We talk a lot about all these elements but Poynter has put them into one list.
Read this column and then weigh in on the comments board with your thoughts about which one is most important.
Steve
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Steve Fox's Multimedia Journalism Class 
I think the most important element of a video package is FOCUS. Poynter describes this element as:
The best video stories rely on a central premise to push them forward. We can think about this premise in terms of what’s happening — someone doing something. And we can think about what it all means — a single thematic word.
I believe that focus is important because a good video, whether its 30 seconds or 3 hours,like Poynter says, should have a theme or a plot. For a video to have substance and flavor, there must be a theme. Think of how bad a movie would be if removed the suspense from it.
Example: “Limitless” In this movie, the main character takes a pill that makes him ten times smarter. It increases his brain power and efficiency and he is able to climb the ladders of success in life.
Without the character having to experience troubles and trials, the movie would be pointless to watch. Bottom line there needs to be a theme in a movie or video package for it to be successful.
For me I think the most important element is Newsworthiness. For instance, anyone can make a video these days. But Poynter says ‘video stories need to show something new, noteworthy, unusual or timely.’
I believe this is an important rule for making any video since a lot of times I’ll be watching a video and wondering what the point of the video is. I think it’s important when viewing a video for viewers to know the meaning or importance of the video. It’s similar to writing, think about your readers, video stories should think about their viewers and consider what their viewers would want know if they were watching the video and portray the importance/meaning of the video to viewers.
I know the videos that I remember are always the noteworthy or unusual ones that I’ve never seen before.
I think the most significant part is audio, without it a lot of the other elements couldn’t come together. Poynter puts it well “audio conveys so much meaning.” It combines focus, emotion and the characters as well as action & movement. It allows the elements to come together successfully. As a filmmaker in training, i know that if the audio is off, there is no saving the rest. People care more about the audio matching than if the video is good quality.
Audio helps the focus of the story get conveyed. Audio communicates emotions through music and the characters voices. And like I said before the action & movement must be aligned with the audio for the audience to even be able to pay attention to the message that’s trying to be presented.
I agree with Frechette and Tyler that focus is the key element to all of this. It took me a very long time to get through this article because I could not stop watching the linked videos, many of which were beautiful and fascinating. I thought it was very significant that the video shot in Thailand, which he used to represent visual appeal, was shot on an iPhone. It proves that anyone with basic equipment and know-how can make breathtaking videos and photographs. However, without the focus there is just a collection of remarkable shots from amateur filmmakers.
I think cohesive focus,storyline, and newsworthiness are the most important points he makes in his article.
I agree too with everyone who thinks focus is an important element. I also believe that emotion is another key element but you can’t get that feeling if its not filmed with focus. I believe that it is necessary for film makers to shoot to have good focus and derive emotion so that the audience will appreciate what you are filming. The only reason why people will want to watch your video, is if it makes them feel a certain way, and inevitably care about what you are trying to convey.
I agree with almost everyone else that the key element is FOCUS. All of the other elements like emotion and characters etc come from the focus of a film. Without focus, the film doesn’t have a driving force behind it, film makers are constantly trying to evoke their audiences to see behind other elements of films such as audio and visual elements. Without focus there is no substance to the film at all and the people who are watching it won’t come away with an experience.
Like everyone else, I believe that the most important element is focus. All of the other components of a compelling story would cease to be important without focus. Focus is what truly drives a piece to be great.
As a close second, I believe emotion is a paramount element. As stated by Frechette, emotion “gives the audience reason to care and a way to connect to a story, sometimes in a very personal way.” I thought I would focus, pun intended, on emotion because without emotion, the reader or viewer really does not have a reason to watch the video. It may be beautifully directed and has a clear storyline and focus, but if the viewer is not invested in the story emotionally, they will lose interest.
The best video stories to me are the ones that pull at your heartstrings, an emotional story that literally glues the viewer to their chair and leaves them wanting more. The emotion that you put in your movie are the feelings you want to evoke out of your viewer. While I do think that focus is the most important, I think emotion is a very close second. If the viewer is not emotionally invested in your video, they have no reason to watch it.