"The presence of cameras, at the forefront of crises, either in the hands of journalists, bystanders or passers-by and sometimes even parties to the crises, has inspired multiple visual notations, commentaries and perspectives. Thus, efforts and resources are channelled towards documenting crises, t
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o help us better understand them and play a part in their resolution. Sometimes, the camera also participates in the adjudication of cases arising from crises or, indeed, even in the reconciliatory efforts after a crisis. The book aims to explore the multi-dimensional role of the camera in times of crises, with particular interest in how scholars view the camera as a [useful] tool in times of crisis in Africa. Hopefully, this book will help unravel the multi-layered tendencies of the camera as an instrument of documentation, history verification, (re)presentation of the other, and perhaps the legitimisation of narratives. The camera’s subjective framings of crisis narratives, as a manipulative tool for influence, inference and power are also explored. The book is structured into three parts. The first part focusses on the visual narratives of crises. The second part of the book explores the camera’s tendency to be a tool for representation and agency, while the third segment discusses the use of the camera as an entity for activism and advocacy in crises. These structured parts are intended to broaden the understanding of readers about the greater possibilities that images and imageries from the camera as a tool possess." (Abstract introduction, page 1)
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"This guide is intended to help creators producing or thinking about making shortform video content seeking to counter extremism. Our goal is not to tell you what to create; your original content is what makes your channel creative and organic. Instead, we hope to provide you with tools and tips to
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create stronger content that harnesses evidence from decades of academic research. Creating short-form video content (with expected video length to be 15-60 seconds) that counters extremism (both violent and nonviolent) and promotes positive values is a powerful way to engage with your audience. To help you succeed in this mission, we have compiled a guide that not only inspires creativity but also provides practical tips for further success." (Page 2)
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"This study looks into the safety and security needs, resources and environment of visual storytellers and journalists, with a focus on independent documentary filmmakers. The study was commissioned by the International Resource for Impact and Study (IRIS) and the Ford Foundation out of a concern th
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at while there are significant threats to the safety of visual storytellers and journalists, few safety and protection resources are available to them particularly in emergency situations." (Summary)
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"This toolkit shows you step-by-step how to create impact projects using video. It is designed for documentary video-makers, journalists and organisations using video to engage and create change in their communities. EngageMedia has produced this toolkit in partnership with the Video4Change Network:
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a group of filmmakers, activists, journalists and human rights advocates who pool our knowledge to share tips, tools and resources on how to safely and effectively create powerful videos, engage audiences, and make change. The toolkit is modular, so you can use components individually, as you need them." (https://toolkit.video4change.org)
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"At Video Volunteers, we will always remember this year as the year that our network of correspondents came of age. They demonstrated their commitment not just to the work but to the organization; they proved to the world that Video Volunteers is a resilient organization, and thanks to them, we fini
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shed the year stronger than we began it. Though we did launch several new initiatives, this was a year where we consolidated our core work and reaffirmed our commitment to: Building the strongest network of activist journalists in rural India; Creating concrete, tangible impact in people's lives through local action campaigns; Broadening society's ideas of who is an expert, who deserves our attention and whose voice should be listened to." (Introduction)
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"The potential of documentary moving images to foster democratic exchange has been percolating within media production culture for the last century, and now, with mobile cameras at our fingertips and broadcasts circulating through unpredictable social networks, the documentary impulse is coming into
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its own as a political force of social change. The exploding reach and power of audio and video are multiplying documentary modes of communication. Once considered an outsider media practice, documentary is finding mass appeal in the allure of moving images, collecting participatory audiences that create meaningful challenges to the social order. Documentary is adept at collecting frames of human experience, challenging those insights, and turning these stories into public knowledge that is palpable for audiences. Generating pathways of exchange between unlikely interlocutors, collective identification forged with documentary discourse constitutes a mode of political agency that is directing energy toward acting in the world. Reflecting experiences of life unfolding before the camera, documentary representations help order social relationships that deepen our public connections and generate collective roots. As digital culture creates new pathways through which information can flow, the connections generated from social change documentary constitute an emerging public commons. Considering the deep ideological divisions that are fracturing U.S. democracy, it is of critical significance to understand how communities negotiate power and difference by way of an expanding documentary commons. Investment in the force of documentary resistance helps cultivate an understanding of political life from the margins, where documentary production practices are a form of survival." (Publisher description)
