“Technology is now in your pocket,” said Din Hamid of RTM Malaysia, one of the participants in this week’s workshop on shooting video with smartphones.
Fourteen participants from six countries took part in the three day workshop, which was held in Kuala Lumpur. It was conducted by CEO of the International Media & Broadcasting Academy Steve Ahern, for IPPTAR and AIBD.
The experienced journalists and camera operators learnt how to choose the best apps to shoot video and how to transfer their existing skills to the new platform.
“It’s not really a phone, let’s call it what it really is… the world’s most powerful multimedia capture, editing, filing and consumption device… in your pocket,” said Ahern.
Tips for shooting good quality videos on these smart devices include keeping the phone stable by ‘thinking like a tripod,’ not panning too quickly, taking account of the best light sources, and composing interesting shots. Participants took part on several exercises to practice these skills on phones.
Once they had mastered the art of quality video and audio capture, participants were then taught about the best apps for editing, including iMovie, PerfectVideo, WeVideo and VideoMaker. “Remember what you already know about telling a story in pictures, establishing the setting, cutting away to tightly trimmed clips and keeping the narration tight,” said Ahern.
The last part of the course introduced new reporting apps such Videolicious and the live filing app, Periscope, and allowed the participants to use them in a range of reporting assignments.
“If everyone who works in your organisation knows how to use these new tools, you can significantly multiply the number of people who work for you who can contribute content to your news bulletins and general programs. The tools of reporting are now in everyone’s pocket,” Ahern told the group.
The top things learnt by the group, according to course participants, are:
1. We learn about the editing capabilities of the smartphone especially iphone.
2. New technology nowadays which is smartphone now is very useful for us because we can editing as fast as we can without using any editing suite.
3. We are able to learn a strategies to spreading news and catchu a number of interactions from periscope.
4. As a broadcaster we must have keep on updating with the technologies and social media to enhance our industry.
5. Live video can be done in a very cheap and efficient way.
6. Use new editing apps for professional broadcasters using smartphones.
7. Various new camera techniques for shooting, editing and filing the material.
8. It is important to follow and explore new tech in smartphones.
9. How to used embedded media clips to broadcast it to social media.
10. How broadcasting principle is significant in delivering professional material to differ between amateur and professional journalist.
“The course taught me how to do live reporting in a cheap and efficient way,” said Mashira of Malaysia.
“I learnt about interactive applications and how they can be used by broadcasters,” said Ajib of IPPTAR.
Pichai from Thailand said “this is a new movement for Asian broadcasters, we will use these tools well when we get back to our stations.”
Yurika from Indonesia listed her top learning from the course as being able to use new tools such as Periscope and Videolicious.
Two Periscope reports filed as part of the course are available here and here, or below once the Periscope links have expired.