INTRODUCTION:

Video is a powerful tool to enhance the rural and urban people lives through portraying the issues and learning through dissemination of the videos. Participatory communication through face to face interaction enables people learn more and reflect the same in their new way of doing things. Mass media is used for information dissemination and video as alternative way of dissemination, mostly know as Participatory video. Video maker goes into a community and actively engages people in identifying issues facing their community and trains them in the process of content development and production, it is deemed to be a participatory video (Usha Sundar Harris 2009).

A video based initiative that began with Canada’s National Film Board (NFB) in the late 1960s. Under the Challenge for Change program (Snowden, 1998), documentary filmmakers were encouraged to utilize the medium to explore and illuminate socio-economic issues facing Canadians. One such undertaking took place on Fogo Island which was comprised of ten fishing villages off the northeastern coast of Newfoundland. In the history Participatory video this project is cited as mothers of all projects. Considering the importance this PV projects continue to be a recognized development and engagement tool. The advent of low cost digital video technologies that resulting PV more readily accessible. Same development model was reflected throughout the world. Development is increasing the recognition of the need to hear the opinion of the people who are most affected by development and people representing the voice. PV has great deal of opportunity and ability to transfer information into a visual, moving image that those who never spoke about issues are now brought face- to-face with realities. Video used to document indigenous knowledge and disseminate the same locally. Community at local level can exchange knowledge; can use video to communicate their perspectives.

The concept of participation surfaced in media production in the 1970s, when development activist-educators became increasingly dissatisfied with the condescending and disenfranchising modernist approaches of the time (White, 1994). During this time, Freire (1973) coined the term “conscientization,” which entails the raising of consciousness of one’s environment and situation, one’s abilities and identity, and “one’s alternative for freedom of action” (White, 1994, p. 24). Freire argued that empowerment is achieved through conscientization. They argue that participation must be recognized as basic human right. It should be accepted and supported as an end in itself and not for its results. (Srinivas. R. Melkote and H. Leslie Steeves. 2001: pg: 337) Participation is process of improving the lives of people through identification of problems and finding a solution. PV has gained a favoured place in many development projects and has been used by NGOs, development workers, and indeed communities themselves to foster dialogue and to instigate change and empowerment.

Videoactive Girls (VAG):

Project context:

The Global Fund for Children (GFC) (Funding agency based in Washington, DC, USA) funded the project, called Videoactive Girls, in which two NGO partners ‘Mahita’ from Hyderabad and Kolkata ‘Sanved’ from West Bengal, both in India, participated in technical training conducted by a regional implementing partner, Video Volunteers (VV). Video Volunteers trained adolescent girls along with these two NGO partners in the process of video production, teaching them to capture and share their stories with a wider audience. ‘Mahita’ provides learning opportunities to youth facing forced child marriage, child labour, and corporal punishment in the school system. Kolkata ‘Sanved’ uses dance movement therapy to heal victims of abuse. The Videoactive Girls (VAG) initiative focused on education in the art of digital storytelling, video production and video-sharing skills, with the goal of helping the participating girls cultivate greater self-confidence and self-empowerment through the learning process (Videoactive Girls, 2014).

Hyderabad:

It is the capital city of Telangana a newly formed state in south India. At present Hyderabad is also the capital city of Andhra Pradesh for ten years according to Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. It is historically known as a pearl and diamond trading centre and continues to be known as the ‘City of Pearls’. It has a population of about 6.8 million and a metropolitan population of about 7.75 million, making it the fourth most populous city in India (Census, 2001). The urban slums of old city of Hyderabad are very much prone to conflicts and riots, due to political and communal forces, for their own personal interests and benefits. During the past few years these slums have witnessed communal riots on petty issues and the community living here always feels the unrest, during religious events and festivals, apart from the political activities like rallies, meetings and election campaigns etc. Therefore it becomes essential that the community members from the both the sections (i.e., Hindus and Muslims) must be oriented and sensitised on the facts of conflicts and its effects.

The project interventions trained the young girls from the both the communities on Digital Video Shooting (DVS), to share, produce and present their cultural, religious, best practices of their communities, the case studies of conflict affected families and the results of the conflicts on the future generations etc. The trained girl has facilitated as Community Video Producers (CVPs), to widespread the message of peace and harmony among the communities. The study took place in Old City of Hyderabad in Mehadipatnem, Mahita an NGO (Non Government Organisation), works in about 62 slum areas of urban Hyderabad. They focus on slums of Asifnager, Sharvarnagar, Zirra, Gangaboli, Allah Banda, Ambedkarnager and kishannager neighbouring slum areas. Mahita is a non-profit organisation that has been working since 1994 on issues like providing education for children who are forced into child labour and non–school going children; developing livelihood skills for youth and empowering women in enhancing their social status and decision making power; issue of corporal punishment in schools; prevention of early child marriages, abuse and exploitation of children. Beside these the organisation is also actively involved in child rights and human rights with special emphasis on girl child.

