What is Cast and Crew Information?
Cast and crew information is basically the list of actors, directors, writers, producers, and other members involved in the making of a video or TV show. It provides viewers with details about the people responsible for the creation of the content they are watching. It's like giving credit where credit is due.
For instance, if you are watching a movie, you may want to know who directed it, who wrote the screenplay, who acted in it, and who produced it. The cast and crew information gives you all these details, which can help you appreciate the movie more, especially if you are a fan of a particular actor or director.
Adding cast and crew information to VOD videos is beneficial for both the viewers and the creators. It helps viewers learn more about the content and the people behind it, while also promoting the work of the cast and crew. Having creator pages for videos can help the creators build their brand and connect with their audience.
❓Why should you add Cast and Crew information?
Improved user engagement: By providing information about the cast and crew of the video content, users can have a better understanding of the people behind the content, which can help to create a stronger connection between the user and the content.
Enhanced user experience: Users who are interested in specific cast or crew members can find more information about them and their work, which can help to create a more engaging and enjoyable user experience.
Improved discoverability: Creator pages and cast and crew information can help to increase the discoverability of content on your streaming platform. Users who are interested in a particular actor or director, for example, can easily find all the content that features that person.
Brand differentiation: Offering creator pages and detailed cast and crew information can help to differentiate your streaming service from your competitors, as it adds an additional layer of value to the content that is not typically available on other platforms.
Now let's get into how to map cast and crew members to your videos
Adding cast and crew profiles
To map cast and crew members to a video, you need to create a profile for them.
From the Content section of the left menu, select Organize and then Manage Cast and Crew
Click on the Create button to add a new member
Fill in the details of the member, such as name, description, role, poster (image), links for social profiles, staus (active and inactive)
While only the fields -- name, role, and status are mandatory, uploading a poster could give a better user experience.
Click on the Submit button, to save the profile
You will see the created profile added to your list and the message 'Cast and Crew details have been successfully added.'
Editing a profile
You may want to update a profile by changing its description or modifying its role. To modify the details of a profile, you will have to
From the Content section of the left menu, select Cast and Crew.
From the Action column, select the Edit option.
Edit the values of fields to be modified.
Click on the Submit button, to save changes.
Mapping profiles to videos
Mapping the profiles to the videos is the last and final step of the process.
This can be done
while uploading a video
after video upload
While uploading video: Follow the steps to upload a video, while filling in the metadata you will find a section called Movie Details
(OR)
After Uploading: From the video library, select Manage Video, and scroll down to the Movie Details section
You will find fields like -- actor, actress, director, comedian, etc. You can map the profiles by typing in the name of the person.
The names of the created profiles will appear in the dropdown.
💡 Pro tip: If you have not created a profile, you can simply type in the name and press Enter on your keyboard. The profile will be created on the cast and crew page, you can edit it later.
How does it help with content discovery?
The creator (Cast/Crew) page works wonders for SEO
The creator name indexes in SERPs and helps people land on your streaming service when they are looking for movies/shows with a particular artist
When a user watches a movie and is impressed by an artist - they can easily discover other works from that person
Cast and Crew is a crucial part of the content metadata that helps with content discovery
