Given the current circumstances, we are altering the ways we work and are continuing to find ways to work with our Champions, Pledged Employers and supporters.
With the big move to online and home-working, we are inviting you to share more video content with us. Creating a video for the Time to Change Wales website is a great way to share your experiences and improve people’s understanding of mental health. Real stories from real people can help someone going through a similar experience.
Many of our videos are shared widely via social media and can help to get people talking. Talking about your experiences on video can be daunting if you haven’t done it before but remember – we can help you! Here are some tips to get you started:
We accept videos for:
● Social Media (1 minute maximum)
● Vlogs (5 minutes maximum)
● Virtual presentations (20 minutes maximum)
We look for videos that:
● Have a positive message or feeling, for example finding the courage to talk about mental health, making a recovery, helping friends through a difficult period, achievements that show there’s more to people than a diagnosis;
● Have a clear focus (we try to avoid too much life story, unless that helps illustrate your main point);
● Challenge stigma and discrimination in some way or help people understand particular issues;
● Avoid personal grievances, as this can put viewers off;
● Are suitable for a broad audience (do not use swear words, blasphemy etc);
● Represent Wales’ diverse communities – we particularly welcome videos in Welsh, or which reflect the experiences of people from different parts of Wales, rural communities and black and minority ethnic communities;
Technical pointers:
● Do hold your camera landscape and prop it up on a stable surface to avoid shake.
Don't hold it portrait and move around while you film.
● Make sure you are clear - do ensure you're in the center of the picture and your background is neutral and free from clutter. Equally, think about your clothing, try to wear something that doesn't have any distracting slogans or writing on.
Don't have anything distracting or private in the background
● Do make sure there is plenty of light where you are filming so we can see you clearly.
Don’t sit in the dark, or in front of a window which may make you or the background too bright.
● Presentation - do speak slowly and clearly - as though you're giving a Champion talk! Do a test run and listen to it back, to make sure your sound is working.
Don't rush or follow the temptation to go off track - writing a script before may help focus your video.
A few other things to consider:
● We reserve the right to edit videos but we won’t post anything we’ve changed without checking with you.
● We link to blog posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – please let us know if you are happy to be tagged in posts.
● You can use your full name, first name only, or a pen name if you’d rather be anonymous. Let us know what works for you.
● Please bear in mind that it can take a few days to get back to you and that we might not publish your video straight away. We also cannot guarantee that your video will be published if it does not comply with the above guidelines.
If you have any questions please feel free to email our Digital Engagement Officer, Leo, at l.holmes@timetochangewales.org.uk.
Here is the wonderful Melaline doing a live virtual AST - she got creative for the staging of the talk!