In 2009 Mahita started partnering with Video Volunteer (VV) and Global Fund for Children (GFC) in a project called “Videoactive Girls” (VAG) where the project was a learning initiative of the Nike Foundation’s Brain Trust of Practitioners. At the end of the project VV developed a toolkit for Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and the videos by adolescent girls. The project period was initially for 6 months and later extended for another three months and still girls still continue to make videos. There was similar project that was conducted at Sanved NGO based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. In both cases the girls had come from difficult socio-economic background, but this study is focused only on VAG project.

Project objectives:

The primary purpose of the intervention is to bring changes among the communities through Videos as a medium of raising awareness and addressing the issues and using the power of the visual media to amplify their voices and tell their stories. The project also tries to strengthen the young girls to sensitise the communities and raise critical consciousness through video and screening. The project interventions will create impact on the Community Video Producer (CVP) and the communities. The young girls participation in the process will further become role models to the communities.

The training for young girls was focused on these three factors:

· How to learn the art of digital storytelling.

· Developing video production and video-sharing skills.

· How to install and cultivate greater self-confidence and self-empowerment in each participant through the learning process.

Training:

The girls, who are dropouts from primary and upper primary education, have been selected for this training. The organisation well-equipped them on editing, script writing, film shooting skills etc. The girls are producing inspiring stories for negotiation of parents, community for their rights to education, social opportunities, protection and participation, through monthly news bulletins, short documentary films, public service messages and screening them at the community level. They were taught how to break the fear of technology through PV games.

Twenty girls from slum area of Hyderabad were trained in Video production. Some dropped out during the training. The six-month training took them through the basics of shot sizes, the video camera, and researching, scripting and shooting stories. It was complete teamwork. The girls were given assignments soon after a workshop session. Right from breaking up a scene into shots and capturing them to shooting interviews to doing ‘piece-to-camera' (PTC) for their news bulletins, the workshop sessions covered them all. Training sessions on PV has not only served to skill themselves with video techniques but has also lent them tremendous confidence. Three facilitators involved in training with girls Mr. Manish, Mrs. Namita Singh and the researcher, who was also a trainer. They took up different workshop sessions over a period of six months. The main aim of the training is to voices and tell their stories through the means of video and also use of equipment to shoot at various locations. They have been trained in various formats of video like digital stories, community news bulletin, personal story and drama/fiction films. Increase the confidence by handling the camera, they should not feel sacred of holding it. Ultimately make them feel, as if they own the equipment and the process.

The training imparted to adolescent girls in Participatory video production gave them access to technology and an opportunity to express their thoughts. The above projects made Mahita keen on working with girls through media for social change.

Steps of Training:

· Group forming and selection of the team

· From the story telling to storyboard

· Shooting the story

· Editing the video

· Feedback

Following are the brief objective of the workshop that was conducted by trainers.

Digital Story telling:

· Participants to strengthen their visual senses.

· Participants to understand that visual can carry the entire meaning of a story.

· Participants to know how to operate a digital camera.

· Participants to produce a shot photo story with audio (Individual or Group.)

In Camera edit:

· Participants know the basic concept of filmmaking.

· Participants know how to convert any story in film format

· Participants know shooting and In camera edit techniques.

· Participant produce 2 or 3-minute personal narrative film.

Basic of video editing:

· To introduce participants to the basics of conceptual understanding of editing and how it manipulates time and space

· To learn the operating basics of Adobe Premiere (Open, create new project, capturing, arranging sequence, using tools, using effects, title and credit, import and export video.)

Drama/Fiction film:

· Participants are able to think dramatically and convert gender based issue -Domestic violence, Verbal-Physical–sexual Abusing, girls empowerment, their dreams and aspiration, other positive story too in film format.

· Participants should know how to write Script for Drama/ Fiction film

· To ensure that participants are able to direct a fiction film.

· Participants should know how to create storyboard for fiction film

· Participants should know advance-shooting techniques.

· Participants should know advance video editing (Use effects and motion)

· To ensure that participant are able to add background Music according to situation.

Basic of sound editing:

· Participants to learn about the different kinds of sound

· Participants to understand when and how to use their different mics (Boom and lapel).

· Participants to understand the importance of audio

· Participants are able to record good audio

· Participants to know basic sound editing in Adobe audition.

· Participants to learn how to a make audio programme.

Community News:

· Participants develop news sense and limitation of mainstream news

· Participants learn to research and gather news in the community

· Participants to learn basic interviewing techniques

· Participants learn to write and shoot anchor pieces

· Participants learn to connect national/international events to their own communities

· Participants learn to present news from various locations

Music Video:

· Participants to learn the importance of music video

· Participants to learn how to conceptualize, script, shoot and edit music videos and actually make their own.

