Vertical Video For People Who Hate Making Vertical Video

In the last few weeks of thinking about how to improve Chicago 312, many said they wanted to see more communications and narrative “how to” guides for Chicago. If you only want the weekly politics roundups, click here.

Right now I’m in a video course run by Project C, designed for journalists and creators.

 It’s a great training, but the organizer voice in my head won’t shut up about all the highly specific reasons different parts of this training won’t work in Chicago/for basebuilding/while canvassing/on Lower Wacker — etc etc. So I dug up a training I made in 2020 about video for this very specific group.

Over the last few months of late-night raids, helicopter and tear gas, and random violent abductions, there were no official press conferences ahead of time. Communities weren’t getting a heads-up. But neighbors, families, Ring-cams, phone-cams and journalists recorded what was happening. With the national story so heinous, those raw clips and narration let people see exactly what kind of enforcement was happening (and who it was hitting). They became the primary source of truth when government statements and press releases were — well, this.

As ICE + BP move on to North Carolina, Chicago is re-evaluating what happens next (and how to prepare for March).

Chicago organizers, especially right now— who chased Border Patrol out of the city with whistles — should be defining the story of what’s happening in Chicago. Not trolls, not right-wing accounts harvesting outrage for ad money, and definitely not that one guy who wanders into random city departments to demand audit paperwork.

If we want our base to feel grounded and our campaigns to have narrative power, we need organizers who can speak directly, immediately, and in a format people will actually see — beyond moments of crisis or rapid response.

Creators are trying to break through the noise. Organizers are doing that too, but (if they’re making video) also trying to close narrative gaps, interrupt fast moving right-wing frames, and set the stakes. It’s harder, and it’s distinct.

So, this is a guide to vertical video** for people who hate vertical video — people who do real work, who don’t have time, who don’t want to be influencers, and who absolutely should be the ones defining the story of what’s happening in the city.

You can make something good in under an hour, without fancy gear, without dying of embarrassment.

Here’s how:

Why Authentic, Low-Budget Video Works in 2025

Every major social media platform is drowning in weird, gross, AI videos — over half of Instagram Reels in 2025. It’s taken over the internet in disturbing ways, enough to have a full Wikipedia page about it.

Ordinary-looking videos — someone in a car, on the way to the protest, waiting in line in panic mode at Kinko’s— cut through that noise because they’re the opposite of what’s everywhere online these days.

But those “low effort” videos are a skill. They force the exact muscles we never get to train in organizing because we’re always rushing, and teach you how to say what you need to say calmly and quickly enough that your audience doesn’t scroll away.

If you learn this skill — actually learn it— it will change you: you’ll write better. you’ll interview better, and you’ll be better at messaging under any condition: in a chaotic meeting, during a press hit, in a hearing, at a rally, when a reporter sticks a mic in your face. Video forces you to get good at the muscle movements that actually matter in canvassing, 1:1s, every kind of power-building: clarity, timing, emotional presence, repetition, and iteration.

Because we almost never have time for this kind of practice in organizing — video becomes the rare place you can train these skills in a low-stakes way while still getting a decent picture of what works and what doesn’t. Your ability to understand what works, what doesn’t, and how to better communicate what matters exponentially improves.

WRITE THE CONTENT (5–7 minutes)

You are trying to do two things with this video:

1. Say something important about a current (or evergreen) topic that only you can say,

2. Make it understandable and watchable.

This sounds like a gigantic prospect when it’s the first video you’ve ever done, but when you spend 20 minutes a day working on video — it gets easier.

The same way canvassing becomes muscle memory, or coming up with an icebreaker that won’t totally derail your coalition meeting become muscle memory, speaking on camera, and creating a video that actually gets at what’s missing in a campaign story becomes muscle memory.

This short guide is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you need to know re: building a video strategy online, mostly focused on process.

Some Template Options If You’re Stuck:

1. “This is what just happened.”
   Very basic, but we almost never do it in real time — it’s a good summary + doesn’t need to have any kind of angle. It’s not that dissimilar from sending an email to your base after a big vote or moment. You’re defining what’s happening to a specific group. What do they need to know next?

   • “Here’s what City Council actually voted on today.”

   • “This is what that ‘efficiencies’ line in the budget means for your ward.”

2. Explain — or refute — something.
   This is where organizers have an edge. You know more than anyone what ISN’T true — you’re hearing at city hall, on the news, from members who stopped coming to meetings and . Not every question needs a video, but if there’s something making you mad, it’s worth zooming out and trying to explain it to more people.

   • “Which companies contract with ICE?”

   • “Corporations never leave cities — they just say they will. Here’s why.

   • If something Rahm said on the campaign trial is making your blood pressure spike — that’s a video.

3. “Here’s what to take from this.”
   Really short one sentence takeaway for one specific audience. It’s harder than it seems.

   • “If you rent, this is why you need to know about this zoning change .”

   • “If you ride CTA, this is why {this bill} matters.”

FILMING (2–3 takes, 5 minutes each)

You do NOT need a mic, a tripod, a ring light, or Vic Mensa eating fruit in your first video.

If you have those things, or can get them — great. You should. But start with just… making the videos. Do not let any of these tools get in the way of just practicing.

Wear headphones, charge your phone, watch your lighting, check your angles, hit record. Put your notes at eye level behind the camera.

The thing people fear the most about video — “I’ll look weird, I’ll sound awkward, I’ll mess it up” — is the point. When you practice on camera, you learn which parts of your voice actually land with people. You find a tone that’s yours, not a performance of what ‘political content’ is supposed to sound like.

