Video for social change so just workshop by ali pinschmidt

Video for
Social Change
Ali Pinschmidt
alipinschmidt@yahoo.com
alipinschmidt.wordpress.com

goals of this
Workshop
Learn ways that video can be
used for change
Learn about successful video
models
Acquire practical tips for filming
higher quality videos
Understand essentials for
planning a video with social
change goals
Get suggestions for free online
resources and inexpensive
equipment

Why it’s important for socially
conscious individuals and
change-makers to create media
- American media is omnipresent
- Who creates the media
influences the type of media it is
- The Bechdel test
- Your voice and messages are
needed

Social Change
 Changes in beliefs/values and behaviors of society over
time, through individuals and groups in society
 Leads to structural changes
 such as laws, institutions, and what is considered a norm
 Moving towards social justice, economic justice,
environmental justice, etc.
 Moving towards equity/equality and fairness
 Moving towards a higher quality of life
 What moves people towards social change?
 Education and information
 personal experience
 role models
 pressure:
 social pressure, legal pressure, financial pressure,
political pressure
 What else?

Why Video?
 What made you want to take
this workshop?
 Power of video:
 Can humanize people and
issues, tap into emotions –
can portray a reality
 Can compress time and
space
 Spread information widely
and quickly
 Breaks literacy and language
barriers
 Can document or provide
proof
 We believe it has authority

Drawbacks / Limitations of Video
 Technology can be a barrier, especially as it requires:
 Availability of equipment
 Maintenance
 Training
 Costs can be prohibitive
 Can be manipulated or distorted; (arguably there is no
objective media)
 Can be threatening
 As with any tool, can be used in ways that are harmful,
disruptive, dangerous
 One video doesn’t necessarily cater to all audiences
 What else?

Change Points
 The information in the video
 The process of making the video, or the
power dynamics within it’s making
 Audience Engagement - Action taken
after the video is watched

stages of
Making a
Video
 Pre-production: planning stage
 Deciding your goals
 Making a plan
 Writing your treatment or
storyboard
 Production: filming
 Filming all your action shots
and interviews
 Post-production: editing
 Editing with video editing
software
 Distribution and Outreach
 Getting your video to people to
watch
 Audience Engagement
 Getting people to take action

what makes for a Good
Video?
Content -
Information it
conveys
Delivery - How
skillfully its made
Models of video
Talk to camera
Showing
something
through video

Video for Social
Change:
Models & Examples
- Don’t Reinvent the Reel
- Take advantage of films already made
- Host film screenings
- Use in conjunction with a campaign
- Build online community or discussion
around the film
- Sell the film as fundraiser
- All of course, with permission from the
filmmaker
Starting with the Most Basic…

- Google+ Hangouts
- Video Documentation of your events
- Google+
Hangout
software
- Community
Supported Film
hangout
- Filmed Event

online video Blogs
about social issues
 Link to video
It Gets Better project

Best Camera
Practices
 Keep the camera still – use a tripod,
monopod, table, or support yourself
 Resist the temptation to zoom and pan
a lot
 Make sure your background relates to
the theme – mise en scene
 Film in a quiet place and use
microphones
 Film with good lighting, no backlighting
 Hold your camera steady for the shots,
and hold for at least 5-10 seconds –
can shorten in editing
 Keep your video short!

How-to Videos, or
positive example
Occupy the mail

challenging Culture –
bringing Taboo subjects into public
discourse & questioning the status
quo-
 The r word
 I am a Survivor of
Rape

interviewing
 Get consent and informed consent
 Make your subject comfortable
 Choose your questions carefully to
relate to your exact subject
 If you’re doing a short film, keep
your interviews short too
 Good sound – use lapel mic, and
/or film in a quiet place
 Interview in a place that relates to
your subject
 Depth and interesting but not
distracting visuals behind
 Consider interviewing them while
doing a related action

Visual story-telling:
constructing Reality for
the viewer
Images create
meaning
Try to replicate the
personal and
human experience
of reality through
your films
Mise en scene –
“placing on stage”

planning
creative
Shots
Shoot the action itself, up close
and personal
Ie – chopping, digging, typing,
writing, drumming
Face of person doing action
Medium shot – torso and head,
or maybe more
Wide shot or behind shot
Contextualizes where the
person is
POV shot – point of view shot
Reaction shot

It comes together
in the editing…

best STORY
practices
Try to tell the larger story through the
personal example
Choose a really interesting
“character” (subject)
Including for documentary/non-
fiction films
Keep it short and simple
Especially when you start out
Editing takes a very long time!

challenging Stereotypes,
giving new information
 Ex - muslim woman skateboarder
Maryama:
Skateboarder

video to Promote a good Cause
Toxic soil
busters

Activist videos that inform
and call for action
Compelling story
Slick /professional video
Simplified a complex
issue
which we tend to like,
but is also problematic
Simple and direct
requests and action
steps
Invisible
Children

Social Issue Films with
Audience Engagement
Campaigns
The film helps viewers -
potential supporters,
activists, stakeholders -
internalize the issue
visually and emotionally
Then the campaign
provides audience
members easy ways to
take action on the issue
 Fledgling Fund
 Working Films
 Participant Media

Often are web-based campaigns for
movies, like Blue Vinyl or No Impact
Man.

