News, fast and furious...


Smartphones are increasingly being used to capture audio and video. Whilst it's true they are getting very much better, they have limitations which prevent them from achieving the best of their capabilities:
  • they are so light it's hard to hold them still
  • they have very small lenses which limit the amount of light reaching the sensor
  • their built-in microphones often face a different direction from the camera and cannot get close enough for good interview sound.
Much of the footage that they generate is used simply because it can be made and it's broadcast only when there is no alternative. We have become used to the footage from Egypt, Libya, Syria and the London riots.

But smartphones are also computers, and very powerful ones. They can run programmes which are able to interact with sound, stills and video. Editing apps are becoming very common and they can take the footage and turn it into the same sort of packages produced by the long established equipment and processes available to broadcast television. What's more, they can also upload these packages directly to a newsroom server.

This ability to edit and upload what has been shot gives them a singular advantage in the news acquisition process. It's possible to reduce the time taken from shoot to distribution - massively in some cases.

If these devices were to continue to be limited by the quality of sound and image then the results would remain consigned to occasional and emergency use. However, there have been some innovative developments.

To reduce shaky video the camera needs more mass. To improve the image quality, the sensor needs more light. A solution exists in the form of the Owle Bubo. This is an aluminium billet which has been milled to  take the iPhone and an accessory lens; in fact it can take a variety of accessory lenses. It also has a number of accessory attachment points and can be mounted on a mono or tripod. The original Owle has been replaced by Phocus and ALM's Mcam. In my opinion, the original shape is the best as it's easiest to hold and has more attachment points.

We forgive poor images long before we accept poor sound. It is vital to record the best quality sound possible. The iPhone is capable of recording at better than CD quality but to do this it needs better microphones. There are a couple of options, first is a small microphone on a short hinged boom which plugs into the earphone socket. This can be pointed in the direction of the lens and the sound quality is much improved. But there is more. Good mics are generally connected by XLR plugs. An adapter cable which also plugs into the earphone socket is the way to make use of these mics.

So now we have a more stable platform which can record images better than we had in the late 1970s, and close to broadcast sound.  Reasonable footage can now be recorded but also edited and uploaded.

The most compelling reason for using these devices is the speed at which stories can be turned around. The process is disruptively fast. The footage is stored in the camera which means it's instantly available to the editing software. A package can be turned around, and online, within thirty minutes.

The iPhone shooting kit is small and light. You don't need a carnet to move it around the world and it's comparatively cheap so you can dump it and run if things get hot. When you consider the costs of maintaining a traditional crew and the time taken to turn round a 90sec package then this has to be a winner. A journalist can turn around half a dozen packages and have them ready for distribution in the tome it takes to make one by traditional means. As budgets get lighter so this is going to become a significant way of working.

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