Video Guide

How to take a great video that makes an impact
Videos are as essential as photographs to any campaign. Videos provide you with a more personal and live-like approach to your message. In our modern social media landscape, videos are the most important tool in your toolkit. Taking a good video is often more complicated than people realise.
Taking good videosThere are many guides on how to take good videos on the internet but here are a few basic pointers:

• This tip may seem obvious, but make sure there’s something related to your story in the video. That said, don’t be afraid to get creative and try something a little different.
  
• Aim to get your subject(s) to fill the frame. Videos of people off in the distance are generally less interesting than close-ups which allow you to make out the individual.
  
• When taking videos of infrastructure / road layouts / junctions, try to get some people in the video or if not possible try to narrate the video to give it a personal touch. If possible, take a friend along so they can narrate in front of the camera or take video of you narrating.
  
• Group videos, just like group photographs, are a very effective way to show enthusiasm and support for your cause.
  
• Try to include a diverse range of people in your videos – people of different ages, genders, ethnicities, abilities – to show that your issue is relevant to everyone in the community.
  
• Video is all about movement! If possible try to capture people doing an action relating to your campaign, just like walking, cycling or interacting on the streets. If the scene is more static maybe you can try panning or zooming to give it more action. The more lively and positive the video looks the better!
  
• Video can be landscape or portrait. Portrait orientation video is the preferred for social media posts while landscape is the best for mini films and TV ads.
  
• With video the more you take the best. Video can be edited and cut together so the more you take the better is your chance to capture the “it” moment.
  
• The best video length for social media is between 10 to 15 seconds, long enough to capture a scene but not so long that you lose people’s interest.
  
• You can tweak and change some settings on your phone. The most important ones are video quality (1080p, 4K, etc.), speed (in frames per second) and exposure (how dark or light). Usually your phone is smart enough to use the most efficient settings but try to play around with them to find the settings that best suit your style.
  
• The following video uses several video clips that are good examples of videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHRHf6qRkM0
  

PermissionIf you are taking group videos, please make sure the videos you take are cleared for use. This means that everyone in the video has given their consent for the video to be used publicly. General videos of street scenes in public spaces do not need permission. It’s probably best to ask at the beginning of your meeting / event / activity whether anyone is uncomfortable being videoed. You need to make sure you clearly state that the video will be used by your group, potentially for the media, and that you give everyone the chance to opt out of being in the video if they so wish. Obtaining permission is especially important when children are involved. You must ask the parent / guardian for consent to take a child’s video, and make sure you’re clear about how the video will be used. If you are in any doubt about whether to use a video or not, it’s best not to use it. This will ensure you maintain your group’s reputation.
Camera or phone?Unlike pictures, with videos a phone camera, especially if it’s a recent model, should be more than capable of taking great quality video (sometimes even in 4K). Also a phone has the benefit of always including a microphone while some professional cameras need an additional microphone to take good quality video. Another benefit of using a phone to take a video is that phones have video editing software included so it’s really simple to edit the look and length of the video to suit your needs.