This post is part of our ongoing #WhyIWearTheBadge Wednesday blog series.

Guest blogger: Lieutenant Christopher Cook, Arlington, Texas, Police Department

This is the second blog post in a series on #WhyIWearTheBadge campaign. In the first article, we spoke about how to implement a program through the use of images. Let us now talk about how easy it is to transform your campaign from photos to video. We all know that video affords us a great way to tell our stories and deliver messages in a way that photos just simply can’t match. This blog post will be a basic overview as future editions will go more in-depth on each particular app and piece of equipment we utilize.

Let’s begin by looking at where to start. First and foremost, we need to determine the audience and how we will tell the story. The great thing about IACP’s #WhyIWearTheBadge campaign is that the audience can be two-fold. The community is the real target audience, however we have found that by showing the videos to our internal employees, it can enhance a feeling of satisfaction serving the community that comes along with other officers seeing the stories of their peers.

Now that the audience has been identified, we need to think in terms of shots and how we will piece the video together. This is where your creativity and imagination can come in full swing. In Arlington, we decided to create a catchy intro and splice it together with some cool music in order to grab the viewer’s attention and keep them engaged to watch the videos. There has been a lot of research done showing that 20% of viewers click away within the first 10 seconds and almost half are gone within the first minute so you need a hook to keep them watching.

After we created the intro using an automated template, we began to identify our approach. In our series, we planned to profile 3 officers in each video highlighting the diversity and humanistic stories that we knew would resonate with our viewers. We then used various types of camera equipment to film the officers. Even if you do not have a large media budget with fancy equipment, anyone can create these types of videos using only a smart phone.

While we are not allowed to endorse any product or vendor, we use a variety of companies to purchase equipment to outfit our smart phones in order to create professional films. iOgrapher is one such site that sells microphones and lights for the iPhone. What we have found is that the external mics on smart phones do not lend themselves to producing good quality audio so an external wired or wireless mic is essential. Bad audio or poor lighting can make great looking video appear terrible.

As far as actually doing the filming, one of our favorite apps is called FiLMiC Pro which allows you to conduct a white balance, color correction, monitor audio levels, and it provides a whole host of other professional options for any serious filmmaker. I have included a few photos of the equipment used to create these videos. After obtaining the footage, we typically edit on the Apple Mac platform on Final Cut Pro X. Even if you don’t have access to a professional editing suite, iMovie or any number of similar programs are available on Android and ios platforms.

By keeping your finished product short and adding some music to the video, your viewers will stay engaged and share your content. Having fun is the real key ingredient to making any successful video. Experiment with different camera angles and background settings that add life to each of your videos. In the next series, we will drill down and take a closer look at automated templates and Final Cut Pro X. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need additional help or have questions.

To view APD's #WhyIWearTheBadge videos visit the Arlington Police Media YouTube Channel.