· Participants to learn the impact and use of music video

Public Service Ads:

· Participants are able to express their view on social issues in a creative and concise way

· Participants to learn production method of a public service advertisement which will not be more than 60 second long

· Participants are able to develop their critical and creative thinking through ad filmmaking.

Making the videos:

Initially it was very difficult for the girls to go for shoot as some people used to pass comments on the CVPs. So they had to take help of the organisation staff and later, as they became familiar in the locality, support from the community members encouraged them to shoot in different places. After always carrying the equipment with all the accessories, the girls used to forget some of them. One such incident was: “They had planned an interview in Sarver Nager area for the news bulletin. As the arrangements were made by the CVPs and the subjects arrived, they recorded the whole interview and came to the main centre. As they were capturing footage on the computer, the team was shocked! There was no tape in the camera”. There was an incidents were CVPs walk all the way to location and realise that there is no battery in the camera. So many such lessons were learnt about “how to manage the equipment” during the process.

Girls were very enthusiastic when they first touched the cameras some have not seen the camera so near to their eyes, but some participants had the knowledge of having seen them in the weddings. The first initial workshop was on Digital Story Telling (DST). The objective of the workshop was to strengthen their visual senses and understand that a visual can carry the entire meaning of a story. Teach them how to operate a digital camera and produce a short photo story with audio.

For news bulletins, they have learnt news sense and limitations of mainstream news, how to research and gather news in the community, basic interviewing techniques, write and shoot anchor pieces, connecting national/international events to their own communities and present news from various locations.

News Bulletin Structure and Segments:

· First 30 seconds: will have opening montage

· 30 seconds to 1 minute: News headlines, six one-sentence local events

· 1 to 4 minutes, Segment 1, “Main story Segment”

· 4 to 8 minutes, Segment 2 or continuation of segment 1

· 1-minute headline repeats and round up.

· Total approximate duration will be 20 minutes

Pre-Preparation work for workshop:

Send the outline to the coordinator/NGO, and ask them to prepare some ideas for the following types of story segments:

· 3 possible stories for Segment 1

· 3 possible stories for Segment 2

· 3 possible ideas for news headlines

· 6 local events of interest to include in the news headline round up

Another format of workshop done was on Public service messages (PSA). Participants were able to express their view on social issues in a creative and concise way and learn production method of a Public service advertisement that is not more than 60 seconds long. During the workshop they made six PSAs.

Steps of making PSAs

· Brainstorming of pre production of PSA

· Presentation of concept note and script of PSA

· Visualisation, storyboarding, paper edit and shoot plan

· Shoot the ads

· Sharing experiences and review of footage

· Editing

· Presentation and Feedback.

Benefits of the project:

PV has changed the Community Video Producers (CVP) attitude of observing the issues in their location. The camera helped in terms of empowerment, motivation and understanding their own situation. Especially as it was an adolescent girls’ project, and most of the girls belong to Muslim community, there was always suppression on the girls from their parents and elder brothers, and they were sacred to step out of the house, basically they are barred from full participation in the society and their perspectives are not valued. To overcome all the limitations, the project itself provided abundant opportunity to come on video, express their rights and issues. The dialogue between the community and video producers give scope to share the problems and community people advised to make video on specific issues that concerned them. This process gives the full freedom to make videos. Some videos were well appreciated by the community members and providing feedback from the NGOs staff and also CVPs participating in some of the meetings that enabled them to understand the structure to make better videos.

Adolescent girls’ projects help girls’ build confidence and to urge them to express ideas and speak out. Girls who engage in media endeavours and develop these skills have a better chance of directing their own lives. One such incident was where Asma Begum associated with VAG project, is now working for a diagnostic lab where holding the computer related job gets her a salary of 8000/-INR per month. Such initiatives are even more important in developing nations, where accesses to technology can itself be a major hurdle for girls; even the idea of a girl controlling technology is often socially unacceptable. Community of girls who have faced challenges and need empowerment could voice themselves through VAG. Today with video camera, tripod and microphone in hand, these girls who once constantly covered themselves with burqa and shawls have been producing videos on independent women, institutes that offer vocational courses, inclusion of names in ration cards etc. Significant among them are films on child, women trafficking and female infanticide. Their PTCs may lack the finesse of a Barkha or a Nidhi Razdan but it’s hard to miss the conviction and confidence with which they do them. “When they were first asked to do a PTC, all of them flatly refused to remove the burqa off their faces. After a lot of coaxing and cajoling that PTCs would require their faces to be shown to lend credibility to the story, one girl came forward. It was only after the story was first screened for the group that they agreed to face the camera without the burqa,” recounts Ramesh Reddy, Director, Mahita.

