Video for Change: A Guide For Advocacy and Activism - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0745324126 ISBN 13: 9780745324128

Publisher: Pluto Press, 2005

Synopsis

--This is the first ever comprehensive practical guide to human rights and video campaigning-- Pictures from Abu Ghraib showed the power of the amateur image to grab the world's attention. The Asian tsunami, caught on camcorder, brought home the reality

About this title

Review:

It's the rare image that can really grab hold of our insides and say, 'I got you and you'll never be the same again. (Tim Robbins, Actor, Director, and WITNESS Advisory Committee member)

WITNESS doesn't just use video to expose human rights abuses for the world. It taps local heart and initiative and empowers those who know their countries best. WITNESS is both deferential to local wisdom and relentless in promoting the extraordinary findings of its partners. It is an indispensable organization. (Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide and lecturer at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government)

This step by step guide to the handicam revolution is the first comprehensive practical guide to human rights and video campaigning. Written by leading video activists, and staff of the human rights organisation, Witness, it is packed with 'how to' guidance, and easy to use exercises. Clear and accessible, it provides a crash course in the basics of social justice video documentation and advocacy. The authors cover all aspects of film making from technical to strategic and ethical issues. Readers are shown how to plan, film, edit and distribute. The Preface is by Witness founder Peter Gabriel. (Festival Eye)

Safety is crucial. Not just of the film crew, but also of those being filmed. Depending on the context, the camera can be seen as either a shield or a target. Whether you are in Mexico or Edinburgh, theft, violence or downright fear of exposure can lead people to do extreme things. The US not-for-profit group, Witness, has published Video for Change (Pluto Press). It offers a comprehensive guide to video making, as well as highlighting the need for safety and a clear understanding of the dangers involved. (Suzanne Fane-Saunders, Red Pepper)

Synopsis:

Pictures from Abu Ghraib showed the power of the amateur image to grab the world's attention. The Asian tsunami, caught on camcorder, brought home the reality of what had happened more than any news report ever could. Around the world the increasing availability and affordability of technology has fuelled the world of social justice video activism. Film-making - at its best - has the power to change the way people think, and create real social change, and now the tools to do it are more accessible than ever before. This book shows how activists and human rights campaigners can harness the power of images and stories for their own purposes - it's a step-by-step guide to the handicam revolution. Written by leading video activists, and staff of the world-renowned human rights organization Witness, this practical handbook will appeal to experienced campaigners as well as aspiring video activists. It combines a comprehensive analysis of what's going on in this growing global field with a how-to primer to doing it yourself. "Video for Change" is packed with real-life stories from the fray, how-to guidance, and easy-to-use exercises.

Clear and accessible, it provides a crash course in the basics of social justice video documentation and advocacy. The authors cover every aspect of filmmaking from technical guidance to strategic and ethical issues, making it indispensable for both amateur and professional filmmakers. Witness has partnered with groups in more than 60 countries, bringing often unseen images & untold stories to the attention of key decision makers, the media & the general public. Editors & contributors include Thomas Harding (author - "The Video Activist Handbook"), Gillian Caldwell (producer - "Bought and Sold" and Executive Director - Witness), Katerina Cizek (producer -"Seeing is Believing: Handicams", "Human Rights & the News"), Sukanya Pillay (former Program Coord. Witness) & Joanna Duchesne (long-time producer - Amnesty International), Sam Gregory (Witness) and Ronit Avni (Just Vision Project).

About this edition

• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0745324126
• ISBN 13: 9780745324128
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 344
• Editor: Gregory Sam