Safely & Securely Producing Media
There are many great guides to help you securely send media files online. But we find they are mostly text-heavy instructions for dealing with technical or security concerns surrounding the posting of content online. In response, we’ve decided to create a guide combining this information with a clear visual walk through on producing high-quality media. Our primary goal is to not only teach you how to share your story with the world safely, but also help you clarify what that story is and communicate it more effectively.
This particular instance of the guide is being implemented as a fork of the the Content as Code project from iilab.
How the Guide works
The guide is split up into three sections: Plan Your Story, Record Your Story, and Share Your Story. It is designed to instruct someone who has never taken a photo or shot video before through the entire process of telling a story with these media. It is also for anyone looking to review or reference specific parts of the process. Each section is designed so that you can skip ahead if you already understand it, or focus on that specific part.
If you’re reading this guide as a PDF on a computer or digital device, text that has a black box around it is a hyperlink to a website. For example:
You can follow these links to learn more, but be mindful about following them on unsafe networks. Some of these sites may flag you for security violations. Follow them only on safe and trusted networks.
Plan Your Story
To get you started, we’ll review four important steps to prepare yourself to go out and produce
media. You should be completely comfortable with these concepts and ideas before setting out to produce media.
Giving yourself a firm understanding of these core principles will make the story you’re telling easier to understand as well as keep you safe.
01 - PLAN FOR SAFETY
1.2 - Are you at Risk?
1.3 - Communicate Safely
1.4 - Traveling Safely
02 - WHAT A STORY IS
2.1 - Story Goals
2.2 - Elements of a Story
2.3 - Goals inform Questions
2.4 - Demonstration of Questions
03 - ETHICS & ACCURACY
3.1 - Ethics = Informed Consent
3.2 - Accuracy
04 - TOOLS
4.1 - Learning your Tools
4.2 - Maintaining your Equipment
RECORD YOUR STORY
You understand the security risks you might be taking, you know how to construct a story, you know the ethics and you know the tools. Before we can apply these concepts out in the real world, however, we need to learn how to record a story.
05 - RECORDING SAFELY
5.1 - Subject Security
5.2 - Personal Security
06 - VISUAL STORYTELLING
6.1 - Decide Your Shot
6.2 - Montage
6.3 - Five Basic Shots
6.4 - Rule of Thirds
6.5 - Recording Action
6.6 - Head Room
6.7 - Holding the Camera Steady
07 - SHOOTING YOUR STORY
7.1 - Creating your Shot List
7.2 - Lighting
7.3 - Sound
08 - TOOLS
8.1 - Visual Context
8.2 - Off-Camera Narration
8.3 - Piece to Camera
8.4 - Interview
09 - SECURING YOUR MEDIA
9.1 - Methods
Share Your Story
You’ve found a story, you’ve taken the risk, you’ve created media and you’ve managed to do it safely. The bulk of your work is behind you. Follow through now and your media can make a real impact.
SHARING SAFELY
10.1 Review Your Media
10.2 Transporting Media Safely
EDITING YOUR STORY
11.1 File Formats
11.2 Trimming
11.3 Transitions - Video
11.4 Titling
11.5 Compression
DISTRIBUTION
12.1 Secure Web Browsing
12.2 Anonymity
12.3 Content Sites
12.4 Social Networks
CLOSING NOTES
13.1 Review your Work / Personal Critique
13.2 Practice Makes Perfect
