Understanding Aviation Safety Videos: Key Elements and Best Practices

Aviation safety videos have been around for decades–since overhead monitors and in-seat screens became the norm on commercial aircraft. Safety videos have the primary purpose of explaining the safety features of the aircraft along with crucial safety protocols and procedures to passengers. 

Join us in this blog as we dive into the critical role these videos play, describe their key elements, and list best practices for creating them.

The Critical Role that Aviation Safety Videos Play 

Airline safety videos are the reels you should be watching right before the aeroplane is set to take off. They showcase and help to ensure compliance and safety standards that passengers need to learn. The visual aids and storytelling help to enhance understanding of the information and, most importantly, retention in case of an emergency. 

Many aviation officials worldwide stress that air travel is incredibly safe, with the U.S. airline system having gone 15 years without a fatal crash. So why is there a need for a safety video in the first place? The emergence of creative safety videos is an attempt by airlines and carriers to break through a constant ‘clutter of content’ from various digital devices and reach distracted passengers.

How Videos Ensure Compliance and Safety Standards

The trend of filming entertaining safety videos has had mixed reviews. Many aviation experts have noted that humour and entertainment distract from the main point and result in passengers not retaining the basic safety procedures when an emergency hits. At least one airline has shown how seriously it takes its passengers’ safety. The latest video from Emirates Airline has been praised by many for its’ no-nonsense’ approach. 

Videos, created according to the airline’s discretion, should clearly explain the airline’s and its passengers’ regulatory and safety requirements. These include:

• Aircraft layout: Main entrance/exit, emergency exits, where to find the cabin crew and the lavatories.
• Seat set-up and safety: How and when to use the seat belt, tray tables, and other seat features.
• Onboard Rules: Safety videos highlight the airline’s specific rules, keeping passengers informed.
• Information about the emergency landing process: Clear and engaging information about emergency landings 
• Steps to take in an emergency: This information explains how to call for help in any medical situation and how to use oxygen masks, life jackets, and emergency exits.

How Videos Enhance Learning and Retention

Learning and retention are the second most important aspects of aviation safety videos. Passengers must understand and remember the steps they need to take in serious emergencies to ensure their own and others’ safety. How is this achieved? 

The most successful safety videos, mainly those produced by Emirates and Japan Airlines, have taken the ‘short and sweet’ approach. They include relevant key elements and best practices to create videos that are long enough to properly explain safety procedures and protocols but also short enough to retain passengers’ attention spans. 

Airline companies typically partner with content creation studios to design an aviation safety video that suits their brand voice and compliments the airline’s style. What makes a great pre-flight safety briefing? Learn more by reading our blog here, but for now, find our summary below.

Four Key Elements That Every Safety Video Needs

1. The Script: The flow, style, and tone comply with the brand voice and safety regulations and deliver complex information in a simplified way. 
2. Visual Aids: High-quality visual aids to maintain viewer interest; this can be done with graphics, animation or influencer and brand collaboration; visuals align with aviation-specific scenarios.
3. Relevance: The video has been customised to the specific needs and risks associated with different aircraft and operations.
4. Inclusivity: Content is provided in multiple local languages to cater to diverse passengers; accessibility is ensured through captions and audio descriptions, and the people portrayed in the video are inclusive of cultures and ethnic groups associated with passengers who use the specific airline. 

Four Best Practices for Creating Aviation Safety Videos

1. Collaborate with Industry Experts

The average content creator won’t know the specific aviation safety regulations and compliances that need to be included in safety videos. That’s why we suggest collaborating with industry experts, pilots, engineers, flight attendants, and safety officers throughout the content creation process. Expert validation will ensure your video’s accuracy and relevance and aid creators with mapping the design process logically and simply.

2. Partner with a Professional Content Creation Studio

Utilise the benefits of partnering with a professional content creation studio to ensure the quality, delivery and overall success of safety videos. Professional studios are equipped with the latest technologies, use high-quality tools and have effective creation systems. They can design safety videos that reflect and protect your brand and create content that your crew and passengers will remember in emergencies. 

3. Incorporate Interactive Elements

It can be difficult to catch your passengers’ attention while they prepare for the flight. Be sure to engage them by incorporating interactive elements such as quizzes, assessments, or scenario-based interactions to reinforce learning. Actively engaging passengers ensures their safety and the safety of your brand if any emergency actions need to be taken.

4. Continuous Updates and Feedback Loops

Ensure your brand’s authority and relevance with regularly updated video content reflecting the latest safety protocols. Incorporate user-friendly feedback mechanisms shown in combination with your safety videos. Examples of feedback loops may include engaging with crew members to provide insights on how information is received or to highlight recurring questions and misunderstandings; asking passengers to complete onboard surveys rating clarity and usefulness of the video; and having the airline conduct regular safety audits to identify gaps in understanding or compliance that could be addressed in the video. Use gathered data to improve future content and content creation processes. 

How Safe Are Your Aviation Videos? 

Have your brand’s needs been met and showcased in your latest training video? Do you feel that your crew and passengers are engaged with your content? Are you tired of your pre-flight videos being ignored?

Partner with aviation experts and pre-flight video professionals at Anderson Studios. Our content designers and animators create content that reflects and protects your brand. We create a personalised and world-class aviation video production that perfectly meets your brand’s needs. 

Let your pre-flight safety briefing video production take flight. Contact us today!