Engaging audiences

Technique	Definition	Effect on audience
Jump cut	An editing technique that cuts material from single takes, giving the effect of jumping forward in time	Creates narrative energy by missing less important parts out of a final edit and is also suggestive of an amateur aesthetic
Breaking the fourth wall	Where the presenter addresses the audience directly	Creates a personal connection with the audience by speaking to them directly
Unscripted narrative	Improvised moments in narrator dialogue	Suggests spontaneity and authenticity – mirrors, to some extent, real life conversations
Collaborative content	Where vloggers make co-productions	Helps construct an imagined community and allows vloggers to market themselves to each other’s fan bases
Amateur aesthetic	A deliberately non-professional filming style	A lack of professionalism helps vloggers generate an unmediated feel to their products. Suggests authenticity
Everyday mise-en-scène	Using costume, make-up and sets that appear natural	Creates a sense of the everyday and suggests that audiences have access to the private world of vloggers
Presenter POV	Seeing what the presenter sees	Often achieved by temporarily rotating the camera to mirror the presenter’s perspective. Removes the barrier between audience and presenter
High-key lighting	A lighting style that eliminates shadows	A lack of shadow has connotations of a natural/happier tone
Invitation into private spaces	Filming that takes place in bedrooms, private houses, office spaces – places that are normally off limits to film crews	Enables the presenters to create trusted content and intimacy. Because filming takes place in the private worlds of vloggers, we think we are being given privileged access to their private thoughts
Narrative authenticity	Story structures that deal with real life – the intention to construct media that isn't mediated	Creates a sense that the vloggers are being honest – that their content is trustworthy
Best friend characterisation	A presenting style that gives the audience access to details of the presenter’s life	Makes the audience feel privileged, suggesting they have a personal relationship with the presenter
Confessional narrative	Giving the audience access to inner thoughts – also allowing the audience to experience inner doubts and worries	Makes presenters seem human/relatable – also constructs character fallibility
Candid imagery	Photographs that aren’t posed	Generates a natural and authentic mode of address through imagery – as if you’re looking at family snaps
Sanitised story content	Content that avoids controversy, taboo language or material that may cause offence	Allows for age appropriate content in vlogs – also allows vloggers to steer clear of demonetising algorithms
Single camera edit	A production filmed with just one camera – usually very quickly	Enables a quick production turnaround by a small crew – also helps construct an amateur aesthetic
Narrative currency	Stories that are updated – that discuss items that are up to date	Suggests that vloggers are working in real time, that their content is constantly updated
Codes of realism	Technical, narrative or symbolic devices that are suggestive of the real world	Creates relatable content – suggests that vloggers are part of the real world of the viewer
Aspirational narratives	Stories that inspire audiences to want a particular lifestyle or to change their behaviour in some way	Creates escapism, taps into an audience’s desire for an ideal lifestyle