Videos can help people better understand what your charity does and the difference you make. Here’s how to work with videographers to create impactful videos.
In recent years, video has become almost commonplace with the rise of social media and affordable technology. While most video on social media doesn’t need to be slick and professional, there will always be a place for video that needs a professional touch.
Creating videos or films offers charities the opportunity to reach new and existing audiences and can be used in a number of different ways.
Video can be useful to:
Distill complex information in a visual way
Highlight an issue through storytelling
Educate people about a topic
Bring to life an abstract concept
Change perceptions
In order to create a professional video or film, charities will need to work with a videographer. Below are some tips when hiring and working with a videographer, ensuring you get the most from your budget.
What is a videographer?
A videographer is a trained professional who records video footage and then edits it into a video that can be posted online across various channels or used at events, such as gala dinners. The types of things they may film include live events, short films featuring case studies, corporate videos and educational videos. They often work alone with a single camera or with a small team of sound and light technicians.
Ready to get started? Here’s some tips to consider.
Research videographers
Before you start to engage various videographers, ask around for recommendations. You can do this by posting on your social media channels (such as LinkedIn), reaching out to your peers, or asking in specialist Facebook groups such as the Third Sector PR & Comms Network or Fundraising Chat.
If there’s a charity video or videos that you really like, contact the charity directly to find out who produced them. CharityComms also has a freelance and supplier directory where you can find freelance videographers or agencies who specialise in video.
Once you have a few videographers that you are interested in working with, ask them to provide you with both a portfolio of their work and references.
Have a clear budget and timelines
It’s so important to have a clear budget so that you don’t waste time engaging videographers or agencies who are out of your price range. As well as having a budget, have a timeline too with a clear deadline. This is helpful as some videographers may already be booked up and unable to meet your deadline.
When setting your timeline, ensure that you are being realistic with your timings, such as allowing enough time to organise case studies, find locations, factor in feedback and time for editing.
Don’t forget to factor in costs such as transport, hiring of a location and overnight accommodation if needed, into your overall budget.
Provide a solid brief
It’s essential to provide a detailed brief. This should include the project background and objectives. Is this video part of a wider campaign? What specific outcome are you hoping for?
The brief should also include:
Target audience – who are you trying to reach?
Key messages – what you want the viewers to take away from watching the video
Tone of voice
In addition, the brief should include the budget, timelines, where the video will be distributed (social media, website, or an event), whether it needs specific elements such as a logo, and the approval process. Also agree upfront how many rounds of edits your videographer will offer.
Write a script
The first place to start when creating a video is with a script. You don’t need to start with a blank piece of paper, which may seem daunting, as there are plenty of video script templates you can use as a starting point.
If your video stars a beneficiary or someone in your organisation sharing a story, remember that they may not be natural storytellers. Help guide them through their storytelling, whilst ensuring that they remain true to themselves and their experience. CharityComms has some great tips for interviewing case studies in their Filmkit guide.
Work together on a storyboard
Once you’ve appointed a videographer and written a script, work together on the storyboard. A storyboard is a visual representation of your video sketched out on either paper or you can use special software.
While you may have a clear idea of what the video should be, they will have lots of creative ideas – not to mention expertise. It can also help having an outside perspective and fresh input. Having a storyboard should also ensure that the editing process afterwards is simple.
Support them on the shoot
Chances are, if you’re on a limited budget, that you will need to assist the videographer on the day or days of filming. Ask them beforehand how best you can help and what you may need to bring with you.
Little Lives UK is offering grants of up to £1,500 through its Children’s Community Support Programme to provide services to disadvantaged and disabled children. The programme is open to applications from children’s groups and organisations such as play groups or sports classes. The Children’s Community Support Programme is also open to applications from other projects, as long as their primary objective focuses on providing services to disadvantaged and disabled children.
There is no monetary minimum that groups can apply for, and Little Lives UK will additionally support the work of successful applicants through their social media channels and on our website. Four or five grants are awarded on a monthly basis, and the next application deadline is the 29th April 2022.
Thank you for participating in this survey, the results will be important in helping us better understand the contribution of the VCSE sector to the overall health and care sector in Suffolk and North East Essex.
Your cooperation is sought in completing as much of this survey as is possible. We recognise that for some organisations some of the data may not be available, so that is absolutely fine.
We are not asking for total precision in your responses. Good approximations are perfectly acceptable. Our intention is that you should be able to complete this within 15-20 minutes.
And don’t forget that as a thank you for participating in the survey Tricordant is offering a FREE 1 year subscription to their online business skills development service SME Business Guide, normally £399+VAT. When you return your survey you will be sent a discount code to use when registering.
As part of Dying Matters Awareness Week 2022 and the Death Positive Libraries Framework, Southend Libraries are hosting a Death Positive event at the Forum: Southend-on-Sea.
