Tell It Better

At the centre of this process was a workshop process designed to give NGOs the necessary tools to create films that are vivid and engaging, so that they can serve to provide information in a way that actually leads to real behavioural change - reaching "didactic" goals without being dull.

From March 17-20 2008 in Hyderabad, a workshop was held with the aim of empowering participants with new techniques for storytelling in NGO filmmaking, thereby hopefully enhancing the quality of NGO films so they can be used to their full potential through outreach activities leading to intensive, focused, group discussions or television telecasts that generate public debate. The 8 participants, who hailed from different states across India, reviewed rough-cuts, films-in-progress, and fresh ideas for films on issues like poverty alleviation, flood relief, rehabilitation of tsunami-affected children, nutrition and care of children, democracy and children's parliament, urban slums, and municipal corporation. They engaged in group discussions, analytical screenings of participants' and other films, intensive one-to-one discussions, and hands-on practical editing sessions. They learned how to: look for wider developmental contexts for specific local issues, identify ways of building stories around characters and specific events, give space to the voices of people associated with the particular issue, match the local scenario with the developmental issue in terms of cinematic story-structuring, and shift approach to content from NGO reporting to dramatic storytelling. Experts present explored the needs, requirements, and constraints of NGOs, which can hamper the ability to create professional-quality documentaries. They concentrated on the dramatic quality of the films, giving tips on aspects of cinematic grammar of which participants were unaware.

At the conclusion of the experience, the group leader drew up a list of 10 commandments for NGO filmmaking - click here to view them - which has been circulated to all participants and will used for future Tell It Better workshops.

NGO Media Capacity.

Tell It Better was inspired by the observation that every year, there are perhaps thousands of short films produced in India for so-called educational/informational purposes. These videos are designed to educate and generate dialogue on issues like: human rights, water and sanitation, urban development, violence against women, inequality, health, education, sexuality, etc. But, according to Formedia, often these videos do not achieve their original purpose. For example, "They do not create debate or actions, because the films purport to provide complete answers to very complex problems. They do not leave space for the audience to develop their own opinions, questions, or conclusions." Organisers say that "the foremost reason is that the audio-visual techniques of spreading information for behavioural change are still based on didactic concepts in the belief that the sheer distribution of information as such is enough. In reality, experience and research show something quite different. To effectively adopt information for attitudinal change, there is a need to create a holistic experience, where emotions and reason are together. In practical terms, it means, that when you see a film, you, as a viewer, are part of the creation of the final result of the film. Your mind and emotions need the space for emotional and intellectual dialogue with the film."