SMAs Photo and Video Action Planner · SMAs Photo and Video Action Planner ... - Music page 2 of...

SMA * s Photo and Video Action Planner A guide to help you get beautiful visuals at your next important event.

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Table of Contents PHOTOGRAPHY

Before The Action [p.3] - Work with the photographer early - Clear goals, audience, message - Scouting - Shot list. - Permission and security. - Discuss division of labor, timelines

and uploading procedures - Division of labor - Prep your equipment

During the Action [p.8] - Reminders. - Avoid overall pictures of the scene. - Show motion and emotion. - Simplify! - Check the background. - Pick backgrounds and foregrounds

as props. - Offset your subject. - Take vertical-format photos as well. - Experiment with fresh angles. - Avoid stereotypical imagery. - Get their feet! - Don’t be afraid to talk with people. - Photo Ops & Groups. - Think Negative Space. - Iphone / Instagram / DSLR tips - Coordination. - Technical settings.

After the Action [p.14] - Choosing your images - Editing - Watermarks - Posting on Social Media - Storage - Credits / Accuracy Check - Tracking - Debriefing - Flickr Tips - Special Things to Keep in Mind

VIDEOGRAPHY

- Do’s and Don’ts

Before The Action (pre-production) [p.19]

- Get in contact with the organizers

- Give yourself enough time

- Script Writing

- Shot List

- Tools of the Trade

- Equipment Checklist

- How to Dress

- Release Form

During the Action (production) [p.25]

- Show up early, test your gear

- Set Up your microphones

- Situations that are ideal and not

- Getting the Coverage You Need

- Footage for different Outlets

- b-roll

- Framing

- Lighting

- Interviews

- Collecting Footage

- Settings

- Troubleshooting

After the Event (post-production) [p.37]

- Workflow

- Quick Turnarounds

- Editing

- Example Videos

- Music



Photography Using photos to tell the story of your action or event is a powerful tool to engage your base.

People who can’t be there will feel connected to your work. People who are there can share the

images with their community. And, people who aren’t yet supporters but could be are likely to

be inspired and get involved. Below are some tried and true tips to get you on your way to

growing your movement. BEFORE THE ACTION Believe it or not a lot of work goes into planning for those beautiful photos before anyone presses

the shutter button and takes the shot. Make sure you’ve considered many of the steps below

before the big day.

1. Work with the photographer. Bring them in early.

If telling the visual story of your event is crucial, you need to plan for that by making sure a photographer is involved in planning conversations early on. Photographers look at things differently and may offer insights in how the event can be designed more visually. Everything from site location, to the props, to the signs that are created, to the time of day of the action can all impact its visual success. Often these details, if mildly adjusted can drastically change the outcome of your photos.

2. Be clear about goals, audience, message

In assessing photography needs, start with the goals of the action. What is the goal of the

action? What are you trying to accomplish? How will visuals support that goal? Who is the

audience? What is the message that will reach them? Who are the VIPs? What demographic of

folks needs to really stand out? Is there someone making sure that they are lined up behind the

banner/speaker? Have people wear things that help tell the story of who they are (e.g. clergy

wearing stoles, workers in hard hats, members in t-shirts, etc.). Make sure folks who are holding

banners are briefed on the tone of the action and aren’t on their phone often. One way to think

about this: If you got a front page story on your action, what is the photo and headline? Further

reading: Center for Story-Based Strategy’s “Battle of the Story” worksheet .

3. Scouting

Go look at the site of the action, ideally at the same time of day as the action. What visuals are

already present (i.e. sign of government office or corporate target)? Where do you place

speakers / banners to get them in same shot as visual cues? If the action is a march or has

movement in it, be sure to do a walk through of the march route. Check to see if there are

spots along the way where you can get up high or get different angles (i.e. is there a building

that will give you an aerial view of the march? Can you secure access to the building? ) What

available light exists? Bright sunlight vs. shade? Will you need a flash?

4. Make a shot list.


http://www.storybasedstrategy.org/uploads/4/5/4/4/45442925/6-css_battleofthestory.pdf


Talking about a shot list before the action helps both the action planners and the photographer

be clear on what “must-get” shots are and what it will take to get them. Examples of things that

might go in a shot list:

○ Overall feel: serious? powerful? Sunday best?

○ Set-up, people signing in, putting on stickers/buttons

○ Behind the scenes organizing

○ Pamphlets or materials laid out.

○ Banners and signs (diversity of people holding them)

○ Each speaker (look emotion on face, hand gestures)

○ People clapping, cheering, smiling, chanting, fists raised

○ Posed group shot

○ Close ups of people’s faces, feet or hands

○ Crowd at its largest (telephoto helps compress, look larger)

○ Any “targets” or decision makers



○ Any notable participants (who are adding clout to your action)

○ Signage that shows name of target (e.g. sign on a building)

○ Poignant signs that give context

○ Cute children with signage or tee-shirt messages

○ Interactions with passersby

○ Police or security

Decide: Who from action planning team will be the point person for the photographer day-of?

Decide what photos you need when: Do you need to send photos to media as soon as action is

deployed? What are those 1-2 photos and by when do you expect to have them?

5. Permission and security. In some places, having a camera can make you a target for the police. Create a plan addressing these questions: A re you in a country where people sue and either need to write a simple contract or get explicit permission? What security issues do you need to consider? Are you putting others at risk by taking photos? Do you need permission of each person whose photo is taken? If it’s a private event, do you want to announce that photos/video are being taken and give people the option to opt out? Are there parts of the event that should absolutely NOT be photographed (e.g. prayer, parts of indigenous ceremony, illegal activity, etc.).



6. Discuss division of labor, timelines and uploading procedures ○ Timelines: By when do you need the first photos? Of what? To whom? In what format?

Know when your images need to be online — and if you will need time for editing. It is often the case that we need images either as the action happens or shortly after the action is complete. Here is our system:

● Upload 5 images on-site (often through a smartphone wifi port). After the first hour of the action, take a break (this is where having multiple photographers comes in handy) and look through your camera to find the best 5 images. Write down the file names. Then using your computer, card-reader, and card find only the images you want to upload and transfer them to your computer. Edit each image, taking no more than 5-10 min and then upload them to flickr, making sure to credit the image. (It is good to test this ahead of time so that there are no major hiccups during the critical moment).

● Get volunteers to help. Enlist the help of a card runner and an editor. The card

runner meets you and any other photographers you are working with at a pre-planned meeting spot and picks up your camera’s memory card and writes down the file number of the 10 best images you’ve identified. They then ‘run’ these to a “photo editor” to process the images and get them up online. This process requires you to have multiple cards.

