Film Your Story! A Digital Campaign Project

We live in an era where we are inundated with too much information and the real challenge is no longer to create more information but to make sense out of what exists. Most especially that new technology and innovations are fast-moving. Internet too, though not everyone is fortunate to have a fast and reliable connection, at least it is getting more accessible. This is a realization I have especially with my new job which entails travelling to far-flung places and even conflict areas here in Mindanao.

During trips, I’ve noticed men and women, regardless of age, culture and ethnicity, are all hooked up to Facebook and YouTube. Most of them are fond of videos over YouTube.

With this, I thought about creating a digital campaign using film that will tell stories that will promote gender equality, inclusive environment, health and human rights. Using film techniques (motion video with audio) or photos with audio, I thought about a project using digital storytelling that will reveal first-person narratives of struggle, courage, hope and transformation from the grassroots community, which will be named “Film Your Story!”

We believe that everyone has a story to tell but oftentimes, these stories are kept in memory for so many reasons. But when we start to unfold and emancipate ourselves from what kept us from speaking, these stories connect, inspire and transform others, most especially those from the grassroots community.

Most of them find it difficult to write their stories. Amazingly, when these narratives are digitized combined with photographs, moving images, sound and narrative voices, it becomes a powerful tool to move and engage others to take part. Nonetheless, to visualize and hear stories from the ground is both a compelling and engaging platform. This project envisions a community of storytellers who do not only tell stories but show the tiniest detail of one’s life.

This project wants to address the nuances of written stories of emancipation, of consciousness, and of transformations and explore digital storytelling as a form of empowerment.

With the goal to contribute to the World Pulse being a no-nonsense social network connecting people globally, this project aims to mobilize existing community of World Pulse and inspire new ones to tell their story using media production techniques, free software, which may include but not limited to digital cameras, digital voice recorders, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Final Cut Express, etc. and share them by uploading through YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud and share them on World Pulse site. Aside from the online community, this project will also mobilize grassroots community to involve in digital storytelling.

I intend to gather stories of women coming from the different culture, tradition and environment and bring their stories online, in a wider and larger community, so that others may hear them that their stories may inspire and transform.

Committed to launch soon, I envision a loud uproar of different voices of women using film!