Video Bridges
Process and product oriented
Video mediated communication
between groups
“Upward” communication
Video Bridge Project about
Dropping out of Highschool
Question Bridge
Video postcards between youth in
different places
Video Intervention Used in a
hospital in Boston

Participatory video
 People telling their own stories or the
stories of their own communities
 Those who are often not the media
makers become the media makers
 Process and product oriented
 Press Pass TV
 Reel Grrls
 Community Supported Film

Witness, evidence, visual proof
Video that captures or documents
abuses or illegal activity, either
intentionally or by chance
 Witness
Video as a Tool for Development
 Research
 People testifying to environmental changes in
Somoa
 Monitoring and Evaluation
 Insight share
 Video Proposals - Insight share
 Video for Record Keeping and documentation
 Video for self-feedback or group-feedback
 Can be used in training of teachers, counselors,
etc. to watch selves and analyze from third person
perspective.

Remember:
the stages of
Making a Video
 Pre-production: planning stage
 Deciding your goals
 Making a plan
 Writing your treatment or
storyboard
 Production: filming
 Filming all your action shots
and interviews
 Post-production: editing
 Editing with video editing
software
 Distribution
 Getting your video to people to
watch
 Audience Engagement
 Getting people to take action

Pre-Production for
Change Goals
 What is your message?
 What is your goal?
 And is it SMART? Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound?
 Who is your primary audience?
 Who or what will this audience listen to?
 What type of change are you trying to achieve?
 What do you want your audience to do?
 Consumer change?
 Behavioral change?
 Have a new awareness, or know about a
particular resource?
 Political change?
 Become a part of a movement?

further Pre-production
planning
How and when will your primary
audiences see this video?
What is your realistic capacity
and what are your resources for
this project?
Research – has this already
been done?
Who will your key strategic
partners be?
Those who would LOVE to
get this video out to their
networks
Get them onboard early on

decide what Type
of video to make
Fiction (narrative)
Nonfiction
Get creative:
animation
silent film
music video
experimental

Pre-production planning for
the video itself
 Writing a
treatment,
script, or
storyboard

Distribution Strategy
How will you get your video
out to people so they know
about it and watch it?
- Internet
- How will you get people
to see it?
- Have your partners and
networks spread the word
- Work with organizations
and relevant groups to use
- Screenings – find your
specific audience
- Sell your DVD, put in
libraries
- Conferences, festivals,
related events

Audience Engagement
Strategy
- What specific action
steps will you ask of your
audience?
- Petition
- Pledge
- Vote
- Organize
- Activity
- Screening
- How will you make it
easy for them?
- How will you measure
impact?

Student example -
Advocacy Video
 Freud is Watching You: and
Clark Recycles : Recycling
Campaign Videos for Clark
University
 And

Student Project non-fiction
positive example
Fat Cat: The
Trouble with Pet
Obesity

let’s try making
a video plan
Identify the issue you want to
address and the message you
want to convey
Identify the primary audience
who can make a difference around
this issue
Decide what you want to tell or
show your audience that will be
interesting and give new insight
What action you want your
audience to take, or what do you
want to change?
Decide what type of video you’ll
make and create a video plan:
draw a storyboard or write your
treatment

good cheap
EQUIPMENT
 Cameras
 Kodak zi8
 Has mic input
 Canon Vixia
 Many types of a range of budgets
 Microphones
 Lapel Mic – AudioTechnica ATR3350
 Rhode Video mic shotgun
 Monopod, tripod
 Fluid heads are better quality
 External Hard Drive
 Editing software
 Windows movie maker – free and basic
 iMovie – free and basic
 Corel video studio Pro
 Final Cut X

resources
 For affordable training or services:
 Public Access Stations
 Boston Neighorhood Network
 Cambridge Community TV
 Adult and Community Education
 Film and Video Meetup Groups
 Film school interns
 Press Pass TV
 Written Resources
 Witness – Video for Change online
book
 Working Films
 Fledgling Fund
 Center for Social Media

getting involved with VIDEO
PROGRAMS
Community Supported
Film
PressPass TV
Global Potential
Powered by Girl –
Media criticism
Girls Make Movies –
Girls Leadership
Institute
Video Vanguards, Youth
Action Coalition

In review:
Video
models for
Change
Tell YOUR story, or a personal story
of someone YOU know
Video blogging – especially for a
common cause
Challenge stereotypes
Explore taboo subjects and question
the status quo
How-to videos
Positive example videos
Promote a good cause
Call people to action

In review –
planning for
impact
Identify your main message
Choose your audience
Identify what change or action
you want to happen
Collaborate with partners
Plan your story on paper first

In Review:
video Basics to
remember
Keep camera still and hold your
shots
Get numerous shots – close,
medium, far, side, behind, and
reaction shots
Frame your subjects well using
rule of thirds
Capture clear audio
Film in good lighting and don’t
backlight your subject

Thank you!
alipinschmidt@yahoo.com
alipinschmidt.wordpress.com
www.csfilm.org

Video for social change so just workshop by ali pinschmidt

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