Tasty Comes To Newhouse
Keep an eye out for a copycat Almond Joy video from BuzzFeed’s Tasty, as some of Newhouse’s very own might appear. Their hands to be exact.
On Thursday October 26, 2017, Buzzfeed Tasty Video Producer Scott Loitsch visited students at Newhouse as part of Professor Jennifer Grygiel’s BuzzFeed: Future Media Skills class. Loitsch filmed as he would normally to show the class and visitors just what goes into making a Tasty recipe video.
Tasty creates one to two minute square videos showcasing simple recipes, like healthier dorm-friendly options, that are shared across their many platforms. Tasty has since created many spin-offs for particular audiences, like Tasty Vegetarian and Tasty Proper for viewers in the United Kingdom.
Loitsch started at BuzzFeed as a video intern two and a half years ago, when food videos and entertainment were just beginning to take the internet by storm in 2015.
For anyone with some basic camera and video editing skills, re-creating Tasty videos might seem like a breeze. However, there’s quite a bit of work to set-up and a tedious process of movements to get just the right shots.
On top of all the required cooking bowls, microwaves and other cooking tools, Tasty uses an overhead camera rig, a DSLR camera, lights and television to shoot videos.
When filming the internet’s favorite food videos, Tasty pays close attention to detail. A nearby television mirrors what the DSLR used is capturing for reference. Some producers are even so attentive that they align the camera’s grid with the wooden table grain so the grain is as straight as possible.
Each Tasty producer brings their own flare to their videos while keeping the Tasty style. Tasty producers work on their own videos so there’s one person beginning to end, from finding a recipe to filming to editing. One simple pro tip Loitsch provided was to start videos with movements like setting a bowl on the table rather than start with a still because the movement catches scrollers’ eyes on social media. While filming, the producers always have to keep in mind the video’s frame and text placement.
Typically, shoots are two to four hours with a day or two of editing. The turnaround time isn’t long at all and usually videos are posted at the most a week later. Unless they’re feeling ambitious, producers work on one video a day.
Two to four hours may seem like a rather long time for shooting such a short video. However, it can be time-consuming because producers will film the same frame, like rolling the coconut mixture into a ball, multiple times just to get the right clip. Loitsch confessed even though he does this, more often than not, he chooses the first clip when editing.
Tasty has become so successful that they have created cooking products. They sell a build-your-own Tasty Cookbook and coffee from a partnership with the Today’s Show. Their most recent product is the Tasty One Top, which is a smart countertop cooker. It connects to your smartphone to regulate the temperature.
Tasty’s signature end scene for videos is people enjoying the final product, whether that be eating or hands racing to grab the last piece. Several Newhouse students were able to participate in the copycat Almond Joy video by reaching their hands into the frame, grabbing the treats.
