Making interactive video with the Near-Life platform is really easy. In this article, recent addition to the Near-Life team, Ellie, walks through how she used Near-Life and Canva to create her ‘Should I say ‘Hi’?’ video
Having another go
Having already created one interactive video with the Near-Life platform, I was ready to try and take my interactive videos to another level. I’d worked out how to use most of the features when I created my previous video, and I was keen to see if I could create immersive content that seemed more professional without any extra equipment or cost.
Getting started creating the content with Canva
To start off with, I planned out a flow diagram for what my interactive video would look like. The map would branch off, meaning different choices the user made would lead them to a different end result. Having planned how I wanted the video to play out, I moved into Canva (a free, cloud-based graphic design tool) to design each step for my video.
This included creating an animated slide for the title page, each possible question I would ask the user, and each ending they could get. To make sure your Canva slide is in video form, you can animate parts of the screen or add moving graphics and videos to the page. You must then set your slide duration to how long you will want it on screen for the video, and download each slide individually in mp4.
The graphic design element in Canva was a pretty crucial part of getting the most out of my interactive video -it can be the difference between making a very basic interactive video and a professional-looking one. I would advise experimenting a little and making the most of the free elements that Canva has to offer, to stop your slides from looking like a simple presentation.
Setting preferences
Having made all the media for my video, it was time to move onto the Near-Life platform to construct it. To get started, I created a new project and added a new scenario. I named my video and set the preferences I wanted for the countdown, as well as the text and the button style. I chose to have feedback in my video, meaning at the end the user would see how their decisions lead to their result – however, I opted out of using scoring. This is because for my video, there is no right and wrong answer, so no scores are necessary.
Near-Life’s nodes
Having set all my preferences for the video, I moved on to creating the actual map where a node was already on my screen. A node in Near-Life contains and represents a stage of the video, such as where a question is asked or an ending is given. I clicked edit on the node on my screen, where I could then name it and add a description if necessary. You’ll also see an option for ‘Media Type’, but initially it will only have the option for slide. To be able to change the media type to video, you must upload the media to the node.
Hotspots and buttons
There’s a variety of choices when it comes to buttons and hotspots. The site automatically falls onto using buttons on the screen for the user to give their answers. However, the various hotspots enable the user to click on an area of the screen or a piece of text to move on to the next stage of the video. However, from my previous experience experimenting with the platform, I decided that regular-shaped hotspots would suit this map the best. I added a rectangular hotspot over the area of the screen with the ‘start’ graphic, and set it to lead to the next stage of the video when clicked.
Map building
Once I’d done this, a new node had been added to the screen following the previous. I clicked to edit it, where I changed the name of it to something that would clearly show which stage of the video it was. I uploaded the media I wanted and changed the media form to video, so I could then hotspot the different choices on my screen to lead down separate pathways.
I worked through each possible path, making sure to check periodically that it matched the initial flowchart I’d designed. To make sure everything’s running smoothly there’s an option to preview the video when you’re making it. However, there needs to be media in each of your nodes for this to be possible. Once I was happy with my video, I saved and published it. This meant I could now share and use it to gain valuable insights into my audience’s thought processes, as well as increase engagement and immersion.
Final thoughts
I was really pleased with the finished product. As I’d suspected, the whole process had become a lot more enjoyable now that I’d learnt the rough layout of the site and could go in knowing what I wanted and how to achieve it. I know that there are still a lot of different features available with Near-Life that I’m yet to try, and that I’m sure would take my immersive content to an even higher level. Overall, I’m excited to keep on discovering what Near-Life has to offer and how I can develop my skills to put everything to use most effectively.
If you’re interested in creating your own interactive videos or are curious to find out about how Near-Life can help you, click the link below.