Los Angeles, CA—We are now in
a truly multimedia world. TV and
Newspapers are on life support because of declining viewers and
readership. Today’s people want news on
their terms, instantly, short, sweet and with compelling video.
People want to see news on
the iPhones and IPads. They want it
while they are between tasks. They seek it out while in the grocery checkout
line or when waiting at the barber’s office or hair salon.
The opportunities for citizen
journalists are starting to surface.
Today the pay may be low but now’s the time to prepare. You can be creative and lead the pack or be
left in the dirt.
You need writing skills. Hopefully you learned them in school.
Multimedia is the venue. That means writing, photography, video and
video editing. You must be a master of
all media forms. You also need to learn
how to transfer your work to the Internet.
Most people have some of these
skills right now. The technical aspect
has never been easier to learn and the equipment and tools gave never been more
affordable.
For starters the iPhone 6
plus is a great platform. You need a selfie-stick
and a good lavalier microphone like the Rode for $80.00. You can simply obtain the iMovie app for $5.00 and
you’re in business. For the absolute
best results, so-called prosumer cameras, wireless microphones and lights are
recommended.
For spot news the iPhone is
quick and easy.
If you go to YouTube there
are a huge amount of tutorials on every technical aspect of shooting, editing
and getting your material posted.
If you get an exclusive story
on a hot subject you can be paid a small fortune. Those opportunities are rare but they do
exist.
The first rule is to always
hold your iPhone sideways because that’s the way video monitors and TV screens
are positioned. Vertical cellphone video
simply stinks.
When you’re at the scene of
news events being shy will destroy your chances of success. Get up close and into the face of the
event. Ask lots of questions! For news you need not get anyone to sign a
release. If you’re using the video for a
documentary or entertainment by all means a release is a good idea.
Learn how to put voiceovers
on your video keeping the natural sound.
Crappy audio makes for unsalable video.
Using a second audio source like a Zoom H4N microphone is always the
best failsafe.
Drones are great. Get it up, get the shots and you may have
something exclusive, unique and sensational.
You don’t need to ask permission to fly over property! That’s First Amendment protected activity.
Libel avoidance is an
absolute must. You better have solid
proof before making accusations. Rather
than accuse, it’s better to simply ask the question, did your protagonist do
something wrong?
Be bold, be accurate and get
the details. Understand your subject
matter and tell the story.
I have one story below done
with just my iPhone in London. It took
me just minutes to put the story together and post it on YouTube.
Below that is an exclusive
story I did for WND that uses all the things I talked about. Here I used some prosumer gear because it was
warranted.
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