reliance is put on both the audio and visual components of a video. When a person is introduced to figures or statistics, it would definitely be easier to have it processed when they can both listen and see the facts on screen. This point is also made evident in several animated infographics where brands, campaigns or societies gain support and viewership by paying people to make them informational videos in an attractive manner.

Apart from easing the struggle to remember, the presence of on-screen text also makes a video review a little less mundane. You can expect more pop and clarity when the text comes hand-in-hand with the voice-over. Not all reviewers would take the time to edit text into the video, but based on what we have watched, there are quite a handful who would go through the trouble of doing so.

Cinematic techniques play an important role in the production of a video review. There are a lot of video reviews on the Internet; however, we would like to investigate the kind of video reviews that viewers would be more likely to click on.

Referencing to our case study, the cinematic aspects are pretty well done, when compared to the others found on YouTube. For example, the lighting is top-notch and helps the product stand out. Also, the framing of the iPhone 6 in the video helps indicate the points that the reviewer is going to discuss. These cinematic techniques help the audiences such that decoding the information is made easier and faster.

For our sketch, we wanted to see how two different video reviews would play out, if they contained the exact same content but were shot in different conditions. If a snippet were to be taken from each video and used as YouTube thumbnails, which video would a person be more likely to click on?

The clip to the left is the one with good cinematic techniques – such as good lighting and proper framing – whereas the other is shot with bad lighting and is out of focus most of the time. We decided to put them side-by-side in our sketch, accompanied by a short descriptive voice-over. By doing so, we were able to compare the attractiveness of both clips and to explore what a typical viewer would prefer.

When it comes to a video review, different backgrounds affect the visuals such that it makes watching more enjoyable for the viewers. If a video review only showcases the product on a single background, it would become dull as time goes by, and would possibly lose the attention of some viewers. With the aid of different backgrounds in a video review, it would certainly be much more appealing.

Apart from that, camera angles such as a full shots, mid shots, close-ups and extreme close-ups can be used when reviewing a product. Usually the long shots and close-up shots are prioritised, as long shots contain a complete view of the product, demonstrating its characteristics, whereas the close-up shots contain an angle or specific part of the product that would help showcase the product a little better.

As people get a better view of the product on different backgrounds and from multiple angles, they would be more likely to have a better idea of what it really looks like, as compared to seeing a picture found online or on a physical brochure. They would be able to tell what it looks like under different conditions and brightnesses, and can even gauge its size and how big it might be in the hand.