Witnessing the Power of Digital Video

On January 19, 2004, 17-year old Deon Whitfield and 18-year-old Durrell Feaster were found hanged in an apparent double suicide at the Preston Youth Correctional Facility in Ione, California. The very next day, surveillance cameras captured counselors brutally assaulting two youthful inmates -- long after they had been subdued -- at Stockton's N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility. This footage made national news a few months later, prompting widespread outrage.

The California Youth Authority (CYA), which administers the state's juvenile-justice system, has been under scrutiny from special-interest groups for years, and incidents like these help underscore why. Critics of the state's youth-justice facilities, such as Oakland-based Books Not Bars ( BNB ), point to gang violence, staff abuse, extremely long lockdowns, and a general climate of neglect as major points of concern. BNB also cites the high recidivism rate among youthful offenders, most of whom are minorities convicted of nonviolent crimes; the organization's latest studies indicate that at least 75 percent return to thestate's correctionalsystem within three years.

With this in mind, BNB, a project of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, set out to help bring change to California's juvenile-justice system. Shutting down the CYA's current facilities and replacing them with institutions geared toward education and rehabilitation is one of the organization's primary goals.

BNB already had hours of raw digital footage related to the CYA debate; what the organization needed was a way to transform this footage into a compelling narrative that would move people to action. For this, BNB turned to Witness , a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that helps human-rights groups from around the word harness technology and add advocacy videos to their campaigns.

Witness provided the technical support and filmmaking expertise BNB needed to produce the resulting 2004 advocacy video " System Failure: Violence, Abuse and Neglect in the California Youth Authority ." Aimed at California's legislators and decision-makers, the pointedly harrowing video helped BNB bring to light problems within the state's juvenile-justice system.

"Witness was very generous with [its] mentorship and guidance," said David Kahn, Administrative Manager of BNB. Witness helped BNB find the story that best suited its goals, select the most powerful and relevant footage, and edit it all into a cohesive piece. "Collecting the stories moved it beyond the individual tragedy, and showed the systematic problems" Kahn said. "You can't watch [the video] and say that the CYA is anything but fundamentally broken."

Su Patel, Witness's Communication and Outreach Manager, points to the film's other positive impacts. "Juvenile intakes have been halted at the most abusive juvenile prison," she said, "and there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of juveniles sent to the prisons as a result of publicity and screenings organized for probation officers, district attorneys, judges, and county officials."

Five days after the film was screened at the California StateCapitol in Sacramento, Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero called for legislation to reform the troubled CYA. And although the state has been slow to enact any major reforms, Kahn believes that the video has helped to "totally change the discussion of the CYA and juvenile justice in California."

Witness: See It. Film It. Change It.

Witness's goal can be summed up by its mission statement: See It. Film It. Change It. The organization assists human-rights groups with planning and filming advocacy videos, then helps them decidehow the media should be used, suchas evidence in a court hearing oras an educational tool. By providing the necessary equipment, technical training, and mentorship to cash-strapped human-rights groups, Witness helps make the daunting -- or otherwise impossible -- task of creating compelling advocacy videos a reality.

Advocacy videos are much more than just promotional tools. While they can certainly bring nonprofit organizations publicity, a successful advocacy video must engage the viewer with an arresting storyline, firsthand testimonials, and a very specific message tailored to a targeted audience, according to Witness. The right mix of these ingredients will result in a clip that persuades others to take up the fight and help an organization achieve a predefined set of goals.

Musician Peter Gabriel founded Witness in 1992, four years after he participated in the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! tour. In a February 2006 Business Week Online interview , Gabriel recalled meeting victims of torture, murder, and other atrocities. Disturbed to learn that many of these stories had been swept under the carpet, he was also struck by the fact that existing video footage of human-rights abuse made it extremely hard for perpetrators to deny this abuse. As home-video technology improved, Gabriel connected the dots and formed Witness.

"We remain one of the few organizations that continue to look at how evolving technologies can be used to create meaningful change in a human rights context," said Witness CEO Gillian Caldwell.

Videos That Transform the World

Over the course of several years, Witness has worked with organizations around the world, including Mental Disability Rights International ( MDRI ), an advocacy group helping to protect the rights of institutionalized individuals internationally. In an effort to improve the state of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Paraguay, the organization captured footage of the squalid living conditions inside the facility in 2003. The resulting video highlights the stories of Jorge and Julio, two teenage boys who spent four years locked in unsanitary cells that smelled of urine and excrement. This video petition was submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which approved measures to help protect Paraguay's mentally ill from further mistreatment.

While the video helped improve Jorge and Julio's individual situations, when MDRI returned to the hospital a year later it documented more problems , including patients with untreated foot infections and scabies. After Witness informed CNN of the hospital's conditions, the network shot its own video footage. This report came to the attention of Paraguay's president, prompting the country's government to sign an agreement with the MDRI to drastically repair its mental-health system.

Though Witness is concerned with human-rights violations on a global level, it remains committed to heightening awareness about current events in its home country as well. Amid growing concern that immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexican border might be victimized by armed vigilantes, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) teamed up with Witness to produce the 2005 video " Rights on the Line: Vigilantes at the Border ." The film casts a critical eye on a vigilante group called the Minutemen, capturing footage of border patrols in which the group appears to round up and detain immigrants attempting to cross the border. According to Patel, one of the AFSC's goals in using video was to "recast the current immigrants' rights debate in the U.S. in a broader human rights framework," rather than just by immigration status."

Patel goes on to note that the video has helped to heighten overall awareness of the current situation at the border among U.S. and Mexican lawmakers, potential immigrants, and residents of border communities. Witness is currently planning to get the video's message to an even wider audience via a March, 2006 screening on Capitol Hill.