Learning video editing, by far, was the most challenging aspect of the training, for, many of them had not even seen a computer, let alone operates one. Although they took quite some time to find their way into the right folders and getting footage from them onto the timeline, they persisted and succeeded. “I love editing PSAs. You need to tell a story in such a short time and I think that’s the most challenging aspect,” says Sameena. “I want to become an editor,” she says confidently. “My parents are now perfectly okay with the kind of work I’m doing. I really don’t know if my brother does. He still makes faces when I announce I’m going to the workshop. I’m confident he’ll stop doing that soon” says Ayesha. Maybe she’s only echoing the feelings of her colleagues making films like her.

Table-1: Model of Videoactive Girls (VAG)

Target Group		Adolescent girls, dropouts from school, provide livelihood
PV process
Problems	PV Process		Goal Achieved
Personal level	Training, PV Games		Provided instruments for creating a personal, cultural and social identity Increase self confidence and self esteem Provide skill related to self- cognition and identity among the community
Social level	Motivation, Acceptance		Give a chance for participating in social life Increase relational competences and social interaction skills Fostered positive attitudes and adaptability
Livelihood	Opportunity created, Achievement		Given an educative opportunity Provided some basic skills of camera technology Operational skills Job offers

Impact of the videos:

It always very important to think about the sustainability and future of CVUs project. This project provided help to become active girls, built their self-confidence and enabled them to feel empowered. An NGO helped them in creating videos and provided the entire infrastructure and resources for making things move smoothly. The project added unique perspective and opportunity to look at the world through their own lens. The NGO aimed it as long-term project, though the project was for six months. Some of the impact on the girls

· Newly found confidence among the video producers to find their own direction.

· Earn by making the marriage videos, recording family/public functions, etc.

· They became video trainers.

· Joined other jobs with similar skills.

· Sent the videos to film festivals and won the prize.

· Made videos for other organisations.

· Showcase the same videos in capacity building programmes and NGO meetings.

· Videos expressed the technical skills, self-expression and livelihood capability.

Table-2: Functions and Implication of Videoactive Girls (VAG)

SL NO.	Functions of video	Implications of video
1	Ice-breaking	More bottom-up communication
2	For advocacy	Individual and collective identity
3	Collecting and bundling arguments	Video as a mirror
4	Supporting and facilitating discussions	Appreciation of local knowledge
5	Listening to community people	Increased self-esteem
6	Education	Improved media literacy
7	Motivating communities and staff through positive examples	Experience in handling video equipment
8	Fostering reflection	Allowing feedback and critique
9	For Project documentation	Appreciations

Overall, the entire project has achieved some of the objectives, but then the over all impact of the project was not assessed. PV created a personal, cultural and social identity; increased self-confidence and self-esteem among the family and community. Gave a chance for participating in social life through dialogue. Educative opportunity to enhance their skills and provided some computer skills. Fostered positive attitudes and adaptability to the case. Provided job opportunity to those who left the VAG. Less effort to disseminate the videos.

CONCLUSION:

The requirements for PV seem unrealistically high when thinking of development settings. In the VAG Project the communication process was started by girls by telling ‘stories’, about their personal stories, issues that concerned the girls. The stories had no particular ‘strategic’ purpose; initially they were not oriented towards influencing someone. But they made a video that helps people, to formulate a common definition of the situation.

In the video material, gradually a rich and widely shared situation emerged. Eventually the VAG were created on that basis of addressing the problems faced by girls and to create self-confidence and self-empowerment. Undoubtedly, the VAG has potential to provide a platform. It can thus be argued that on the horizontal level Participatory videos has successfully supported in VAG projects. On the vertical level, the picture is different. The more the communities were involved in the video-facilitated debate, the more clear the real dimensions of the conflict. Especially family is controlled by their family head or their elder brother. VAG project revealed conflict, as no other medium would have done this. The reason for this was found in VAG great capacity to contrast local perceptions, try to tell personal stories and consensus with video truth. Family elders listened at the same time as they supported. Some of them used the opportunity of being video-recorded to brush up their image and popularity among the local community. The debate seemed more like a strategic game. The elders had never met all altogether, around one big issue, for the purpose of bringing forward a jointly formulated and supported action plan.

It rather seemed primarily interested in getting their points through the girls oriented towards individual success and not towards consensus. The potential for PV is to make a break through that however, increases, the more the VAG training gains credibility and weight as an interest in Mahita organisation. The VAG may even succeed in ‘lifting’ the use and acceptance of video as a communication tool into decision-making levels, while still staying in contact with its community base. This would be a remarkable achievement if achieved.

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Received on 24.10.2017 Modified on 27.11.2017

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2018; 9(1): 100-106.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2018.00018.9