○ Division of labor: Decide if you need more than one photographer to do the job well. If you have a large action of a few thousand people, this is advised. If you have more than one photographer decide where you want to place them (i.e one on the scene, another getting aerial or one at the front of the march one near the back). There are other roles that will make the workload simpler: Coordinator, Card Runner, Photo Editor.

i. The coordinator can work liaison with the organizers and the rest of the photo team, help think through all of the above, make decisions about where certain photographers go, do the action walk through etc.



ii. Card Runner will pick up the memory cards and file names and bike/cab/run/walk them to the photo editor.

iii. Photo Editor will go through the files you’ve selected, transfer them to their computer, and edit and upload the photos with proper captions. This person must have some knowledge (even basic) of photo editing software.

iv. Social Media Person . It’s important to decide if the photographers are posting directly to social media or if there is a social media person (and communications person) they should be sending their photos to. Decide ahead of time on whose social media accounts you’ll be posting the albums. It makes a big difference in both (a) who can see the photos, and (b) whose social media pages will get traffic and will get built up. For instance, is it the photographers? An individual? The organizations? All three?

7. Prep your equipment (advanced, for folks with cameras)

Do you have: __ Camera and charged batteries (and extra set) __ Erased last set of photos __ Cleared out all previous settings (white balance, ISO, etc.) __ Cleaned lenses __ Flash and charged batteries (and extra set) __ Card (and extra if needed) __ Fully charged phone (helpful to have external battery, esp if using wifi to transfer photos) __ Press pass, business card, or other ID if desired __ Emails or texts saved where you’re sending photos __ Pre-written social media message ready to cut and paste if uploading on-site



DURING THE ACTION You’re ready to begin! Get to the action early, have your coffee, circle up with your team, and go

over the plan once more. Then you’re off!

Reminder: 1: It’s not about taking photos. It’s about learning to see. Don’t start by pulling out your

phone/camera and getting frustrated that’s it’s too light/dark, etc.. Start by looking around and

starting to compose an image in your mind. What’s the story you’re trying to tell, and how do I

combine the elements in front of me to tell that story?

Reminder 2: How YOU as a photographer interact at an action makes a big difference. Connect

with people. Smile. When there is time/opportunity, it can help to talk to people first,

introduce yourself, ask their story, be seen interacting with the organizers so folks know

you’re on their side. This is especially true if you are an outsider of some sort (e.g. different

race, nationality, language, community, etc.). Be respectful of people’s boundaries, especially

around photographing children, prayer, ceremony, etc. And/but, if you’re there to get the shot,

get in there and get the shot. Don’t be shy.

Reminder 3: Know your rights, and how far you’re willing/able to push it. Do you have a press pass?

Are you on public or private property? Is the person telling you to move, or that you can’t be

there, someone who has the authority to do that or is bluffing? Private security vs. police. Are

you in coordination with the police liaison?

Reminder 4: Look at your shot list. Make sure you get everything. If not, what do you need to do?

Take interesting photos! Here are a few tips on taking interesting photos: ● Avoid panorama or overall pictures of the scene. They are usually not very interesting. Your

eye collects many items in your brain and puts them into one mental image. The most common mistake of beginning photographers is to get too much in the picture. (The exception to this is if it’s the size of your action that’s unique).

● Show motion and emotion . Whenever possible look for motion – people doing things (locking themselves to a building, chanting, holding a fist in the air). And emotion -- people smiling, crying, showing anger, etc. Still images are less interesting. Move in close. That way, you get rid of confusing background and focus on what matters. Related reading: Adding emotion and feeling to photographs.


http://digital-photography-school.com/adding-emotion-and-feeling-to-photographs/

http://digital-photography-school.com/adding-emotion-and-feeling-to-photographs/


● Simplify! Make one thing dominant in every photo. Think about what you want to show and focus on that. Choose one face rather than a crowd. Related reading: Techniques to enhance the focal point of an image.

● Check the background. The camera is not selective about what is captures. You see what you're interested in and blank out the rest. The photo gives equal weight to everything. So check around the screen or viewfinder before you take the photo, and either move to a


http://digital-photography-school.com/using-focal-points-in-photography/

http://digital-photography-school.com/using-focal-points-in-photography/


different place, ask your subjects to move, or clear up clutter if necessary! Related reading: Getting backgrounds right .

● Pick backgrounds and foregrounds as props to help the goal of the photo, by suggest a tone or showing the context.

● Don't put the center of interest right in the middle of the photo . That's where we expect to find it, so it loses impact. Try putting it to one side or the other. This makes more difference than you think. Related reading: Learn the Rule of thirds .


http://digital-photography-school.com/getting-backgrounds-right/

http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds/


● Take vertical-format photos as well as horizontal by turning your camera . They fit well in publications, and can add interest.

● Experiment with fresh angles . Photos of an interview or of demonstrators need special treatment if they are to make interesting photos. What makes these people special? Your challenge is to try and show that through your choice of angle, what you show people doing, and your choice of background.

● Avoid stereotypical imagery. The old tropes are boring and don’t serve your movement. The super angry protester does not welcome people into a new space nor do images of polar bears,



or painted people. Props can be totally beautiful but just be mindful what could turn your event images into fodder for mockery.

● Get their feet! A common mistake is to forget to include the feet of the marcher or speaker. It is not always necessary, but be intentional about it. Do not accidentally cut off their feet at the ankles. It looks weird.



● Don’t be afraid to talk with people. Sometimes an image would be so much better if the subject felt comfortable to look at you, or if they moved slightly to the right, or held the banner straighter. It is ok to gently ask the photo subjects to slightly modify their behavior.

● For group posed photos. Make sure that the official designated photographer gets the shot

they need (with everyone looking directly at the camera) before everyone else gets their

cell-phone shots. Otherwise, if too many cameras/phones are snapping at once, the group will

appear not to be looking at the camera or other cell phone photographers might get in the way

of the official photographer.

● A note on “Photo Ops.” Actions should never be “just a photo op.” What makes for good

photos is what makes for a good action. Even if it’s “just a banner drop,” you’ll get best photos

if folks actually engage passersby, circle up afterwards and do a quick chant. This way the

energy of the participants is higher and that definitely gets conveyed in your images. Plus there

will be a variety of more dynamic images to choose from at the end.

● Think Negative Space: Take some photos with lots of blank or open space to put words on later for a meme or flier. Gather imagery that can later be used on a website or as part of a graphic design.

iPhone photography tips: Photography is more about being clear about the story you’re trying to

tell, learning to see creatively, and knowing how to use the equipment you have than it is about having the latest camera or most expensive lens. In fact, you can take remarkable photos on an iPhone. Here are a few tips and tricks to maximize the quality of your iphone photos:

● Use the built-in camera grid to to take advantage of the rule of thirds ● Select the subject to adjust the exposure/brightness ● Zoom in (but not too much or it will be grainy ) ● 9 iPhone camera features every photographer should know Instagram tips: Instagram is both a powerful social media platform, as well as an easy way to make basic edits to

iPhone photos. ● [Insert non-fashion related editing how-to here, something better than this hopefully:

https://help.instagram.com/365080703569355/?ref=hc_fnav]

Coordination. Photographer and someone from action team need to coordinate to make changes /

interventions, for instance:

● Everyone is looking at cell phones, need to be told to put those down

● Everyone holding banner is white or a guy, need to switch people in/out

● No visuals or ineffective visuals behind speakers

Let’s get Technical. Here are some general settings to keep your camera at to take photos

➢ Shutter Speed: 1/80th or quicker… 1/100, 1/500 great! If it’s dark, you can go slower,

maybe down to 1/40th if your steady, but there are other ways to make your image

brighter.