Southend Libraries have invited organisations and services across the sector including bereavement support groups and services, celebrants and funeral directors, to come in and share information with the local community about the support, advice and guidance that is available when dealing with death, bereavement and loss.
This is a drop in event, open to all on May 3 2022 12pm – 3pm at The Forum: Southend-on-Sea, Elmer Square, Southend.
‘Death positive libraries’ is a national scheme aiming to help remove the barriers to talking about death and dying through a range of innovative activities in libraries that appeal to diverse communities. This is the first such activity in Southend Libraries.
The phrase ‘death positive library’ aims to reflect libraries’ contributions to the growing social and philosophical movement that encourages people to speak openly about death and dying.
Speaking on the library’s ‘death positive’ framework, Tandra Forster, executive director for adults and communities, said: “Although death is a very natural part of life, so many of us still struggle to speak about it. Seeking support to help us cope with death and dying for ourselves or our loved ones is so important, and I am sure that this initiative through Southend Libraries will help so many people deal with this subject effectively.”
Almost 80% of British adults find it difficult to talk about death, even though we all have to face it. Not talking about death, not getting the right support and advice at the right time and the suffering that people go through when a loved one dies or when they are facing death themselves, puts enormous strain on mental health and wellbeing.
Libraries are uniquely placed to be a centre for bereavement support as well as a trusted space where conversations about death and dying can take place.
We have announced a new fund which will invest £100 million to set the Essex economy up for the future.
The Essex Renewal Fund (ERF) has a 20-year growth framework and will help create 1,500 jobs.
It will make long-term investments to support economic growth, delivering a commercial return to the council.
It will target land and property assets in Essex and focus on our identified levelling up priority areas. It will also promote the county’s potential and support residents, town centres and businesses.
The ERF will target our identified key growth sectors. This will support our ambitions on future and green growth, net zero, providing good quality jobs and levelling up the economy.
Cllr Lesley Wagland, ECC Cabinet Member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning, said: “The Essex Renewal Fund will benefit our areas of improvement, providing new skills opportunities, investment into our high streets and supporting our residents and businesses.
“This is a very exciting time for Essex, and we will now implement our plans for the fund to get under way.”
More information on ECC’s plans for economic growth across Essex is available in our Everyone’s Essex strategy.
The government is warning institutions, including charities, to be on the lookout for potential cyber-attacks.
The National Cyber Security Centre is not aware of any specific cyber threats to UK charities in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, while the situation in Ukraine remains volatile, charities are strongly encouraged to follow the actionable steps in the National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance that reduce the risk of falling victim to an attack.
HMRC is reminding charities that engage with many different types of workers to know when a worker is entitled to the National Minimum Wage. This will depend on whether an individual is classed as either a worker, a volunteer or a voluntary worker.
Particular attention should be given to any volunteers paid a nominal amount over and above genuine out of pocket expenses. Any payment, whether cash, benefits in kind or promise of future payment is likely to mean they are a worker for minimum wage purposes and so should be paid for all hours worked.
A webinar is available to give you more information about the national minimum wage and unpaid workers or those paid on an ‘expenses only’ basis.
The Essex VCSE Alliance is recruiting for individuals who are looking to work together to improve things for the sector from voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
We recently reviewed the focus and our three goals are:
< Strengthen collaboration within the sector
< Strengthen collaboration across sectors
< Driving membership and through the Essex Map, events and Alliance membership
To help improve the sector we are currently looking for people who align with one of more of these strategic goals and who share a passion to strengthen the sector and the community we serve.
If you’d like to join us, and help shape how we build our community of communities, please complete the form below. Once completed, this will be reviewed by our existing Steering Group members at our next meeting in April therefore the deadline for expression of interest is Friday 8th April 2022.
The Essex County Council are inviting individuals and small community groups from target areas of Essex to bid for money from our new Community Challenge Fund.
ECC have launched a new £500,000 fund to help people improve their local area. Residents know their communities best and have great ideas for what they need. We want to help them bring those ideas to life and make the most of what their area has to offer.
Bids to the fund can be made now with grants of between £300 and £2,000 will be available. It covers Tendring, Basildon, Colchester, Canvey Island, Harlow and rural Braintree. These are the six areas of priority identified in our Levelling Up strategy.
Perhaps you have been sitting on an idea for a while of how you can enhance your community and it has just lacked the necessary funding to get it started. If so, then this fund is for you.
Examples of how the fund could be used are:
• training and equipment to share skills and create training opportunities,
• printing for a local event or newsletter,
• hosting and promoting an online magazine for young people,
• setting up a local community seed exchange,
• providing taxi or licensed hire vehicles to bring isolated residents together,
• setting up a clothes swap in a community hall.
The fund is simple to apply for, so don’t worry if you have never applied for funding from a Council before.