True/False Friday: The social video is still evolving.

True. There has been a lot of talk lately about social video—video that spreads by sharing and word of mouth. Some call it luck and others call it a science, but when executed properly, social videos go viral, garnering massive awareness in record time. But how about a socially-produced social video? La Educación Prohibida is just that. La Educación Prohibida is a popular new social campaign that is making an argument for education reform. The film is feature length and shot entirely in Spanish, but the message is clear and relatable to a wide audience. Outside of the questions the film raises, what sets the film apart is how it was brought together. When independent film director German Doin had the idea to make his film, he made a short video inviting like-minded people to help produce the film. And so it was that the film was pieced together from about 90 interviews conducted in eight countries, by many different crews. The film also had over 700 co-producers (also a diverse cast from around the world), and when it was first released in August, the screening was synchronized in over 100 cities around the world, with over 18,000 people watching it on that first day (which is an absolutely huge viewership for an independent film). Many perceptive audiences will make comparisons to the Kony 2012 video that went viral in March. Both videos are advocacy pieces with similar visuals (computer-generated portions mixed with traditional interviews), and both were released online. Another interesting note is that La Educación Prohibida is over two hours long, which further supports our claim that online video can be any length, as long as it’s right for the message and the audience. These modern social documentaries are powerful forms, as evidenced by views, shares, and the debate they spark. And while we’re still yet to see what kind of influence La Educación Prohibida will have, it’s becoming clear that people can raise more than just awareness with a web video. If MiniMatters can help you use this tip or serve your other video needs, we’d love to talk with you at 301-339-0339 or via email at [email protected].