➢ Aperture: f2.8 or as close to that as you can get f3.5, f5. this will let in a lot of light, if

you’re having trouble getting your subject in focus, you can try f8


http://www.tekrevue.com/tip/enable-iphone-camera-grid/

http://www.imore.com/how-quickly-adjust-exposure-ios-8-camera-app

http://osxdaily.com/2012/04/18/zoom-camera-iphone/

http://iphonephotographyschool.com/iphone-camera/

https://www.instagram.com/


➢ ISO: 400 or as low as you can go! This is something you’ll want to turn up to 800 if all

your settings above aren’t making your image bright enough.

➢ Image Stabilizer / Vibration Reduction: Yes please

➢ Image Quality: Raw & JPEG if you have the space and your camera allows it. Always

try to use “RAW”, it gives a lot more flexibility to edit the image. If you’re looking for a

lower quality image that you can quickly and easily put online, make sure you are

taking JPEGs.

➢ Auto Focus: Yes , unless your auto focus isn’t doing it for you.

DSRL tips:

If you are a new DSLR owner, it is worth getting to know your camera inside and out: shooting

modes, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, focus and metering modes, etc. Here is a

quick guide to get you started , but nothing can replace shooting and experimentation.

AFTER THE ACTION Shooting an event can take a lot of energy. Make sure you get some water or a juice and a sandwich

or something before you sit down to spend about the same amount of time editing and

uploading as you did shooting.

Choosing your images. Having a software to help you go through your catalogue of imagery from

the event is highly recommended. We often use Lightroom but there are others out there. In

any case, you’ll want to go through and flag your favorite photos; don’t even spend time

on ones you don’t like-- this will only detract your attention from the good stuff. This may

take a while and this is ok just keep flagging anything that is worthy of your attention. If you

have two that are similar, you’ll have to make a hard choice between the two. After editing all

the shots, do another pass through to make sure you have a variety of photos that will keep

your audience engaged.

Editing. The press will not use an image that is heavily edited-- so if having the media engaged is a

goal then don’t edit your images too much. We only do simple editing-- adjusting the shadows,

contrast, and highlights. This will help make your images pop just a bit more.

Watermarks. Decide whether or not to use watermarks. We often use them to make crediting and sharing on social media easier for folks. The watermark we use is a simple one. It is in the bottom left corner of the image, size 9 text, and font: calibri. See below image for an example. The text looks like: Emma Cassidy | Survival Media Agency

Posting. You’ve decided who is posting the photos-- either the Social Media Person or the

photographer or both. Either way you’ll want to know where you are putting your photos

online and why. We often post to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Flickr.


http://digital-photography-school.com/21-settings-techniques-and-rules-all-new-camera-owners-should-know/


● Facebook . It’s probably best to upload to organization’s page so that it gets more traffic.

You’ll want to post initially just one great image -- and maybe make it into a meme with a great

quote from the day. Encourage others to share this image so that more and more people will

be exposed to the action and the issues. Later, post no more than 20 images in an album and

make sure to tag as many people who are in the images as possible. This will also drive

traffic. Make sure the album is set to “public” permissions.

● Twitter. It is ideal to post only a handful of images on twitter throughout the day paired with a

small quote or caption.

● Instagram. You should only post the best 3-4 and these must be scattered throughout the day.

It’s bad etiquette on instagram to post multiple images in a row and if you scatter them you’ll

get far more likes. On Instagram it is also preferable to post photos with good captions. Longer

captions are totally fine and do really well. People like the context with a beautiful image.

● Flickr is more of an archival spot-- you can upload high-resolution images and tag them (more

details below) and you can send an album link with your best shots to the media.

Storage. Once you start taking lots of photos you’ll need to find a way to organize them so that it’s

much easier to find them later (i.e. file-naming conventions, tags) and that tracks which

photographers to credit. Look into software like Lightroom to help with this. And always always

backup your images. We recommend multiple external hard-drives.

Credits/accuracy check: Review press where photos are used. Are the photo credits and captions

correct?

Tracking. Measuring the success of the photos and the action are not always the same but it useful

to report back to your base if you had photos do particularly well on social media or were

featured in different outlets. We recommend keeping a spreadsheet to track where your

photos end up.



Debriefing: Incorporate photography as a category of action debrief. To inform that debrief, go

back and look at both the photography in official media coverage, as well as search for the

hashtags you used and see what people posted on social media. Was the action photography

consistent with our goals/message? Were the protagonists featured properly (ie.

diversity/representation check).

Quick Flickr How-To When you’re ready to upload go to this link : select your images -- drag & drop them in. This is the

best place to add tags, add photos to albums, titles, and captions. Once your images are in you can select a group of images or a single image to add tags and to add photos to a set. For captions and titles, it is best done for each image separately since these will be more or less based on the image uploaded.

Tagging. Create and use official tags: COP21, Paris, Climate Change, Climate Justice, Women Titles. Include a basic description of what is happening in the image. For examples: “Jihan Gearon

speaks to a crowd of 10,000” or “Young woman is thrown out of UN Negotiations for protest” Captions . A complete caption tells the story of the photo tying together elements in the image for

the viewer and giving a bit of context. Also make sure to include a photo credit. Instructions for captions: 1. Your caption should include who is in the picture and why they are significant. All

names must be spelled correctly with the correct name on the correct person. (Identify people from left to right.) List ages for any children in the image.

2. What is in the picture? Write so that you’re completing a story, not just describing literally what’s in the picture.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/upload/


3. When? The DATE, including the day of the week, date and year must appear in the body of all captions. Your images will be history some day.

4. Where? Be specific. Include city and country. 5. Why? Explain the circumstances and why the photo is relevant or powerful. Example Caption:

PARIS, FRANCE-- On, November 29, 2015 Hundreds of pairs of shoes filled the square at

Place de la République in Paris. The shoes symbolized all the people that would have

marched in the streets had the protest not been canceled by the French government.

Thousands of people gathered at a peaceful protest for the climate on Boulevard Voltaire

in Paris, France. The people held hands and linked arms on the sidewalk of the boulevard

and displayed banners in support of the climate movement. At the start of the human

chain, a collection of shoes were placed in the square of Place de la République.

Photo By: Emma Cassidy | Survival Media Agency

Albums. To create and organize albums, go to the “You” tab, and click “Organize” at the very

bottom of that list. Inside that section, click “Albums & Collections” Organizing all the photos into albums will be the key to finding the images you need easily especially later on. Album names that are specific will be very useful at the action and beyond.. However here is what we suggest:

1. Best of the best album called: Editor’s Choice NAME OF EVENT. a. A very tightly curated 20 image set of the absolute best action pics showing a diversity

of types of people and actions. The most eye-popping images should be in the front of this album with immaculate captions. This album will evolve as the days go on and better images arrive and some tough choices will have to be made to prevent the album from getting too large.



