Below we outline some recommendations on how to produce high-quality video content on your phone.
Filming Guidelines:
- Video length: If you are shooting a video for an Instagram or Facebook story, aim for 15 seconds per person. Ideally, each video you create should be under one minute in total per campaign theme.
- Camera orientation: Hold your phone in a vertical position while filming.
- Focal point: The focus should be on you (your face and shoulders) as you are giving advice.
- Holding the camera: It would be best if someone else holds your phone for you, but you could also hold it yourself or use a mount, PopSocket or clip. If you are holding it yourself, hold it slightly above your face. It will be more flattering.
- Sound: Do a sound check in the environment where you will be filming. Make sure the sound is clear and background noise is not excessive.
- Lighting: Bright or natural lighting is best. Make sure you will not be backlit.
- Wardrobe: Avoid black and white colors. High necklines are preferred. Team gear is good.
- Logos and imagery: If you are not wearing team gear, please avoid wearing logos. Avoid logos in the background, as well. Nothing obscene or inappropriate should be visible.
- Introduction: No need to introduce yourself. Your name, school, major, sport and graduation year can be included in the final product.
Social media assets:
As you are creating your content, add a sticker or skin to promote the social media campaign.
If you are helping student-athletes create content or are facilitating the campaign content creation process for your school or conference office, feel free to share these suggestions with your athletes (and add some of your own, as you see fit).
Creating a small-group dialogue
One of the most impactful ways to participate in the social media campaign is simply creating a dialogue with those around you. Reach out to your communications/content staff to film a small group discussion surrounding the daily themes of the campaign, essentially inviting those in your community to engage with diversity and inclusion. This section will provide an example of how to accomplish this.
Example: For Day 2 of the campaign, four to six student-athletes could host a table discussion surrounding what belonging feels like and why it is important for student- athletes at your campus/conference to feel as if they belong in the spaces they enter. Below are questions that could be used to guide the conversation.
- Why is it important to feel as if you belong?
- When is a time you’ve truly felt belonging? What does it look/feel like?
- How can achieving this sense of belonging help us move closer toward inclusive excellence?
- What can our campus/conference do more/less of to achieve belonging for student athletes, administrators, coaches, community, etc.?
Below are a series of steps that could help you get started on creating a small group dialogue.
Establish a set of ground rules before having the dialogue: Conversations such as these are personal and could potentially be emotionally and mentally harmful if a set of ground rules are not clearly established before beginning. Some ground rules could be:
- Intent vs. Impact: We may not intend harm with our words and actions, but this does not mean those words and actions will not have an impact on those around us.
- Platinum rule: It is important to recognize that we must treat others how they would like to be treated.
- Use “I” statements: The experience of one person may not be true for the next person even if they hold similar identities. Rather than using generalized statements, discuss what is true for yourexperience.
Determine the tone of your conversation: Do you want this dialogue to be a more relaxed conversation or more of a professional conversation? Both are effective! You need to decide which would potentially be more impactful for what you’re trying to accomplish.
Who should be involved: Do you want this conversation to include solely student athletes or involve both student-athletes and coaches/administrators?
Creating a public service announcement
Another great way to participate in the social media campaign is to create a campaign public service announcement. Work with your schools and/or conference offices to create a series of PSAs that will help spread the word about your involvement in the 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign. This section will provide an overview on how to get started.
Example: On Day 3, SAAC members could post a series of PSAs calling their conference/institution to join them in action and explaining why this work is a group effort. This call to action could inspire those around them to work together to better reach inclusive excellence.
Below are a series of steps that will help you create your PSAs. In general, a great first step is to work with the SIDs/communications staff at your school or conference office to assist with this project.
Choose your message: What message related to diversity and inclusion do you want to get across? There are a variety of messages you could send, but you want your message to be concise and impactful. For example, your PSA could focus on the value of teamwork as a pillar of diversity and inclusion work. Or you could focus on the various identities student-athletes represent to underline that diversity is more than what meets the eye.
Tailor your message to your campus/conference: Your campus/conference culture is unique — make sure your PSA captures the uniqueness of your campus by tailoring your message to reflect the distinct characteristics of your school/conference. For example, you could have student-athletes wear school colors, relate their statements to the core values/mission statement of the institution, or share diversity and inclusion facts/statistics specific to your campus/conference.
Consider the audience (and grab their attention!): Who is your audience? Is it student-athletes, administrators, coaches or the whole campus community? Make sure to get their attention with your PSA. For instance, you could use visual effects, compelling statements, shots of campus, interesting statistics, etc.
Create a script and storyboard: A storyboard is a breakdown of the different shots you want to have in your PSA. Once you have selected and tailored your message, as well as identified your audience, you can start working on your script for the PSA. Your script should highlight the major and minor points you would like to make in your PSA.
Film and edit your PSA: Work with your athletics department’s communications staff (or conference staff if you choose to do a conferencewide PSA) to film and edit the PSA.
Share the PSA: During the 2023 diversity and inclusion campaign, share your PSA on social media. You can also encourage your athletics department, as well as other offices across campus that are focused on diversity and inclusion work, to share your PSA. Remember: Your PSA should be a call to action, inspiring viewers to participate in the diversity and inclusion campaign. Make sure to monitor responses to the PSA.
If SAAC reps have difficulties creating their PSAs (e.g., coming up with content), they can reach out to the NCAA office of inclusion (inclusion@ncaa.org) for guidance.
