I assessed elements of visual attraction in a seven-minute educational video focusing on the critically threatened Gila trout, Oncorhynchus gilae, and Apache trout, Oncorhynchus apache. The vidoe was produced for the Forest Service Ranger District in Safford, AZ. To understand what elements of visual attraction capture public attention in conservation themed videos, I placed the video in a public cafe and observed viewers for five two-hour periods over a two-week duration. I collected data on who glanced at the video and who watched for more than five seconds, noting the contents on the screen.
Results/Conclusions
Four elements of video design were observed to be the most visually attractive: macro footage, high color variation, patterns, and movement. Macro footage, or footage filmed with magnifying lenses, allowed for the viewer to look at species in high definition and extremely up-close. High-variation in color allowed the viewer to see the species in its habitat in detail. Species moving continuously throughout their environment attracted viewer attention in comparison to still landscapes. Pattern footage attracted viewer attention from a further distance due to the repetition of shapes. Information derived from this research will help the production of future videos in drawing attention from a broad spectrum of people. This information will also enable future conservation videos to gain interest from people not necessarily interested in conservation.