2. Specific events or actions (for multiple days of actions or for distributed actions) a. Going to a press conference or an action. Label the album the name of the event you

were covering. 3. Daily highlights (optional)

a. This could be a great way to organize the photos that will be posted on FB as a daily highlights reel. Again captions for FB will be helpful as they will give people context

4. Themes to be added as they arise – like “Speakers” or “Young people” or “Palestinian Elders” a. Sometimes organizing in this way is helpful so that if someone from different

organizations or constituencies can access images they need easily.

Special things to keep in mind. 1. Best images always at the front. Always make sure that the best images and most varied

images are at the front of the album. This way people within the first few shots see eye-popping and interesting images that keep their attention

2. Keep the ‘Editor’s Choice’ album at the front. When you create a new album the older albums move behind it. So, after you create a new album, make sure to move the best of the best or rather the ‘Editor’s Choice’ album to always be in position one.

3. Feel free to create ‘Collections’ For similar types of albums feel free to create a ‘Collection.’ This is a group of albums and these can be helpful for grouping like things. Like say there are regular press conferences that you are putting on. All the press conference albums can go in one collection.



Videography Capturing the energy and excitement of an event can bring thousands more to an idea or cause.

Sharing the visuals and communicating people’s thoughts and feelings help your audience have

a deep experience that can shift emotions and change minds. Video is an extremely powerful

tool to communicate your message, but with many complicated technical elements it can easily

become difficult to capture the moment, let alone capture it to the quality necessary to

captivate your audience. This guide will help uncover the necessary steps in the background

and get you thinking like a filmmaker.

Do’s

● Establish a strong goal for the video - it will help guide interviews, b roll, editing, etc.

● Communicate with organizers

● Show up early for event to set up and prepare for conditions.

● Capture good audio, especially in interviews

● Start with wider shots and gradually get tighter shots

● create a quick shot list of potential things to be on the lookout for to film

● Have interviewee’s sign a release

● Check equipment the day before

● Have backup batteries and memory cards

● Focus on the positives of the event

Do not’s

● Take short b-roll clips, each shot should be 15 seconds minimum, 30 seconds is preferable.

● Use excess motion. Still shots are best, especially with lower quality recording equipment

● Focus solely on b roll or interviews

● use music without proper rights

● Film interviews in overly contrasting light or rooms that echo

Before the Action (“preproduction”) Taking the time before filming to prepare, setup and communicate your needs, and to ready your gear

can greatly lessen the chances of a mistake or failure occurring during filming. Which will then save

your hours in the editing process. You want to show up to the event, with people expecting you, plenty

of time to get setup and test your equipment, as well as know the days activities so you can give more

attention to the unexpected.

Get in contact with the organizers of the event & potential interviews.

Through the event organizer you’ll be able to get an understanding around schedule, when setup

starts, when the main activity happens, as well as when will be the best time to do interviews. You

want to be as prepared as possible for what’s ‘supposed’ to happen. Giving a heads up to key people to

be interviewed is always a good idea, especially if you can lock in a time to do an interview.



Coordinate roles before the event. Who will be in the videographer, editor, and distribution roles.

Give yourself enough time before and after the event.

Setting up and testing your equipment can take an hour, you also may want to catch the action and a

few interviews before the event officially starts. Make sure to add in time after the event is supposed

to end as well to get wrap up shots, remaining interviews and gathering any additional information or

footage from others you need.

Script Writing Mapping out your story is extremely helpful to focus your efforts during documentation and can save

hours in the editing room trying to develop one. Knowing the videos purpose, audience and realistic

potential is important for determining how you film and what questions you ask. Here are some

questions to ask yourself when preparing to create a video.

1. What is the Goal of this video? What is the focus?

2. How would you summarize this video to someone new?

3. Who is your audience? What do they like to watch?

4. How long will the video be?

5. What are the strongest visuals that come to mind?

6. What is the desired tone? What do you want your audience to feel from watching this?

7. What do you want your audience to do after watching this film?

These answers are important to communicate to members of your crew involved in creating interview questions, capturing the event and editing the footage. Depending on the complexity or spontaneity of an event, it may be difficult to go further than this, but preparing as much information beforehand will set a strong foundation to begin. Evolve the script based on the footage you capture. You’ll rarely get what you asked for but that’s half the fun.

Knowing the desired content of the video will help you compose questions for your interviews.

Shot List ● Establishing shots of the area ; signs, skyline, daily activities, surrounding landscapes, nearby

nature

● Wide shot of the action . see everything that’s going on and give your viewer perspective

● A diverse range of participants. medium shots and close ups to connect personally with

people involved

● The best signage that expresses the messaging of the event the best

● Cute children holding signs

● Speakers - at least a visual of each of the speakers, important to capture as much audio of

speakers as possible. getting footage looking at the speakers and from the opposite angle,

over the speakers shoulder looking at the crowd are both important.

● close ups on feet marching / people’s hands



● crowd shots to see the number of people that showed up, try to make the crowd look as big as

possible, fill your framing so there isn’t empty space

● crowds chanting and cheering, make sure not to break record through a chant, as it may be

used in it’s entirety in the background of a part of the video. getting a high angle shot as well

gives an interesting perspective.

● important people , government officials, celebrities, head of organizations. this helps show

your event is official

● police presence, if it bleeds it reads, arrests and confrontations not only are important for legal

recording but attract people to your video

● artisti shots - have fun, experiment, go in and out of focus, move around.

Tools of the Trade

● Cell Phones (for camera and video) - Make sure the phone is recording in the highest possible

quality setting, especially if cellphone footage will be submitted for media broadcast. Take

video horizontally, not vertically and hold the phone as still as possible.

● DSLR Photo Camera with video mode - They require a basic understanding of camera settings

as well as ability to pull focus manually while filming. But these cameras capture high quality

video and have an amazing ability to blur out the background and make your image look really

high quality. A major downside to Photo Cameras with video mode is the audio options are

very minimal, it’s a lot harder to record high quality auto, see audio recorder below. Prices start

at $500 for beginner cameras and a basic stock lens.

● prosumer video cameras - These are a great go-between for DSLR’s and cellphones. They give

more of a video “feel” and can be more intuitive and stable for a beginner videographer.

Typically the automatic settings are better suited for video over a DSLR and they have a rolling

auto-focus.

○ Canon VIXIA HF R600 - $199 - good image stabilization and audio. Great all around

beginner video camera -http://bhpho.to/1g1UNEz

○ Panasonic HC-VX870K - $797 - Shoots in 4k, best for sending video to broadcast media,

great zoom range, and easy to use - http://bhpho.to/1hYw4kq

○ Zoom Q4 Handy Video Recorder - $198 - easy to use, great option if good audio is

priority over video. http://bhpho.to/1mVaBVx

● microphones (one on your camera pointed towards what you’re filming and one closest to the

sound you're capturing, while not being in the shot; a handheld microphone or clip on lavaliere)

○ Lavaliere Mic - clips to clothing or can be set up on podium. Best used for capturing

audio from individual speakers. Lavaliere microphones can easily produce bad audio

from rubbing on fabric, wind, or other interference. Make sure to monitor the audio to

make sure you’re capturing good audio.



