“Great operation, but where are the photos?”
– Senior commanders, mostly.
Top people care about releasing photos and videos about successful military operations. Not all and not all the time, but often enough that PAOs should have a plan to do it well.
I heard one senior commander give this guidance to his subordinate commanders:
“You’ve got to record it. It’s got to be good. And you’ve got to get it out.”
I appreciate this clear and simple guidance. Here’s a little more discussion:
Record it. Are you a level 10 planner and logistician? If not, work on it. To record tactical actions with strategic implications, you need to know where and when the action could happen. You need to hire and groom people you trust to be in position. You may need to plan their movement and access. They need equipment that functions. Maybe a vehicle, or a radio. What if it’s nighttime, or raining? Or bad guys are nearby? Are the units used to cooperating with folks with cameras, or do they need training? Or maybe you’re involved in some kind of operation involving ISR footage. Is it being recorded, and if so how can you access and declassify the file?
Make sure it’s good. Do your videos or photos match your story? If so, it’s probably because your team understood and invested their energy in the message. Beyond this, people like quality, so publish work you’re proud of. Is everyone executing the basics to perfection? Do your staff colleagues and leaders know what good imagery feels like? Do you? What looks cool in the industry? Drones? GoPros? Don’t ask me, go talk to an expert. Send your video team to NAB or something.
Get it out. Back to planning and logistics. Where, when and how is your imagery getting released? Remember the New Video Guy – is your team ready to edit and render videos on the move? Do your photo folks take hours on edits and cut lines while adversaries tweet straight from their phones? How’s bandwidth at your team’s location – and can your commo guys make it faster? Who’s got release authority and how’s the bandwidth at their location? What about declassification? Can required changes be made rapidly? Where’s the content getting published, and what will you do to get the right viewers’ attention? Journalists? Twitter? Remember: shipping is bueno, and marketing is muy bueno.
The commander’s rules for ops footage applies to Public Affairs and Combat Camera folks – whoever’s supporting the mission.
(Photo by Spc. Isaiah J. Scott, DVIDS)
