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One of the most effective ways to communicate and condense information is through the power of images.

INTRODUCTION

Increasingly affordable technologies allow us to communicate the benefits of available knowledge to those who most need it. Audiovisual media, when combined with participatory processes, offers effective ways to raise awareness, scale-up capacity building, support community-level planning, and develop innovative approaches to advocacy and institutional partnerships. Importantly, audiovisual approaches can condense the complex humanitarian consequences of climate change into simple messages. Below are videos about climate change produced within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. They contain experiences, testimonials and images from many countries. These films explain climate change and its impacts in the context of local perceptions and experience – a very effective way, in our view, to share knowledge on climate adaptation among communities. Here are also basic guidelines on how to produce videos and a case study explaining the experience of Ethiopia.

PARTICIPATORY VIDEO

This approach is particularly relevant to working with vulnerable communities: it involves a community group in shaping and filming their own production, from storyboarding to interviewing and camera operation. Below you will find two short films describing the process, and five videos made by people at risk, from subsistence farmers in Ethiopia and Malawi to children in an Indonesian shantytown.

Participatory video with the Ethiopian Red Cross [5:48] http://www.vimeo.com/17926619 Ethiopian Red Cross English subtitles Overview of a participatory video project in north-west Ethiopia. Farmers from a village in Wage Wargaje decide to learn how to become filmmakers and to share with their peers what they are doing on climate change adaptation.

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Module 3b: Communication

Recommended films

Participatory video training in Uganda, 2012. (Photo: Climate Centre)

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Farmers become filmmakers [5:00] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQYM3iRtABs English subtitles Brief piece about participatory video.

Malawi and climate change: student voices [5:58] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfEg6D45cw0 Malawi Red Cross English and Chichewa High school students raise awareness about how the climate is changing, and what can be done about it.

Clearing The Air. Fuel-Saving Stoves in Wage Wargaje [5:43] http://vimeo.com/17920218 Ethiopian Red Cross English subtitles A group of three women made a short film about their new fuel-saving stoves and examine some of the reasons why it is an improvement on past designs.

Livelihoods diversification [6:34] http://vimeo.com/17930745 Ethiopian Red Cross English subtitles Farmers in Wage Wargaje talk about how their lives have changed since they began diversifying their sources of income.

Adaptation to climate change by Mphunga villagers [7:33] http://www.youtube.com/v/2PcVn4oy3NI?autoplay=1 Malawi Red Cross English subtitles The Malawi Red Cross Society, supported by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and the Malawi Meteorological Service, have been working with Mphunga village, delivering simple information about climate change and the need for adaptation.

Beyond response: adapting to climate change at the Red Cross [7:55] http://www.youtube.com/v/KSNcFyOSS3c Indonesian Red Cross English This documentary looks at how the Indonesian Red Cross prepares itself and at-risk urban communities to adapt to the challenge of climate change. It contains a section filmed by children through participatory video methods.

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COUNTRY PERSPECTIVES

National Societies can develop short videos aimed at raising climate change awareness with diverse audiences. Channels for sharing these videos can range from Red Cross Red Crescent training sessions and workshops with communities at risk, to meetings with government officials and national television.

Preparing for climate change [4:23] http://www.youtube.com/v/f-zpbeyFRnU Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross English Local effects of climate change and local voices.

Interview with Diane Turnquest, disaster manager of the Bahamas Red Cross [4:58] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb1u-XbkayI&feature=player_embedded Bahamas Red Cross English Climate change and local effects

Dipecho VI documentary [4:59] http://www.youtube.com/v/OpiOLqRXggU?autoplay=1 Belize Red Cross English Short video about results on Dipecho DRR project on shelter, music, emergency plans and others.

The global climate is changing – are you prepared? [4:02] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Roj0huAYoQ Cayman Islands Red Cross English, Spanish subtitles Video with explanation about climate change.

2008 floods in India [7:54] http://www.youtube.com/v/eczhUmZ037o?autoplay=1http://www.youtube.com/v/rRInEClrjVg?autoplay=1 Indian Red Cross English Visual report about flooding.

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Welcome to Kibera [9:58] http://www.youtube.com/v/eczhUmZ037o Kenya Red Cross Subtitles in English Urban risk and its relationship to climate change.

More than survival [5:43] short version / [23:08] long version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqXpPTpYpZo&feature=related (Short) http://www.youtube.com/v/9HfjQ3gDX6c (Long) Mexican Red Cross Spanish Perspectives on climate change and floods in Mexico.

Youth and Climate change/Campamento de Juventud y Cambio climatico [5:04] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpkERNhw1mk Colombian Red Cross Spanish, English subtitles Three short programmes about youth and climate change

Adaptacion al CambioClimatico [6:44] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdrEzYoDguU Colombian Red Cross Spanish, English subtitles Documentary

The global climate is changing [4:57] http://www.youtube.com/v/Za3lbjeG8JM Bahamas Red Cross English, Spanish subtitles Documentary

GLOBAL REACH

Videos can shape understanding that there is a global challenge in dealing with climate change although the impacts are felt locally. New adaptation practices and other ideas can be inspiring.

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Climate change, turning the tide [8:56] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldPT6CuDBZI (English) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJq5DtKjlo4&feature=player_embedded (Arabic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtfDHNwi0MQ&feature=player_embedded (French) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pss3iYwJYXQ&feature=player_embedded (Spanish) IFRC Spanish, English, French, Arabic Humanitarian implications of climate change and global perspectives.