○ Shotgun Mic - Best used for capturing audio directly in front of camera and more

general audio from an event.

○ Handheld microphone - great for interviews with individuals without having to secure

a lavaliere mic

● Audio Recorders - A great back up to microphones. Most audio recorders allow external mics

to be plugged into them as well as having a microphone on top. Audio recorders typically have

long record times and are great for leaving on a stage podium to capture all of the speeches,

chants, etc.

Equipment Checklist: The Essentials:

__ Camera & Lenses / Cell Phone - (try it out the day before, make sure all your settings are loaded and the camera is functioning properly)

__ Charged batteries - ( bring extra & charger if possible. Not only camera or smartphone

batteries, but AA rechargeable batteries and specialty batteries for other equipment. have a portable USB battery charger for your smartphone)

__ Lens Cloth - clean your lenses before you start filming, and check on your lens during the day. __ Memory Card - (bring extra and make sure you have plenty of free space. It’s prefered that your

cards are blank and formatted before an event (backup whatever data you had on the cards beforehand. Formatting a card in a camera wipes all the data and sets up the card for best use with that specific camera, formatting also reduces the chance of an error occurring during filming which can cause footage lose. )

__ Microphones - (run two microphones if possible in case one channel gets disrupted) __ Tripod - (or a monopod. and don’t forget the plate that connects to your camera and slides on

the tripod! )

__ business card and a notebook (it’s important to quickly and easily have a way to give out your information to others and take down their information. a handy notebook is also important for writing down notes for an editor or key information that’s needed to put together the video)

Optional, depending on your situation:

__ Audio Recorder (optional, sometimes you may want a recording of all speeches or because your

video cameras audio capabilities are so poor you want to hold a recorder up to the sound source)

__ Lighting - (an on camera light can save an interview or a shot in a shaded area, poorly lit room

or at night. You may also consider bringing a reflector during the day to bounce



light from the sun up into the shadows of someone’s face for an interview. The next step is to bring lights for a sit down interview.)

__ Rain Cover - (or a plastic bag you modified to cover your camera. if you are preparing for

moisture, bringing a small towel will come in handy) __ Accessories - (don’t forget all the little gizmos and gadgets your technology needs to function;

adapters, screws, cables, filters, attachments, add-ons, etc) __ Additional cameras (the more cameras the better! rarely does a camera fail, but when it does,

you’ll be glad you have options. Also consider setting up a wide shot for the event on a tripod or handing out extra cameras to colleagues to help cover the event. Having multiple angles & other cameras recording during intense situations like arrests or actions that happen very quickly or spontaneously is beneficial.

__ Card Reader or USB cable (having a way to transfer your footage to someone else

immediately after the event) __ Laptop & Hard Drive (if you plan on copying other people’s footage immediately after an event.

additionally, having a universal card reader is important to be able to copy from different types of cameras. Commons types of media for DSLRs or video cameras are: CF (compact flash) , SD (secure digital), and micro SD (found in cell phones and smaller cameras). Also bringing cell phone USB cables is wise for copying people’s cellphone media.

__ Press pass, or other ID (the more official looking you are, the better)

How to Dress

Depending on the seriousness the event is, you will want to consider how the police and those that you are looking to interview perceive you. Dressing too casual can give people the idea that you’re a hobbyist and your footage won’t go anywhere, leading to less passionate interviews. At an event where you could risk arrest, do not dress to fit into the crowd of protesters. Wearing all black is or dressing semi-formal while having the necessary clothing to be agile is a great idea. Bringing a brimmed hat on a sunny day will help keep the sun out of your eyes while you try to watch your camera monitor.

Release Forms.

You may think the people you are filming are friends or colleagues and a release form isn’t necessary,

but often a release form is required by a news company or television distributor in order to screen your

interviews or soundbites. If you’re unable to obtain releases from people before or immediately after

the interview, you can always pursue the signature via e-mail. Not having a release could mean having

to cut an interview if you’re not willing to take on the liability yourself. Though it can be argued that by

someone being interviewed they are giving consent, it’s better to be safe. Note that anyone under 18

years old that’s being filmed needs a co-sign release from their parent.



EXAMPLE RELEASE

(make sure to fill in “Company” and “Work” section before printing)

Grant

I consent to the recording of my statements and grant to ___ NAME / ORG HERE ____ ("Company")

licensees and successors the right to copy, reproduce, and use all or a portion of the statements (the

"Interview") for incorporation in the following work: ___ VIDEO TITLE HERE ___ (the "Work").

I permit the use of all or a portion of the Interview in the Work in all forms and media including

advertising and related promotion throughout the world and in perpetuity. I grant the right to use my

image and name in connection with all uses of the Interview and waive the right to inspect or approve

use of my Interview as incorporated in the Work.

Release

I release Company licensees and successors from any claims that may arise regarding the use of the

Interview including any claims of defamation, invasion of privacy, or infringement of moral rights, rights

of publicity or copyright. I acknowledge that I have no ownership rights in the Work

Company is not obligated to utilize the rights granted in this Agreement.

I have read and understood this agreement and I am over the age of 18. This Agreement expresses the

complete understanding of the parties.

Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ____________________

Signature: __________________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________

Telephone:________________________ Email:___________________________________

Witness Signature: __________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Consent [include if the person is under 18]

I am the parent or guardian of the minor named above. I have the legal right to consent to and do

consent to the terms and conditions of this model release.

Parent/Guardian Name: ________________________________ Date: ________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: __________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Address: ___________________________________________________



During the Action (“production”) Show up early, test your gear, and be ready for the action before it starts.

Arrive to an event before the crowds show up so you can setup your camera to get the best shot.

Having a friend run through the main actions of standing on the podium, or standing where the

speakers will stand while you look through your camera will help you see what the lighting is like and

what the issues are that you have to solve.

Set Up your microphones, test your sound, be close to the action so your camera can hear it.

You’ll also want to test all your microphones and figure out the best way to get your microphones

closest to the speaker. Having amplified sound at an event can help your camera capture the audio

from the crowd, but it’s always best to have a microphone setup on the podium or in front of the

speaker that’s going directly to your camera. The closer the microphone to the sound source the

better! Test your microphones, check your batteries, make sure everything looks great on camera

before you even start recording (unless you’re alone and then you can lock off your camera and do

these tests yourself and then playback the clip to see how you sound and look).

You want to be setup and recording minutes before anything important happens.

What’s an ideal situation?

● show up early, at least an hour to setup, everything goes on time, the weather is nice, lots of

people show up and everyone is engaging and visual.

