Video for Change : A Guide For Advocacy and Activism

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).