No Preview No Sale

[clyde11]

I have a bit of rant that has been building for sometime time that I need to get off my chest.
I don't know if anyone feels this way so needless to say I will only speak for myself.
This message is primarily for producers which is why I'm posting it here. I submit to the Moderators judgement if they feel this belongs under another thread.
My message is a simple one. No preview...No sale.
I guess this mainly concerns those producers using Clips4sale to sell their videos. I just came over from that site where I once again ran into what looked like a video I might be interested in but once again there was no preview of the video. No ten second clip, no gif. Just a brief description and a single thumbnail. That does not cut it for me.
Years ago I had a high paying job with one of the largest corporations in North America. Then the 2008 banking crisis hit and I lost my job.
Now, like a lot of folks out there, I make much less money than I used to and thus, I have much less disposable income.
This means I have to be far more discerning about all of my purchases these days. I do things I have never done before, clip coupons, watch for sales, etc..,
So when it comes to VOD I can't buy something when I do not have any assurance that I will be satisfied with the content. My video purchases are far more limited. Before I might by 2 or three a week, now I might buy 2 a month. Especially more expensive videos going for $20 to $30 or more. These I buy very sparingly unless I get a good preview and the content jumps out at me and I say, "screw my budget, I gotta have it"
(Christina Carter's stuff usually has that effect on me, which makes me grateful that she doesn't put out a video every week).

Bottom line, if you want what little money I have, then you need to give me a decent look at the content.
And when I say preview I don't mean a 3 frame gif that is looped at lightning speed or a ten second clip of the opening credits.
Some producers are really good at providing previews, such the afore mentioned Christina Carter, Might Hypnotic, Primal, Eve, to name a few.
But so many are just too lazy at trying to sell their stuff.
So, once again, No preview...No Sale.
Thank you for reading.

[lionbadger]

A good written description is better than a preview. A preview is only going to be small and can never give a full overview (believe clips4sale limit preview size too) A good description can cover everything in a film.

[MightyHypnotic]

Id like to add for other producers, and I know I've messed this up myself, on Clips4sale, you have a choice of where in the video your preview comes from. If you have credits, don't choose the beginning of the video. Usually choosing the midway point (1/2 though the video) is a good selection for the preview. C4S will generate it automatically.

I recently went back to making trailers and I gotta say, it's as painstaking as I remember!

[tallyho]

A good written description is better than a preview. A preview is only going to be small and can never give a full overview (believe clips4sale limit preview size too) A good description can cover everything in a film.

Not quite -it cant tell you what the talent is like and if you find them attractive. And if the models arent named you cant look them up to see either.

[Heroine Addict]

A GIF compilation of representative images is the best option. (MH is generally pretty good at this.) The images give a good overview of the content without giving away too much free footage.

I find the clips4sale auto-generated preview clips can be very hit and miss. Often, they'll just have a few seconds from the opening titles with no real content at all.

[hiddenevil]

I always base my interest in the clip, however I'd probably be more interested if I could use paypal.

[TIEnTEEZ]

Yeah, I could not agree with this more.

I've seen videos on Clips4Sale with a single picture of the opening CREDITS and no video preview. Or preview videos that are nothing but opening credits - I'm looking at you, Christina Carter - and I will not even considering buying those.

I will go one step further, too. Make sure you include audio in your previews - I want to hear the performers speak, because the wrong voice or accent can really ruin a video.

[Heroine Addict]

I always base my interest in the clip, however I'd probably be more interested if I could use paypal.

Have you applied for a PayPal debit card? You can use it to spend your PayPal balance at anywhere that takes Mastercard.

[viking]

I find preview photos and videos placed on sites like this one most useful in selecting a vidoe to purchase. Lacking that, I find a GIF with about 6 images helpful even thought the flash by quite rapidly. Also, I always consider the producer's reputation and past work. I find written descriptions are often misleading, and a ten second shot of opening credits, a body part, a door, etc. useless.

[shevek]

Good thread. Because there is many a time when I've bought something from C4S and it is not quite as exciting as I'd expected, because there was not
information to make an informed decision and I went with my gut based on certain elements (such as transformation).

I don't use C4S since my vids are PG-13 - I use my own site and sell directly through Paypal. MH is right: trailers are painstaking to make, and I can't do a trailer for every episode because it's not part of my agreement with the editor. Instead, since we produce 3 episodes every 4 months, what we do is make a combined trailer for every 3 episodes. We include about 6-7 clips for each episode, mostly of the heroines in costume action and/or using their powers. It comes out about 20 clips per trailer which lasts for about 1:30. Then I also include a story synopsis for each episode, and at least one colorful photo per episode depicting costumed action. Furthermore, our Youtube channel includes some outtakes, usually also featuring the heroines in costume and some spoken lines.

So...trailer, synopsis, photo, and outtakes - is that enough for someone to spend $7.99 or should I be doing more?

[Doctor Outcome]

Yes. This is a topic that has always bugged me. GIF's are okay, but I'd like to see and hear what's going on too to see if what's going on in the vid is anywhere near my alley for purchasing.

Plus, 11 seconds just isn't enough and something else: if you're going to upload to clips4sale in multiple formats (mp4, wmv, etc.) you should have separate scenes in each of the preview clips. I know some producers will just have the same 11 seconds of a scene in each one of the different formats for the preview. That really makes it hard to decide if you're getting your money's worth for what you spend if you can't delve deeper into what the scene sounds and hears like.