● having a sound system setup at an event that you can plug your audio recorder into. if a sound

mixer person is at an event they already have all the microphones coming to one place, you

could take a signal from their output and record the entire event. this is a great option to

record audio but it’s not reliable and you should have other microphones going into your

camera as backup

What are situation to avoid?

● white rooms with florescent lighting from above

● dark rooms with minimal lighting

● high noon interviews in the sun

● setting up your equipment with crowds of people around you

Getting the Coverage You Need

You’ll want a good variety of shots for editing. When in doubt about taking certain shots, take them!

It’s better to have footage you don’t need than lack a vital piece from the day. But don’t over shoot,

stay on topic and film what’s relevant. For every hour you film it will take you about 10 hours to edit

the material.

You’re looking to ‘show’ a story, match the audio message of the video with the visuals. Make sure to

capture the energy and excitement of the day. It’s okay to spark a flame, talk with people, ask people



to participate in a creative way and have people engage with the camera. Take advantage of an

organizer, chant leader or microphone controller (MC) if they’re available to help excite the crowd or do

an activity that you think is important to capture.

If you miss an important moment and try to have the person repeat their action or try to recreate the

moment best for video. Also take note of any important soundbites or topics that come up at an event

that you miss, you can always bring it up in an interview later or have someone speak to it.

Capturing Footage for different Outlets

Recording an event for a news station or broadcast on TV can be very different than recording a video

for Social Media or a Vine. These two examples are extreme opposites when it comes to your

movement and framing. Then there is everything in between. Capturing video so it can be used in a

potential future project. Capturing video so you can distribute it amongst filmmakers to edit

themselves, capturing video with your own idea of a final product in mind. Below we’ll cover the

differences and similarities.

News or Broadcast

When capturing footage for TV or a news segment. You’ll want to make sure you’re on a tripod for

everything. No movement or hollywood effects, lock down your angle and your focus. You’ll want to

deliver to them your best and cleanest shots that tell your story. Prioritize safe wider shots and the

sprinkle in closer shots. A few medium shots of speakers or main participants is important as well.

You’ll want each of these shots to run long so the editor there can cut in and out as they please. You

can either send them 1 video file with all the shots put back to back. making sure that each shot lasts

for at least 15 seconds. News company footage generally is less exciting. They don’t want the camera

effects telling the story, they want simple raw footage. You’ll also want to send them the highest

quality footage you can.

Usually only 10-30 seconds total of all the footage you send will be used. You want to give them

options, but you don’t want to send them so much that they get buried in your footage. General

summary soundbites from people explaining what’s happening, why they are there and what they want

to happen are great for the news company to have. Soundbites from people should be short a

sentence or two or clips from the best part of a speech. If recording handheld with your cellphone

keep it horizontal and very steady.

Documentaries

If you’re producing an overview of an event you’ll need a whole storyline (intro, body, interviews,

conclusion, call to action). These are all key elements to any general video and are good to cover when

creating a video for a documentary.

● hold steady on a good shot for at least 15 seconds, ideally each b-roll shot is at least 30 seconds

long, this gives an editor choices and buffer time at the beginning and end

● Use a tripod when possible to get stable footage

● Have a good mix of stationary shots to mix in with moving shots



Social Media

If videos are being shot for social media keep them short and focused on highlights to retain attention

of the viewer. If this is part of a long term video make sure to archive footage and make note of

impactful moments from the day so you don’t forget about them when you get around to editing.

● vines - great for showing short clips during an event or quick highlight reel after event.

● facebook - great for an array of videos from impactful clips to short videos

● simple youtube videos members can put together

● Periscope - A great living streaming app for running a whole event. Make sure to keep it

interesting by narrating the scene and capturing personal stories of those involved during the

action.

b-roll

This is all the action, the footage that will be overlayed over people speaking during the video. Be sure

to capture all aspects of the day (organizers setting up, chanting, speakers, banners, etc.) Make a quick

list before the event to help keep all the aspects of the event in order.

Things to consider; scene setting shots: location, set up, materials, setting up, close up of various

actions: speaker’s hands, marching feet, good signs, faces. Get creative with your angles. Look for

opportunities to capture shots from new places. Look for buildings roofs or high windows, behind

speakers looking out at the crowd, down low.

Being able to capture events as they happen naturally usually looks best on camera, though it’s

challenging. When an event is missed or things are moving too fast, you should speak up and ask for

things to be repeated or held so you can get the footage you need. Interacting with the people you

are filming and asking them to stand a certain way or look in a certain direction is perfectly normal and

should be done as you need. Having a person you’re filming holding a sign engage in the camera

greatly improves the image and adds an emotional element to the visuals. Warning someone that

you’re filming them and having them smile at camera usually turns out better than surprising them.



When filming a group it’s good to get everyone’s attention on you. Sometimes for group shots

multiple cameras can have people looking all over the place. Also telling people if they can’t see your

lens, you can’t see them helps people move to be visible in your shot. Though static group shots are

more of a photo thing, so for video you’ll want the crowd to do an action together or say something

together in order to translate better to video.

Depending on what you’re looking to capture, the setup before an event can be a simple way to start

your video. It’s also a time when key members of the event are available for interviews. When telling a

story with a camera, there are three main types of shots.

Wide Shot

These are great shots to begin with because they’re the least intrusive and often when introducing an

audience to something visual, you start with a wider framing, that’s further away from the action, with

your lens zoomed out, seeing everything that’s going around. It’s important to show the area. If the

action is happening on city streets, show the buildings with people marching. Try to show how many

people are at the event by widening your framing enough to capture the bulk of them. But be careful

of being too wide if the event is small and having the limited amount of people show in the shot.

Wide shots can also be establishing shots. Shots of the area, nature, busy streets, cars driving by,

signage of the town, etc. Things you can film when the event isn’t going on or hasn’t started yet. These

types of shots can set the tone for where the event is taking place and be a great introduction to your

video.

Also wide shots tend to be the safest, if your subject is moving around, you can loose them in a closer

shot, if your camera gets bumped it’s less noticeable when your framing is wider. And if you’re doing

lots of handheld footage, it helps to be wider so your movement isn’t picked up as much through the

camera.



Medium Shot

This is the most common type of framing. When filming a person, at the top of the frame give space

above the person's head. The bottom of the frame will be around the person's waist. This allows you

to see the person's face and hands clearly.

Close Up

Finally the more risky and harder to get shots, but the ones that tend to be more artistic and beautiful.

Tighter shots of action or objects of interest make great cutaways for your editor. It’s also a way to

bring the viewer’s attention in on something, like a sign or something symbolic.

Rule of 3rds

The rule of thirds is one of the most basic rules of photographic composition. This framing technique

applies equally well to video. Divide the frame into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. The points

where those lines intersect are optimal locations for the placement of your main subject.



Rough Guide to Filming: http://www.icontactvideo.org/rough-guide-to-video

Lighting

A key element to drawing the attention of your viewer is how you light your subject. Ideally you want

your subject to be brighter than the background. But most importantly is adjusting the brightness of

your shot so your subject isn’t too dark or too bright. Generally it’s better to keep an image a little

darker than too bright. Once the image turns white, there is little you can do to correct this. The sky is

often the first to go, which for most cheaper cameras is hard to avoid.