EDITING, CAPTIONS & TITLE (35 minutes)

This is the hardest part the first time you do it.

Your brain wires new skills by doing them badly and repeatedly until they stop being scary. The goal is not to become a videographer — it’s to get comfortable enough with the basics so you can start to focus on story, clarity, and political intention.

Key Pieces:

Title: 4–7 words. A strong verb + strong noun + emotion.
“Why Chicago Fought Off ICE”
“How to Tax the Rich in Chicago”

Citation:
Drop 1–2 links in the comments if you’re worried about citations.

Accessibility:
Auto-captions ON, fix any typos. Captions dramatically increase watch time because people like reading along.

Caption for the Video:
Keep it simple and functional. One or two sentences max, same point as before (this is not a hard and fast rule but we’re keeping it simple).

“This is what the news isn’t saying about CTA funding.”

When to Post:
Whenever. Timing matters less than showing up over and over again. That said — any time of the day that YOU tend to be on social media is when others in your base might be: weekday mornings and late afternoons, late evenings.

When you do this three or four times, the technical part stops taking up as much space — your brain stops wasting energy on “what buttons do I press?” and starts focusing on the political story you’re trying to tell.

GET FEEDBACK

Once you’ve done all of this, send your draft to someone you trust. Ask what hit, what didn’t, what confused them.

And then — this is the part that took me forever — POST.

We are not letting this turn into “Video Draft FINAL_v8_REAL_FINAL.”

Just post.

AFTER YOU POST

Unfortunately, your exciting video journey does not end once you post.

Comments will come, trolls will still make weirdly intense insults, people who think they’re judging the Sundance Shorts Jury Prize will say a bunch of stuff about your lighting. That’s all okay! That’s the internet — and it’s. people, generally, which most people who do any kind of social justice work are familiar with. It also usually means your video hit, to some extent, that people feel the need to refute or virulently attack you. Ignore the people who only log on to project their unresolved childhoods.

There is some universal law that the videos you worked the hardest on will always perform the absolute worst compared to something you did without thinking about it. There are many variables outside of your control — so, more than anything: COME BACK TO IT LATER. Rewatch the next day (or even in a week).

Look for three things: Where you were clear, where you got hard to follow, and where emotion showed up. That’s the information that actually helps you improve — not whether the lighting was perfect or whether your hair was doing something weird.

Just uh, make sure you don’t have your home address listed on X… just to be safe…

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: How do I go viral?
A: I don’t know. Also it doesn’t matter. That said, you can increase your video’s reach somewhat, by:

• Commenting on other videos in the first 10 minutes after you post

• Sending it to reporters and local creators

• Knowing your base, your audience, what people want to know (and what you can tell them specifically)

• Posting consistently, on a schedule

I would rather you make a thousand shaky videos than spend one more minute in 2025 trying to “hack the algorithm” by leaving ✨ emojis ✨ under some guy’s crypto reel.

Q: What do I even say?

A: The people who make the BEST political videos are the people who avoid them because they’re busy doing the actual work.

I’m very invested in this talking point, but often find that when I say it to many of you (while trying to get you to make videos) it doesn’t land — I think because… you are busy and are trying to leave so you can go do the actual work.

So the reason I’m mentioning this is because “what do I even say,” usually has a deeper root, one that’s not really a question.

It’s more — “am I allowed to say this?” or “am I going to get this wrong and hurt the movement and ruin everything?”

I started making videos because there was simply TOO MUCH happening in Chicago to keep correcting intentionally false narratives with long paragraphs on X that no one actually read.

So I want to reframe this to — “Am I willing to be early and a little imperfect so our side isn’t silent?”

Q: Wow, I just made a video and it is awesome. I feel great. Now what?

A: This is just the tip of the iceberg of video content, especially for organizers.

The short, not very satisfying answer is: great! Post again.

I’m making more video lately too, and I’m still struggling through it — I also know it’s made me a much better communicator than any comms training I’ve ever taken.

Something we struggle with on the left (and sometimes despair about because of how much the right wing has dominated online volume) is surface area - the more chances for your people to see you, hear you, and understand the stakes with a campaign, online, in person, wherever - the better.

A single, polished clip is nice, but it doesn’t create familiarity, recognition, or trust.

A steady stream of clear, grounded videos does.

Like canvassing: one conversation is fine, but a turf is won because you’re there, consistently. Narrative works the same way.

Q: I don’t have time for this.

A: You can do this while waiting for the Green Line, in the Jewel parking lot, in the City Hall staircase next to the mural (but don’t actually film there, that’s my spot). If you have 45 seconds to tweet “LMAO what is RayLopez talking about today” you have 45 seconds to say it into your phone.

(Field organizers reading this, ignore the previous paragraph): You can make videos in your car.

Q: Sounds like organizing. Or - I’d rather be on the doors.

A: You can do this while you’re on the doors.

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Chicago doesn’t lack people who fight; we’ve just lacked ways to be heard at the speed things unfold. If organizers take up this medium, even imperfectly, that’s enough to shift what’s possible.

Coming soon in the 312 Narrative Column:

• Types of videos (including the pricey ones) + how to budget for them in a way that works

• Building video editorial calendars (and regular calendars)

• Core message development

• Message testing

• How to structure your talking points for video (and what changes when you’re doing media interviews)

• Why your last video flopped (sorry)

Tell me what I’m missing in the comments.

** Vertical video is just the shorthand for quick, informal, phone-shaped videos people actually watch while scrolling — the format where people now get their news.