Last week CNN cameraman, Harvey Hogan, shot a video designed to compare an iPhone 6 camera with his normal broadcast news camera. Well, I say "designed to compare", but let's face it, if you were a cameraman would you be too keen to make the iPhone look good? I train journalists and media professionals to get the best results from shooting on their smartphones and this video was a missed opportunity to do a real comparison. I do not think this CNN cameraman really wanted to show the iPhone's camera at its best. In fact, Harvey chose pretty much the worst case scenario
When it comes to mobile journalism, we must remember that the iPhone is a tool, not an end in itself. You can do everything from high-end broadcast video, right through to simple social media videos. Here are some examples of how journalists around the world are using iPhones. Al Jazeera's "People and Power" programme aired an entire documentary shot on smartphones. Syria is a difficult place to operate as a journalist, so they used an iPhone so they could blend in. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/03/201231213549186607.html SKY News managed to cover flooding in a challenging location, because the journalist was able to shoot and edit video on his iPhone, before
It amazes me that so many journalists do not know how to shoot quality video using the HD camera in their smartphones. It is also surprising how many big broadcasters do not have a clear workflow for what a journalist does to feed material in a break news situation.
There are a number of very compelling reasons why more companies and organisations should be using video in their training plans. Here are just 5 benefits of using video to train your staff: