Cross-media design with videos

Cross-media communication ideas for culture, associations and public authorities

What exactly are cross-media concept ideas?

Cross-media explained simply!

Cross-media content combines traditional media with digital formats, creating a comprehensive information and entertainment experience for your target group. Daily newspapers are a good example of this:

The print edition provides basic information – authoritative, reliable and clearly presented.
Additional content complements the topic online: videos, podcasts, photo galleries and interviews provide exciting background information that is not covered in traditional articles.
This creates a multi-layered range of information that reaches readers through various channels and leaves a lasting impression.

This creates a content-linked experience that reaches readers across different channels – simple, effective and versatile.

Exemplary presentation of cross-media content

Medium / Channel	Formats / Contents	Benefits for the target group
Print (newspaper)	Articles, reports	Basic information, overview, trust through reliability
Online (Website)	Articles, updates, additional information	Faster availability, more detailed information
Video / Film	Reports, interviews, documentaries	Visual presentation, emotional storytelling
Podcast	Expert interviews, background discussions	Mobile-friendly, in-depth content, personalised approach
Photo galleries	Photo reports, infographics	Clear presentation, emotional connection

Why cross-media content works

More attention: Content becomes visible across different channels.
Greater reach: Each platform appeals to different target groups.
Deeper engagement: Supplementary formats provide added value and background information.
Brand reinforcement: Consistent messaging across all channels increases credibility.

In short: cross-media content makes your messages visible, exciting and memorable – ensuring that your audience is not only informed, but also inspired.

Home page of the web documentury TURN for the Federal Cultural Foundation

Web Documentary TURN: Example for the layout of the interactive links

Interviews for the web documentary on the funding program TURN

Book 50 Kitchens, one City Basiliscusfilm

Web Documentary TURN: Example for the layout of the interactive links

The reader can access the cooking video on the Deutsche Welle website via QR code

Strategic implementation of cross-media content

Cross-media marketing is not just about disseminating information across multiple channels – it is about placing a message in a targeted manner and actively guiding users. Content can be varied on a single medium (e.g. web videos of different lengths for social media and websites) or used across different media to reach different target groups.

For us as a media agency, strategic management is particularly exciting: we work with our clients to develop tailor-made concepts that ensure every message is conveyed optimally and users can embark on a transmedia journey of discovery.

Unsere Vorgehensweise

step	Objective / Benefit
Target group analysis	Understanding which channels and formats your target audience prefers
Content design	Selection of appropriate media (video, text, audio, graphics)
Cross-media networking	Connecting content across different channels
Define user journey	Actively direct users to further content, increase engagement
Coordinate strategy with customers	Ensure that the message and tone are consistent with the brand
Implementation & Monitoring	Produce content, play it out and measure success

Advantage for companies:

Efficient use of existing content across multiple channels
Increased reach and interaction
Strengthening of the brand message through consistent communication
User-centred approach through targeted linking and cross-media storytelling elements

Different media, one message

Using the example of a 50-part television series, accompanied by a cookbook

We at Basiliscus Film have already designed and produced a number of different cross-media projects. One very special project was the 50-part TV and web series ‘50 Kitchens, One City,’ which we produced for the magazine euromaxx for Deutsche Welle.

In 50 films, we introduce people from 50 different countries who run restaurants in Berlin serving food and dishes from their home countries. They all cook a typical dish from their home country with us, talk about their lives and how they came to Berlin. Each episode of the series is approximately 5 minutes long. A fixed and recurring feature in each video is the cooking instructions for the dish.

The series ‘50 Kitchens, One City’ was broadcast worldwide on television. In addition, Deutsche Welle worked with us to design a website where all the videos can be viewed along with additional information. The cross-media character is particularly evident in the accompanying book of the same name. It was published by GCM Go City Media Verlag (Tip/Zitty). In addition to the personal stories of our protagonists, the book also presents the recipes for the dishes prepared in the cooking videos. A QR code printed in the book, which can be scanned with a smartphone, leads directly to the video cooking instructions.

For this web series, we worked with Deutsche Welle to develop the concept, produced all of the video content, and wrote all of the book texts and website copy.

Interactive storytelling on the internet – the web documentary

Another cross-media film project was created for the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The aim here was to present the Foundation's TURN funding project in a film and to give a voice to the various protagonists and artists involved. The TURN fund aims to bring together creative artists from Germany and African countries to realise joint projects in all artistic disciplines. The 30-minute documentary film is also presented as a web documentary on the Internet.

The web documentary offers various features to provide viewers with additional background information. It is structured in such a way that many interactive links appear in the film window during the course of the film, giving viewers the opportunity to click on websites relevant to the topic, display info boxes or watch interviews in full length.

DOCUMENTARY FILM

The web documentary is based on a documentary film.

The web documentary is based on a 30-minute documentary film. This provides an initial introduction to the topic, but is self-contained and can be viewed and understood without the use of additional links. However, the links provided in the web documentary give viewers the opportunity to explore the topic in greater depth and expand their knowledge.

It is always up to the user to decide which additional information they would like to access. The web documentary is, so to speak, a journey of discovery through the TURN funding project, for which various media are offered.