Red Cross voices on climate change [4:32] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXPfF47Tn9A Climate Centre English Red Cross Red Crescent colleagues from almost 20 countries all over the world share their insights on the humanitarian challenges of a changing climate.

SPECIAL PURPOSES

Some videos can serve a very specific objective, and as a general rule a short film with a clearly defined purpose and target audience is more effective.

Early warning, early action: the game [4:08] http://www.youtube.com/v/Mpj_EbKdwEo Parsons School for Design / PETLab English The "Early Warning, Early Action” Game, designed by Parsons The New School for Design's PET Lab, was a successful tool for facilitating learning and dialogue during a Red Cross workshop in Senegal.

Student insights on linking science with humanitarian work [4:33] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VRAzpvachw Climate Centre English Ten masters students from Columbia University travelled across the world to support a partnership on linking climate science with humanitarian decisions. This short video shares key lessons and suggestions.

CASE STUDY

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Farmer to farmer learning in a changing climate [9:41] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKKo0dHmplk IFRC English subtitles The Netherlands Red Cross reports on new techniques for helping farmers in Ethiopia adapt to climate change. Participatory video and peer-to-peer teaching has sped up the process of information transfer between populations and communities and increases the credibility of critical messages about adaptation practices.

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SOME IDEAS ON PRODUCING FILMS AND VIDEOS THE Climate Centre’s Pablo Suarez – also an experienced filmmaker, audiovisual guru and games designer – is a great enthusiast for using participatory games and video tools. Here he argues that purposive participatory video can be highly effective…

“The Malawi Red Cross and Malawi Meteorological Services embarked on a joint project to advance adaptation among subsistence farmers, piloting participatory video methods in the village of Mphunga. Food insecurity due to flood and drought is becoming more severe, with many families chronically dependent on relief due to failed crops, drowned chickens and other impacts. People reported not knowing why the rains had been so bad in recent years, and suspected that it could be either bad luck or divine punishment. As one of the farmers put it, “If god wants to punish me, I will be punished. There is nothing I can do about it. Why should I do things differently?” Through a series of workshops, Mphunga villagers learned more about changing risks, and discussed options for adapting to expected future conditions. Then, with support from university students versed in participatory video methods, a smaller group of farmers, along with some local Red Cross volunteers, learned the basics of how to operate camera equipment, develop a script, shoot, and contribute to the editing process. Farmers made a video to help other farmers prepare for more floods and droughts which highlighted six adaptation strategies, including duck rearing, diversification of crops, and flood warnings with whistles. The Malawi Red Cross organized screenings of the film in neighboring villages during July 2008. Baumhardt et al. (2009) found among surveyed participants a substantial increase in willingness to embrace adaptation strategies. Mphunga villagers are now selling ducks to neighboring communities. When floodwaters rose in January 2009 in the neighboring village ofKasache, farmers who had seen the video managed to get their bagged harvest to high ground, whereas others saw their harvest ruined, and needed food aid”

‘Our experience in different projects reflects the positive impact of videos as a tool to summarize important information and involve communities in the creation of stories and testimonies, where they can reflect their traditions, beliefs, needs and ideas. ‘But beware: it takes innovative thinking, because the challenges are abundant, and fairly new to many colleagues! First and foremost, branch level Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers can have very limited technical knowledge of climate change (which means they may assume reasonable but wrong things about the science of climate change). They usually have almost no experience of making videos with communities, and there are always competing projects and unpredictable crises to deal with. ‘Outside expertise in filmmaking or in climate issues is often limited or expensive, which can lead to challenges such as an initial lack of focus about goals and how to achieve them, long periods of inactivity when a key person is not available, or insufficient follow-up once a product was ready. Additionally, there can be substantial communications challenges when bringing together climate experts, filmmakers, humanitarian workers and very poor people at risk for collective work. All of these key players are needed for making an effective video for adaptation. ‘The video production process needs to be iterative and deeply collaborative, with constant feedback and involvement from the affected stakeholders into the creative process, and maintaining a central decision making role for people at risk. Team dynamics need time to mature into a shared understanding.’ Figure 2 Key members of collaborative teams for video-mediated adaptation.

Source: Suarez, et al. Putting vulnerable people at the centre of communications for adaptation, 2011.

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Below, the four steps to make a film are illustrated and you will find a list of aspects to take into account for the creation of different types of films or videos to raise awareness and educate on climate change:

For the specific case of participatory videos, you can find very useful resources at http://insightshare.org. Remember:

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- The process of making a video can help communities to understand that they have much responsibility in their own development and progress.

- Community testimonies could include considerations about Past, Present and Future (about climate change effects and other related topics). Look for interviews with different people from different generations.

- Organize a community meeting to introduce your team and promote an open plenary to discuss climate change effects. Here, you could capture shots of faces and testimonies.

- Share the previous result of the audiovisual product with the community. Capture their expressions and comments. This last part will also be included on the final video.

- Share the result (video) in a formal meeting with partners and donors. Look for short and long alliances in benefit of these communities.

- For more insight:Video-mediated approaches for community-level climate adaptation, by Pablo Suarez, Fiona Ching, Gina Ziervogel, Isabelle Lemaire, Diane Turnquest, Janot Mendler de Suarez and Ben Wisner. Available here. 1 Pablo Suarez, Justin Benn, and Colleen Macklin, Putting vulnerable people at the centre of communication for adaptation, 2011. Available here