When filming outside on a sunny day, shadows from the sun overhead can cast harsh shadows across

your subjects face. Intense areas of contrast between light and shadow can be very difficult for your

camera to capture. It’s important to try to position yourself around the subject, that either the light is

fully on their face or behind them as a ‘backlight’ and then you expose for the shadow that their face is


http://www.icontactvideo.org/rough-guide-to-video


in. Another strategy is moving your subject into the shadow and having your background shadow. This

will give an even fill to your subject so you don’t have areas of high contrast where their forehead is

‘blown out’ white.

Focus

Always check to make sure your subject is in focus before filming them. This can be done by tapping

the screen of your phone on your subject or zooming in with your camera all the way, focusing and

zooming back out to where you were.

Interviews

Try to capture all the basic interviews you need before the event starts. Sometimes the intensity of an

event can make capturing interviews during the event challenging, and often after an event ends people disappear or are out of energy. Through, conducting interviews during the event and after is critical for capturing people in the moment and having a great background. Also after the event participants are are informed and potentially energized. Some of your best footage will be during and after an event, but to be safe you should capture your general audio needs early on.

Having your interviewee energized and passionate about your answers is ideal. It’s important to

engage them in your questions and have your base content covered, but it’s also important to have the interviewee talk about what they are most knowledgeable about and what they bring to the event. This not only is easier for them to talk about but varies the responses from your interviews.

● Make sure to have your interviewee look just off of the camera to a person asking them

questions. This removes the pressure of looking into the camera and creates a human

connection that is more natural and conversational. Looking into the camera is useful if you’re

looking to speak directly to the audience with your message.

● have person spell their first and last name, and share their title / organization, as well as any

contact info they’d like to share. (this captures some crucial info an editor needs and is stronger

grounds for legal consent to the interview)

● Have the interviewee repeat the question in the answer

● Make sure to capture soundbites from participants during the event. It’s good to be prepared

for on the fly interviews with random people at the event. you never know when what you’re

going to find and it helps mix up the speakers. usually these will be short, one or two

questions. A fun technique to try is asking multiple people the same question and then putting

their answers together back to back.

● If time allows, start with short, easy questions. This will allow for the interviewee to warm up to

being on camera.

● Be concise and to the point, and stay on topic. Don’t be afraid to ask for a summary of the

previous statement to pull out concise statements.



● soundbites are anywhere between a few sentences long to a fragment short, for short online

videos and news, this length of a powerful message is important to capture

● Be aware of background noise. If the interview is happening in a quiet location without

background noise (crowds, chants, marching, etc.) be aware of noise that can ruin the audio

from an interview (doors closing, planes, traffic.) If you’re outside, don’t worry about audio as

much. Remember, movements are noisy, spontaneous, and sometimes chaotic. Keep the

microphone as close to your subject when filming in noisy places.

● Don’t forget to have your interviewee sign their release and make sure to take off any

microphones you put on them. Swapping contact info can also be helpful.

Quick Tips for Better Interviews:

http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/2012/08/quick-tips-for-better-interview-video/

Collecting Footage

Have someone from your organization collecting contact info of everyone documenting the event, also

hand out your contact info. After the event, contact people that were there with cameras and ask

them to send you their footage. Be mindful that some videographers may be unwilling or hesitant to

share footage. At a minimum, be sure to credit all videographers in the final product.

More Settings

There are many drawbacks to keeping your camera on AUTO for exposing and focusing. Not only is it

inaccurate but having automatic settings makes it hard for the editor to control the image and make

blanket corrections to the footage. If need be use auto exposure to have your camera get close

enough to ideal settings.

Shutter Speed

This is one of the settings that controls how much light comes into your camera. Ideally for video you

want to keep your shutter around 1/60 or 1/50. If you’re filming in a dark place and you’ve done all you

can to brighten your image so you can see it, you can try going down to 1/30, but when you move the

camera the image is more likely to have motion blur. Bringing your shutter over 1/120 will begin to

have a strobe effect for fast moving objects.

Aperture

Another setting that controls how much light comes into your camera. This also affects how much of

your image is in focus. Opening your lens to let in as much light as possible is usually the best idea. An

open aperture would be f2 or f2.8 or f3.5 while a closed and dark aperture would be f18 or f22. The

higher the number the more that will be in focus. If you have the light and you’re worried about things

being in focus, you may want to bring your aperture to f8 or f10. This will bring the foreground and

background in focus. But if you’re looking for just your subject to be in focus and your background to

go blurry, you’ll want to open up to an f2 if possible.


http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/2012/08/quick-tips-for-better-interview-video/


ISO / ASA / Gain

This is the digital brightness your camera will add to the image. It’s best to turn this down as much as

possible so your image doesn’t add ‘noise’ or specs on your video. ISO / ASA usually goes as low as 100

or 200, which is great for sunny days, for gain you can bring it down to zero. For darker situations you

can bring your gain up to +9 or ISO 1000 in order to see your image, but going above that will decrease

the quality of your image. If you’re in a really dark circumstance, this can be turned up really high in

order to see things and get focus.

Contrast

if your camera has a way to adjust the contrast settings, turn it down so your image becomes gray.

Creating a gray image is best for an editor. Too high of contrast will lose detail in the brightest and

darkest parts of your image and you want to try to preserve that. The exception is if you’re looking to

release your video immediately and doing no or minimal editing, then you want to increase the contrast

and saturation to the point so what you see in your camera looks the best and most final it can.

Zoom

Zooming into a subject is a great way to blur out the background and focus on your subject. When trying to draw your viewer's attention to a speaker or object, it helps to blur out the background or have the background be darker. Though zooming in will help you focus on your subject, it’s riskier because any movement you make will show up on camera. A little bump when you’re fully zoomed in can share your entire screen. Image Stabilizer / Vibration Control

It’s always a good idea to turn on your camera or lens’s image stabilizer. This is a great feature that isn’t on most cell phones or simple video cameras. But when getting into higher end photo or video cameras and lenses, this feature will becomes available. This will make any handheld motion much smoother and can save many shots from being too bumpy to watch.

TROUBLESHOOTING & WORST CASE SCENARIOS -

● a good first step when things start getting weird on your electronics is to power cycle the

device, turn the camera or phone off, wait, and then back on.

● woops I formatted my card or deleted all my videos. or an “Error” pops up while you’re filming

that indicates a file was corrupted and you can’t record anymore

○ do not use that card anymore. use a different card and continue filming. you can open

the card up on a laptop and run ‘recovery’ software to retrieve your lost data.

formatting technically doesn’t erase your data, it hides your previously recorded

footage in the background to be overwritten by new footage. Though recovering

footage is very risky and no guarantee. It is best to re-record as much as you can on a

different card. I’ve used “ CardRescue ” < https://www.cardrescue.com/ > software in the

past with great success.