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"Since the 1970s, Syrian cinema masters played a defining role in avant-garde filmmaking and political dissent against authoritarianism. After the outbreak of violence in 2011, an estimated 500,000 video clips were uploaded making it one of the first YouTubed revolutions in history. This book is the
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first history of documentary filmmaking in Syria. Based on extensive media ethnography and in-depth interviews with Syrian filmmakers in exile, the book offers an archival analysis of the documentary work by masters of Syrian cinema, such as Nabil Maleh, Ossama Mohammed, Mohammed Malas, Hala Al Abdallah, Hanna Ward, Ali Atassi and Omar Amiralay. Joshka Wessels traces how the works of these filmmakers became iconic for a new generation of filmmakers at the beginning of the 21st century and maps the radical change in the documentary landscape after the revolution of 2011. Special attention is paid to the late Syrian filmmaker and pro-democracy activist, Bassel Shehadeh, and the video-resistance from Aleppo and Raqqa against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic State." (Publisher description)
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"This ethnography uses the Syrian case to reflect more broadly on how the networked age reshapes contemporary warfare and impacts on the enactment of violence through images and on images. In stark contrast to the techno-utopias celebrating digital democracy and participatory cultures, Donatella Del
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la Ratta’s analysis exposes the dark side of online practices, where visual regimes of representation and media production dramatically intertwine with modes of destruction and the performance of violence." (Publisher description)
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"This chapter argues that in order to understand contemporary forms of video activism, we need to extend our analytical scope beyond the confinements of the strategic work of social movement actors. It offers a schematic map of the various fields and disciplines in which video for social change has
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been given analytical attention pointing towards three key approaches and theoretical horizons in the literature. The chapter provides a brief history of video activism by drawing parallels between the early days of analog video cassettes during the so called “Portapak revolution” to the emergence of digital video and online sharing platforms such as YouTube. It provides an introduction to the notion of “radical online video” as a label for identifying and analyzing a broad range of video for change in contemporary online environments. Finally, the chapter broaches a discussion of some of the challenges facing video activism today." (Summary)
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"Politics in the Middle East is now ‘seen’ and the image is playing a central part in processes of political struggle. This is the first book in the literature to engage directly with these changing ways of communicating politics in the region - and particularly with the politics of the image, i
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ts power as a political tool. Lina Khatib presents a cross-country examination of emerging trends in the use of visuals in political struggles in the Middle East, from the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon to the Green Movement in Iran, to the Arab Spring in Egypt, Syria and Libya. She demonstrates how states, activists, artists and people ‘on the street'’ are making use of television, the social media and mobile phones, as well as non-electronic forms, including posters, cartoons, billboards and graffiti to convey and mediate political messages. She also draws attention to politics as a visual performance by leaders and citizens alike." (Publisher description)
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"Participatory video is a growing area of research and an increasingly popular tool among practitioners, researchers, and NGOs working with communities around the world. The Handbook of Participatory Video advances the field, engaging critically with it as a research methodology and method and inter
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rogating assumptions about its emancipatory nature and potential for social change. In twenty-eight chapters, contributors examine historical, ethical, methodological, and technical aspects of participatory video and discuss power, ownership, and knowledge production. The Handbook is organized into six parts: Locating Participatory Video, Participatory Video as a Critical Research Methodology, Working with Visual Data, Power and Ethics in Participatory Video, Dissemination and Reaching New Audiences, and Communities and Technologies." (Publisher description)
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"This book is an invitation—an invitation to discover the potential of a simple video camera and the power it holds to spark social change. Every day, all around the world, activists draw upon video in creative, strategic ways and use the results to ensure that silent voices are heard and importan
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t reforms are made. In this book we will show you how they do this, and how you can do it too [...] These chapters will walk you through the process of “video advocacy.” By this phrase we mean the use of video as an essential tool in social justice activism—one that can be deployed as strategically and effectively as more traditional forms of “advocacy” referring to the range of ways to exert pressure for a defi ned goal of change, including persuasion, relationship-building, lobbying, organizing, and mobilizing. We will draw on the inspiring real-life experiences of social justice video advocates worldwide—groups that have worked with the human rights organization WITNESS where I work, and a range of other wellknown and lesser-known fi gures in the activist universe. Throughout you’ll fi nd an emphasis on the emotional and empathetic aspect of video, on its humanizing ability to communicate across boundaries. We also stress the need for collaboration within organizations and among outside allies to more successfully facilitate the production and use of video." (Introduction, page xii-xiii)
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