Shorter is better: a true principle in filmmaking and science

Yesterday, I attended my 6-year-old son's school show. Seeing small children in cute costumes, dancing and singing, was very moving. For about ten minutes. For the other 90 minutes though, it felt like a punishment, without any escape. Here's what my filmmaking teacher taught me: shorter is better. And here's my challenge, making a shorter (and perhaps better) blog post on this topic!

Introduction

Let's skip the introduction to make this post shorter.

Don't you agree that shorter is better?

If you're a scientist (or anybody), you have watched movies, you have read articles and/or books, attended conferences, concerts, theatre shows, etc. And let's be honest, when you start fidgeting in your seat, your main feeling is that "it is too long". When you download a publication, aren't you happier if it's below 10 pages? Don't you sigh if it's 30 pages? And how about just the titles, don't you have to re-read 3-line long titles over and over again because when you've reached the second line it's already too long?

Shorter is not always better

The perceived length is very subjective, and intrinsically linked to attention. As long as we feel engaged, motivated and experience pleasure, we keep focused. Of course, shorter is not better when reading an unputdownable book, or when you're with your friends having fun, or with your lover by the fireplace. In these cases, time flies!

Two viewpoints: the content producer vs the audience

The content producer often wants to include more: making sure his point is made, his views explained in detail. Mothers do that on the telephone, and it's endless, right?! The audience wants to be entertained and to have the messsage/the learning delivered rapidly (or at least pleasurably), in particular nowadays when time is so precious and we have so many solicitations.

At filmmaking school, as a content (film in this case) producer, I learned to think of the audience. To always have the audience's perspective in mind. To find the right balance between the content I wanted to convey, and what made sense for the audience.

Cutting off scenes that I liked so much, and into which the whole producing team had put so much effort, was hard. I wanted to hang on to those pieces, and I wanted them so badly to be in the final film. But they made the film worse. Ellipses make movies better. There's a fine line between necessary and superfluous content. In the end, where that line lies is of course subjective.

I realized that this is also very true when producing scientific content. Often, you’ll make your audience happier if you make your content (a bit) shorter. If you’re still focused, you can continue reading some tips below!

How to make your scientific text shorter (and better)

This is what you can do (and at WordifyScience we can help you with):

• Go to the essence of what you want to convey

• Summarise

• Cut-off those parts that you took so long writing, but that don't necessarily add value

• Think of the audience

• Again, think of the audience

• Match your content with an effective formatting

• In fine, this will make your research accessible, understandable, and impactful

  
  

This is what it will feel like:

• It's going to hurt. Cutting off all that part you took so long to write will hurt. I remember once at work, when a consultant struck out in two seconds a whole section of a manuscript that I had taken hours to write and that I found good. It hurt. Honestly, I had wanted to cry. Friends of mine have also confided the exact same feeling when it happened to them. So don't worry, it's normal.

• It's not necessarily going to take less time making it. This post actually took me longer to write than longer ones!

• You'll go through a grief process.

• BUT, in the end you'll admit that your text is better!

This is how your reader will feel:

• Happy!

Conclusion

Let's skip the conclusion to make this post shorter!

Prepared by Rebecca for WordifyScience.