● the microphone stopped working

○ check the batteries in the microphone


https://www.cardrescue.com/

https://www.cardrescue.com/


○ follow the cables and make sure nothing was disconnected. Jiggle and re-connect

cables to camera and microphone while listening through your headphones to see if

anything changes as you troubleshoot a weak connection.

○ know what type of power your microphone needs, some cameras have the option to

send power from the camera to the microphone, called “Phantom” power.

AFTER THE ACTION (“post production”) Moving from the capturing of an event to the editing phase is a half way marker, if not less. Most of

the time spend on projects happens after the filming, editing, finalizing your video and getting it out

there takes a lot of effort. It’s important to collect all the footage you’re looking to work with to one

place and make backup copies of it. Being organized will help prevent hours of stress and allow you to

focus on the storytelling aspect.

Though you may have your script already laid out, it’s important to allow another phase of the creative

process to come into play and for the current ideas around the video to evolve.

Workflow

● collect footage from all your sources, and bring it to one place. Be prepared for how much

space you will need for storage. If you’re using online storage be sure you have enough capacity

to store all the footage.

○ was the press there? can you get a copy or download their report?

○ copy footage from all the media makers at the event

■ download youtube videos with ‘clipconverter.cc’

○ copy footage from your camera

● Have Multiple backups, at least two (on your computer, on an external hard drive, cloud

storage, on the camera. In multiple locations in case of theft or damage)

● It is best to organize footage as close to the date you filmed as possible. You will have many

mental notes on what shots happened when and thoughts on how to best achieve your

footage. Footage archives should be easy to navigate and understand. This allows other

editors to easily find relevant footage.

● Rename footage files with a short description of the day. If you always keep the generic file

name structure, searching for lost shots amongst a hard drive where all video files have the

same name structure can end up being a needle in a haystack search. Ex.: PCM_Camera

1_0001.mov, DukeRally_Feb_001.mov

● Organize footage into different folders. This can be personal preference for the editor but

some example categories

■ Camera number (if multiple cameras)

■ Location

■ b roll

■ interviews



○ Most computers have a film renaming program available to rename files and add

numbers in order created. Automator on Mac is easy to use and come standard on

all Mac computers.

Quick Turnaround

Try to get your video out quickly while the media and other attention is focused on your event. Have

roles for editors and communication teams sorted out in advance with a clear plan for what want to

accomplish with video and how.

Social Media

For social media - Aim for short and sweet. Attention spans on social media are incredibly short, start

with eye catching visuals and powerful statements to capture attention. You’ll need to summarize all

that happened in a few sentences.

One approach is to condense your best footage and audio into a short 30 second - 1.5 minute video

that gets the point across, has quick edits, fast paced music, is fun and has simple soundbites scattered

throughout. This can be the most fun to produce as a wrap up video of your event and can focus a lot

of attention on one video to tell the message through social media. Because of facebook and other

social media pages having an autoplay feature without sound, it is helpful to insert subtitles over your

audio.

Another strategy is to have multiple little clips submitted, 5-15 second clips, that show different

highlights of the event. This will flood your social media page with content and take advantage of

different people’s networks to bring everyone to your event or organization page. This also is one of

the easier approaches because there is minimal editing, you could even edit directly from your cell

phone and upload from your cellphone during the action.

Press

When sending media to the press it’s best to have your contact people already set out and expecting your footage before the event starts. Because time is of the essence and getting them the footage same day can be critical to making it onto the night's news or missing the hype.

● have a press release to go with your video

● The more of their work you do for them, the more likely they are to use your content. This is in

terms of written material that is sent along with your video to Blogs, News Agencies, or

Distributors. Writing an informative article, having a great headline, having a thorough press

release, websites for more information, ways the viewer can take action, social media pages or

#ashtags, etc. Along with the contact info of the PR person of your organization for press

inquiries, clarifications, and to get more information.

● editing together a ‘reel’ of your best footage or putting your best clips in a folder

● Send in your highest quality shots with the best soundbites to makes sure your message isn’t

skewed. Make sure to have submission requirements ahead of time to send in correctly

formatted footage.



Editing

Making your way through all the footage can be an intimidating process, especially if there are multiple

cameras from the day. Below is a general process for making it from raw footage to a final product.

○ Raw footage - this is all the footage shot and collected from the event

○ Selects - Good shots from the raw footage

○ Assembly cut - This is the rough structure of the video, where the story line starts to

take shape and your layout is formed.

○ Rough Cut - This is your completed narrative that contains all the aspects of the story

you are telling.

○ Final Cut - Your video that is ready for publication. This includes all your best shots and

unimportant aspects are edited out. All your titles, graphics, and call to action are

included. Keep in mind there can be multiple final cuts: extended versions, short

versions, etc.

The most common editing software is Adobe Premiere Pro. It works on Mac & PC and is a professional

program. But there are cheaper and free options out there. Most computers come with a basic video

editor, imovie or windows media player. There are also a few Open Source programs to do basic video

editing that are free to download.

Example videos:

Porter Ranch Gas Leak from Food & Water Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njYemf_XHsQ

Ende Gelände: Here And No Further from 350: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC5Faqbw0Hg

Our Power from the Sunflower Alliance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5PPM0He0i0

March for Real Climate Leadership from 350:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=_A_ObFGvTec

Charleston WV chemical spill, PSM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=X6HpqJ_hESg

Music

Music is very important to the video. It creates a rhythm to edit to, it excites the viewer and brings your

visuals to life. It’s important to make sure music matches the tone of the video and that the music isn’t

too loud, especially during someone speaking. Don’t use fast, upbeat music for somber actions, etc. Be

sure to have usage rights sorted out on music. You can always ask local musicians that may be allied

with your cause if it is ok to use their music or find royalty free songs online.

Based on the parameters of your video, there are different copyright laws to follow. The safest option

is buying a cheap $20 track from one of the links below. There is some free music you can use, but the

quality is usually pretty low. When getting into creative commons music, you have to make sure you’re

able and willing to release your video creative commons. When releasing your content creative


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njYemf_XHsQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC5Faqbw0Hg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5PPM0He0i0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=_A_ObFGvTec

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=X6HpqJ_hESg


commons, know that you can restrict the license for remixing and resale as you see fit (find out more:

https://creativecommons.org/ ).

For more serious projects you may want to hire a composer to create music specifically for your video.

● Recommended music sites:

○ Ben Sound - http://www.bensound.com/

○ Premium Beats: http://www.premiumbeat.com/

○ Audio Jungle - http://market.envato.com

○ jamendo.com

○ https://creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos/

○ http://www.freesound.org/

○ http://freemusicarchive.org/curator/Creative_Commons/

○ the music bed - https://www.musicbed.com

And there’s more out there: http://socialtimes.com/royalty-free-music_b37470

SurvivalMediaAgency . com


https://creativecommons.org/

http://www.bensound.com/

http://www.premiumbeat.com/

https://www.musicbed.com/

http://socialtimes.com/royalty-free-music_b37470


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