How to work with video

Introduction

Telling stories is as old as humanity. We hear stories from the moment we're born, and tell them almost as we learn to speak. Stories shape who we are and how we see the world, which is why it is important for feminists to use them to inspire and lead, not just offline, but online as well.

Video and animation can be powerful tools for bringing these stories to others, and both are often used as techniques for digital storytelling.

The priorities for both video and digital storytelling are to prioritise the voice of the story-teller or interviewee; be conscious of power dynamics and to tell great feminist stories.

Overview of digital storytelling

For those just getting started here is a resource that offers a range of links to software and guides on how to do digital storytelling. Another good guide on methodology is by the StoryCenter.

One of the advantages of digital storytelling is that the person is telling their own story in their own voice, selecting images to represent their story. It is not someone else telling their story. Generally, insist on the "I" in the story - don't tell a story about someone else. Our approach has been mainly using the voice of the storyteller and then adding in still images.

Overview of video production

Video can bring an immediacy to advocacy that plain text lacks, and can be used to demonstrate points in innovative ways, beyond the scope of radio.

Tom's Guide for some easy to follow advice on shooting video.

Click here to find out more about video for activism.

Overview of animation

Animation has some advantages over video, though it may be more time-consuming. Translation can be done relatively seamlessly, and if you are offering the animation for edit, a new soundtrack could be overlaid with comparative ease. Also it is easier to protect anonymity, and sometimes to tackle thorny but important issues through animation. (An example of this is My Body Belongs To Me.)

Technical tools

While the best free and open source videos run on Linux (OpenShot for example), Avidemux is available for both Mac and Windows as well. While not as user friendly as the Linux alternatives, it appears to be the best for all platforms.

For digital storytelling, Virtualdub can be used on Windows.

A lot of the resources on digital storytelling are aimed at teachers, which means that they aren't always as useful for communities as they incorporate a very different power structure (a teacher telling students what to do), with very different motivation. However, some animation tools that were developed for teachers might be useful. I've used I Can Animate, which we found intuitive and flexible, if you want to do a proper 'stop-go' animation. If not, there are some story-board style tools, such as animoto.com, which allows you to choose how much control you want over the animation.

Methods

If you are shooting either visuals or audio, particularly if conducting interviews, it is important to bear in mind power relations. Ensure that as much as possible is done to make sure that the person whose story is being told, for example, feels ownership over their story at all parts of the process. This may range from allowing them to help edit material, or to teaching them how to take the video themselves. At events, seek out women's and feminist voices.

From the beginning be aware of both power and security, particularly when interviewing survivors of gender-based violence or sexual assault. This excellent blog post helps address most of the issues,

Lastly, though it is important through every aspect of video production, bear in mind security.

• Think before you upload your story to the internet and if your security could be compromised by others seeing it or not.
• If you don't want your face shown, you can use tools to blur or pixelate faces.
• Never use an image of a person without the explicit permission of that individual.
• If you use images and/or music from the internet, make sure they are licensed under an appropriate copy-free licence (such as CopyLeft or Creative Commons).

Checklist

1. Play your video once through, to check for clarity and sharpness of images.

2. If your sources are anonymous, check that there is no identifying material throughout the video.

3. If you are doing animation or using videos, have sources been treated with respect?

4. Do you have permissions for images of all people shown in the video?

5. Are all images and/or music licensed under an appropriate copy-free licence?

6. Is the title for your video compelling? Does it capture the essence of the video?