Does Producing More Images Mean Telling a Better Story?

How many images does it take to show a hotel room?

A frame shot wide can explain how the space is arranged. A close view can show the material and the craft. A short video can let the atmosphere created by light and movement be felt. All of them may belong to the same room, and still not do the same job.

In making content, I care about this distinction before quantity.

As shooting and editing tools multiply, producing many alternatives of the same space gets easier. But having more images does not mean the narrative has grown stronger on its own. Sometimes we are choosing among frames that look very much alike. Sometimes beautiful images come together, and still no distinct idea about the project forms.

A room video made only of wide shots, for example, can show the space, yet leave invisible the details that set it apart from another room. A series made only of details can convey the feel of the materials while making it harder for the viewer to understand the space as a whole.

That is why, before the shoot, I find it useful to ask this question: When this piece of content is finished, what should the viewer have noticed about the project?

If the answer is custom-made furniture, the framing, the light, and the edit should serve that. If the subject is how families use the place, the relationship between the spaces and everyday use should matter more. If the aim is to let the atmosphere be felt, the pace of the movement and the choice of sound should be part of the story too.

This approach also gives a criterion for choosing after production. We can use an image not only because it is beautiful, but because it has a job in the story. Taking out frames that repeat becomes easier as well.

For me, a good edit is not using every good image. It is choosing the images that will guide the viewer’s attention in the right order.

Sometimes telling a project more strongly calls for a new shoot. Sometimes it is enough to take a few of the images we already have out.