Brief samples of a video piece can only create more interest about the artist and the gallery itself. Galleries should not ignore video content as a way to build gallery awareness and Web traffic. Gallery tours, artist video interviews, documentaries, commentary, event footage—all are content ideas that can be realized and distributed with online video. Galleries can generate their own video pieces, feature them as content on their own website, and distribute them throughout the Internet via YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sites. The galleries can also reach out to art blogs and other online media to spread the word about the new pieces and videos. On sites like iTunes, the videos can be paired together with gallery podcasts as excellent multimedia packages for gallery-goers to download to their mobile devices. The biggest challenge for a gallery seriously considering producing original video content is the production process itself. Generating finished, high-quality video is a multi-step process, from scripting and shooting to post-production. Expertise and experience are required, skills that might not necessarily be found in-house at a gallery. But any gallery that can add this type of content to their website will earn immediate dividends in terms of increased visibility, exposure, and buzz. After all, high-quality video has the potential to capture a viewer’s attention far beyond that of flat images and text. The explosive growth in popularity of YouTube, Vimeo, and other sites has made Web video virtually ubiquitous. Now is the time for galleries to decide what role video will play in their websites.
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