Technical Challenges and Training Successes

Witness typically forms one- to three-year partnerships with 10 to 15 human rights groups at a time. Witness considers a number of factors when selecting its core partners, including the organization's clarity of vision and its potential to use the medium of video creatively. Once an applicant has been accepted, Witness will loan the organization the necessary equipment and teach them how to create advocacy videos that will make an impact. Interested organizations can take a look at Witness's partnership criteria and download an application by visiting the organization's Partnership Application page .

Core-partner training periods generally last a minimum of one week but can go longer, according to Hakima Abbas, Witness's Program Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East. "It's important to balance the initial training between video advocacy and hands-on camera training, and to interweave both aspects so that we never lose sight of the why and the how," Abbas noted about the structure of the program.

Once a partner organization captures raw video, Witness helps it select the best footage, and teaches the fundamentals of post-production using Final Cut Pro on Macintosh G5 desktops and PowerBook G4 laptops.

Though videos produced by Witness and its partners look professional, there can be a steep learning curve. Abbas points out that novices routinely make the mistake of moving the camera too much. "First-time users of video cameras tend to want to use the zoom [or] pan or tilt the camera and change the type of shot in the middle of an interview or while an action is taking place, forgetting to hold the shot long enough for it to be useful in the edit." Once the project reaches the initial editing stage, she explains,partners often learn a great deal from their mistakes and see the logic behind the training methods. "At Witness, we are in the business of making technical challenges an art," Abbas said.

Getting Started with Video Advocacy

While Witness's work is limited to human-rights groups, advocacy videos can serve as an effective form of communication for other types of nonprofits as well. If you're considering using video for your organization, take into account the following recommendations before embarking on a campaign:

Have a thorough plan of attack.

Abbas suggests that organizations think about factors such as the video's specific goals, including its plans for delivering the film to its intended audience. Witness's Web site details the importance of carefully planning the story and script, as well as identifying crucial interview subjects. The amount of time and effort an organization can realistically spend on producing a video is also a key consideration. "While equipment has become much cheaper and user-friendly in the last decade, the human resources to effectively use video should not be underestimated," said Abbas. A video advocacy manual is available for download at Witness's Web site.

Acquire a solid, working knowledge of the hardware and software you're using.

Witness suggests that potential videographers practice shooting in a variety of conditions, employing different angles and movements. Witness also recommends familiarizing yourself with the microphones you'll be using and how they respond to external conditions, such as wind. Learning how to adjust the camcorder's white balance and zoom effectively are also important skills to acquire. For an in-depth tutorial on shooting techniques, visit the Technical Tools section on Witness's site.

Tools of the Trade

It's essential to conduct extensive research before purchasing any of the tech gear you'll need to produce an advocacy video. Start by asking similarly focused nonprofits for advice or by reading online reviews at consumer-oriented technology sites. Your nonprofit's budget will likely factor in to many of your specific buying decisions, but at a bare minimum you'll need a camcorder, a computer, and editing software. If your group has additional funds, it might consider extras such as microphones and lights.

Camcorder:

Digital camcorders are preferable to analog, VHS-based models both in terms of quality and flexibility. Digital footage (especially captured on MiniDV media) is much easier to transfer to a computer for editing purposes. Digital devices range in price from less than $400 to upwards of $5,000 and vary in terms of image quality and features. Depending on how, when,and where you shoot, size and weight could play an important factor, as could the level of optical zoom the camcorder provides. (Witness currently loans its partners the 2.2-pound Sony DSR-PDX10P, a three-chip camcorder with a 12X optical zoom lens.)

Computer:

A computer is also a crucial ingredient, as it provides a platform for editing and other post-production work. While you can use either a Mac or a PC for this purpose, keep in mind that many high-end video editing applications demand a great deal of computer resources. Therefore, be certain you acquire a machine with a powerful processor and an ample amount of RAM.

Editing software:

Before you invest in an editing solution, check the software's specifications to make sure your computer is up to snuff. Also, consider the features you'll need and do your homework; typically, the more editing tools the software has, the more professional your final product can look. High-end post-production programs such as Final Cut Pro (Mac) or Avid Media Composer (PC and Mac) often cost nearly $1,000 and can initially be intimidating to use, but these suites are powerful enough for virtually all professional editing chores. Witness offers it partners both PC and Mac editing options using the software referenced above.

Accessories:

To make the best possible video, you should leave room in your budget for a few additional items. Virtually all camcorders have built-in microphones, but if you're conducting interviews or demand high audio quality in general, you may want to get a standalone shotgun mic. By purchasing a few additional lights, you'll have greater control when staging scenes or shooting in poorly lit conditions. Finally, don't forget to set aside a few bucks for blank media; 60-minute MiniDV cassettes currently run about $3 each if you buy them in bulk.

Moving Forward in the Digital Age

So far, Witness has worked with human-rights groups in more than 60 countries around the globe, and its footage has been broadcast on major news networks such as ABC, CNN, and BBC. And since 2000, Witness has also reached thousands of Internet users through its streaming-video archive. Though the organization has successfully leveraged new technologies throughout its existence, it is already taking the next step with the launch of its Video Hub site in 2007.

The Video Hub will let users directly contribute to Witness's mission by uploading their own videos documenting human-rights abuses via their computers, PDAs, or even cell phones. By involving the global community, Witness hopes to take awareness of its cause to the next level.

"Because[the Video Hub]will bypass the normal gatekeepers of broadcast and because we will be offering the tools needed to create campaigns around the issue, we anticipate this site will be groundbreaking" said Witness Technology Manager Bryan Nunez. CEO Caldwell concurs, adding that "Nothing like this exists today. It's very exciting to think of this as a way to democratize engagement in human rights work."