Pennsylvanians Against Fracking is bringing together a short video that will welcome the March for a Clean Energy Revolution to our state! We’re asking activists around the state to record short videos stating why they’ll be joining the march. Here are some tips for how to record a short video.

After you’ve recorded your video, you can email it to [email protected]

TECHNICAL: 

• Shoot outdoors in daylight. A little overcast is even better than full sunlight, but sunlight is fine, too!
• “Keep the sun on your face.”e., the sun should be somewhere in the 180 degrees to your front side – Not behind you!
• Stabilize the camera.
• Set your laptop on a flat surface and shoot with the webcam (picnic tables are great for this).
• Use a cellphone tripod if possible. (Gorillapod — and its generic counterparts —are great for all kinds of uses!)
• If neither of the above are options, set your camera on, or prop it against, a flat surface with a piece of soft clothing between the surface and the camera (the softness can help minimize occasional jitters).
• Whenever possible, don’t touch the camera while it’s recording.*
• Choose a quiet location and speak loudly (louder than you think sounds normal is usually best). If you can find a location that is emblematic of your community and quiet, that’s even better!

*If you’re shooting on your own with a phone, walk into/out of the frame if you need to – we can chop off beginnings and ends. After you walk into the frame, wait five seconds before speaking. When you’re done speaking, wait five more seconds before walking out of the shot to turn off the phone.

CONTENT/DELIVERY: 

• Write out what you want to say first. Bullet points work great to keep you on topic but still speaking naturally. Resist the urge to prepare so much that you’re reading off the paper.
• Make sure to say your name, your group, your location, and one sentence on why you are joining the clean energy revolution. Here is an example:

“Hi this is Briget Shields with Marcellus Protest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’m joining the clean energy revolution because we need to replicate Pittsburgh’s ban on fracking for the entire country.”

• Keep it short. Total length depends on your content, but shorter is better. Aim for somewhere around 30 seconds
• But don’t rush. Speak slower than you think sounds normal. This is usually exactly the right speed.
• Practice! Running through it a couple times before recording will help get out your first few word flubs and jitters.

Be passionate and authentic. Think about how you’d talk about this issue with a friend or a close relative — someone who “gets” you. It helps the viewer make an emotional connection with you even though you’re just a picture on their screen.