Courage is not the absence of fear. It is going forward with the face of fear.

— Abraham Lincoln

Record your Event

If there are no videos or or photos, it didn't happen! (According to indivisibleguide.com)

  • Technical tips: Smart phone cameras work just fine for these purposes. Hold your camera horizontally. Don’t forget to come with a full battery and some storage space. Higher-res is always better. Try to keep your videos short and sweet—we love your 5 minute videos, but others may not watch the whole thing. 2 minutes is a great length.
  • At an event or town hall: Appoint a member of your group to be the documentarian for the day. Think ahead and them find a good spot to see both the questioner and the Member of Congress.
  • Visiting a congressional office: Take photos of your group on your way to the office that highlight your group’s size. Take selfies next to signage and doorways that show where you are. Filming video while you are entering an office can feel aggressive, and the office may have a policy against it. Instead, we’d recommend filming a “selfie” video just afterwards, describing how the visit went in a few sentences. Ask for permission to record (if you can) before the visit.

Always always always get a video or picture of your action. - Indivisible

Shooting and Editing Video

Record images, audio and video of events, and especially interactions with MoCs. Posting the images/videos online is easy. And it's also an important step in getting the word out!

Tips for Using Your Smartphone to Record Video

  1. Charge your phone before you head out to events. 😉 Bring a backup charger if it will be a long day.
  2. Hold the phone sideways! Always!
  3. Hold your arms close to your side, or use a tripod, monopod, or selfie stick to make the video smooth and steady.
  4. Try to get close enough to get decent audio.
  5. Have the sun at your back. Try not to shoot into the sun.
  6. Edit and share your videos quickly.

Sharing your Video on Facebook

Sharing your videos on the IndivisibleAVL Facebook page is best for getting it out to a broader audience. Edit the video, trimming it to just what you need, then post it! Add a short title and description for the video, so people know what it is about before watching it.

You can also use Facebook LIVE video! Record events in real-time. It's easy and fun! For the best reach and best audience:

  1. Tell people ahead of time when you're going to broadcast live.
  2. Go live when you have a strong connection.
  3. Write a catchy description before going live. Add #hashtags!
  4. Broadcast for longer periods of time to reach more people.
  5. Use a closing line to signal the end of the broadcast.

Find out more at live.fb.com

Lollipod.com - The Tripod / Monopod / Boom / Lighting & Selfie Stand

Video Equipment

A tripod or monopod with a tripod adapter  (or selfie stick) will always help you get better video and will save your arms from a lot of work. If you hold your phone, make sure it is sideways, don't cover the mic, and put the sun at your back if possible!

Software for Smartphone

There is a lot of great software out there for shooting and editing video. For shooting, the built-in apps are always the fastest and easiest, but that doesn't mean they are the best. Experiment before the big day.

iOS apps

For many, the best iOS video shooting app is MoviePro. It's $6, but well worth it since you can lock the exposure, color correct and more.

Android apps

Many Android phones have decent video software built-in, but for more (manual) control, check out Open Camera. Change your ISO and exposure lock before you shoot.

Editing Video

It is important to edit your videos down to JUST the part that is needed. Adobe Premiere Clip is a really nice and simple video editor, allowing you to make some simple and effective edits, right on your smartphone. You can also shoot straight from the app.

Get Help from Indivisible

Always always always get a video or picture of your action: Whether this is a local group meeting or a visit to your Member’s office, the way to show Congress that you’re taking action is to literally show them. Capturing your own video and photos and then sharing them with media is the single best thing you can do to amplify your voice. If you want help amplifying, send your videos/pics and your stories to stories.indivisible@gmail.com. Include these 3 pieces of info in that email:

  1. Short description of photo/video
  2. Name of group w/ applicable links to social or web
  3. Names of people in the video/picture