How to become a video activist.





How to Become A Video Activist


A new breed of social organiser has proliferated in the past decade to
affect social change: the video activist.

In the hands of a video activist, a camcorder can deter police
violence. A video edit suite can set the political agenda. A video
projector can generate mass awareness.

Video's most direct social consequence is Rodney King's police beating
in America in 1992. Footage taken from a nearby block of flats sparked
off riots in the streets, was broadcast round the world and
subsequently used to prosecute the Los Angeles police officers
involved. This type of "witness video" is only the tip of the iceberg.
Video activism encompasses a broad grouping of individuals whose
tactics vary enormously.

Video equipment was first used in the 1960's by anti-Vietnam war and
civil rights campaigners. The past decade has seen an explosion in the
use of video for political change. This has been the result of three
factors. Firstly, high quality, low cost and easy to use equipment has
become readily available. There are now 15 million video cameras in
the US and 23 million in Europe - one in seven households in Britain
has access to a camcorder. Secondly, there has been a new wave of
grassroots, video friendly, colourful "in your face" activism,
particularly in Britain. And thirdly, because the mainstream media has
covered only the most sensational of these movements, people have been
spurred to take up their own camcorders.







I first experienced the power of the camcorder in August 1994 while
working at the alternative video organisation Undercurrents. Some 50
housing protesters had gathered inside the police station in Oxford
city to complain about the arrest of some colleagues earlier that day.
The police evicted them from the police station, at one stage letting
off a fire extinguisher in their faces. After a while, the protesters
began to drift off, but not quickly enough for the police, who lined
up and baton charged them up the main street. Eight people were
arrested for "affray".

I was lucky enough to capture the entire episode on camcorder. I
immediately rang up a local TV station to see if they would be
interested in the footage. Both BBC Newsroom South East and Central
News took it. The first reports on the news the next morning went
something like:

"Four policemen were hurt today when a housing protest went out of
control in Oxford city centre...".

An hour later the newsdesk had changed completely - apparently it had
taken them this long to see my footage. Now it went:

"Two protesters were injured last night when police
baton-charged...".(see undercurrents 2 " Off the record")

The city council ordered an official investigation. The image of the
police recklessly letting off the fire extinguisher in the faces of
the activists clearly made an impression.


The footage was then used in court six months later. It showed that at
least three of the defendants weren't in the places the police claimed
them to be. The eight accused were acquitted. Their legal team said
that the video evidence played a substantial part in swinging the
case.

The event convinced me that a video camera can have an enormous impact
on a local campaign.




Advice

Undercurrents has worked with hundreds of activists in Britain and
around the world. Here are ten tricks taken from experience:

Don't get obsessed with the quality of your equipment. It's far more
important that you are out and about than at home thinking about more
equipment. So worry about sound quality though. It is best to use an
external microphone for interviews and recording background noise.

Agree the purpose of your video with the activists. Video activism
involves working with groups with real problems who need support for a
specific reason. It is best to have a complete production and
distribution strategy agreed before you begin. Use your camcorder to
calm situations where people are threatened with violence. It also
helps to have a friend who can mind your back, and point out shots you
are missing.

Never turn up to video an event without having talked to the group
beforehand. They will probably think you are the police and at best
ignore you, at worst hurl abuse at you. Do not try and be a film
director! Avoid using zooms, pans and digital effects. Try giving the
video editor as many choices of shot as possible. Write down the
purpose of each day's shot and the essential shots you must cover.

Gather evidence of some wrong doing and prosecute the perpetrator.
Ensure the video is relevant to the case and establish a chain of
people who have handled the tape to guarantee it has not been tampered
with. Video is a double edged sword: don't record anything that might
incriminate those you are working with.

Win a wide audience for your footage by selling it to TV News.
Broadcasters are increasingly willing to take footage (especially Hi 8
and digital). Call local and national stations and agree a deal (you
should get at least £100 for local news, £200 for national). You are
never going to make a living doing this type of work, but the money
should cover tape costs and repairs.

Make your own campaign video and raise awareness of a local issue.
Find a cheap edit suite in a nearby college or community centre.
Ensure you involve the campaign group in the editing so that they feel
they have some ownership over it and become committed to using it in
their work.

Distribute the video yourself. You can organise screenings using a
video projector (hire or borrow one) , set up your own mail order news
video and build up a subscription base, or include video clips on your
website.

Train others to become video activists. It takes less than ten minutes
to show someone how to use a camcorder, an hour to operate it well, a
day to use it as a political weapon. The camcorder is one of the most
democratising inventions of the 20th Century. Viva las camcordistas!