So you Wanna Be A Citizen Journalist? Here are a few tips!

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.   

There is A Malicious Propaganda War Being Waged Against Multi-Rotor Camera Drones!

Los Angeles, CA—Officials here recently claimed that drone operators endangered lives by halting firefighting efforts.  Angry local politicians vowed prosecution and new legislation to remedy this “huge and life threatening ” problem.

Photographic evidence supporting those reports is non-existent.  You’d think the crew members presumably are all armed with smart phones would have captured images to help identify the drones to assist investigators.  There are no pictures because this never happened!  Needless to say there are no captured drones either.

As for those helicopter pilots making these reports they seem to forget that their massive propeller’s, prop wash would simply blow any little cameras drones away from their aircraft into oblivion.  A near miss happened? Really? 

The high cost of these camera drones makes their owners very protective of their investments.  If they are reckless and crash them, all the the fun is over. Accordingly drone operators police themselves better than any government agency.

New York police helicopter pilots reported a near miss and the follow-up investigation resulted in the false arrests of two youths with a DJI phantom drone on felony charges.

The charges were dropped when the malicious lies of the pilot cops were horribly impeached.  Among things they claimed was the drone was traveling at ridicules, impossible and dangerous speeds when that Phantom could go no faster that 35 MPH.

Cameras on the drones are the ultimate “black Boxes” that document the drones behavior and flight in real time.   The cameras have exposed lies of people claiming their privacy was invaded or lives endangered.  One sad example was the wrongful arrest of David Beesmer who was charged with using a drone to peep into dressing rooms at the Mid Hudson Medical Group building.

Months later after careful examination of the drone’s video debunked the claims of witnesses and ended expensive felony court prosecution.  Bessmer was cleared but only after he spent thousands of dollars for a defense lawyer. 

The drone operators I know can't wait to put their flight's video up on YouTube like I do.  It’s about art, fun, newsgathering, real estate marketing or other positive activities. Activities that are clearly Constitutionally Protected!

I use drones for investigation.  Wow! That sounds so ominous!  The reality is that I found that my drone can get great overhead shots of accident and crime scenes to help defense lawyers, prosecutors, judges and juries better see and understand the layout much better than diagrams and land based images. 

Drones can't see through window glare, curtains or walls. Surveillance is best conducted with much bigger cameras from conventional places on the ground.  Drones that can transport sophisticated telephoto cameras are simply too cost prohibitive. 

You can't get that close up, face shot from more than a few feet away.   

I used my drone in a missing person case to examine some rough terrain I was incapable of searching on foot.  I actually found some property that belonged to the missing subject with my drone!

Pilot after pilot has reported near misses with drones.  These sightings all share the same similarities.  Most glaring is there are no actual collisions, videos or still shots of these rogue drones!

The media needs these drones to slow down the rain of pink slips in every newsroom in America.  The single most expensive cost in any TV newsroom is for helicopter newsgathering efforts.

Are these pilots simply seeking attention?  Or could there be something more sinister involved? 

One thing for sure drones may not threaten pilots by they are sure to take their jobs away.  Why risk life with manned firefighting planes when drones can do these jobs without risking lives?

News and police helicopter pilots know safer drones that only cost a tiny fraction of conventional helicopters that will be replacing them!  These guys are understandably not exactly cheering on this exciting new technology.

Sadly there are those people that simply see a drone in the sky and can’t resist calling 911.  They don’t report airplanes or helicopters, just drones?  Ignorance, fear and loathing are in high gear spurred on by phony drone misconduct reports getting airtime on TV.

Below is a video that resulted in phony claims to police by a woman that a drone was actually peeping into her single story home’s windows!  Months later the woman apparently claimed she was nearly hit by the drone!  The video speaks for itself and is unedited.  The video is complete from take off until landing but for the addition of music on an audio track.

The police investigation and report actually cleared the pilot but local prosecutors charged him as a criminal anyway! 

Why All The Anti-Drone Propaganda? Some Real Answers…

Los Angeles, CA—Report after report has been broadcast and published by the mainstream media alleging dangerous misconduct committed by people piloting little camera drones.

“Experts” quoted in media reports are constantly citing serious danger and privacy concerns.  They all talk about the large number of the sighting reports as a reason to regulate, restrict or otherwise outlaw this new technology.

There is just something really fishy about this propaganda campaign.  There is not one reported collision between a single little drone and any aircraft. 

Despite the reality that absolutley everyone has a decent cellphone camera in their pocket there is not a single image of a drone even near an aircraft.  All we have are unsubstantiated claims from various pilots flying conventional aircraft.  

More importantly there is not a single death or serious injury involving a civilian multi-rotor camera drone despite the fact that more than a million of them are in the hands of ordinary civilians.  Many of these owners are young teenagers.

As for privacy concerns existing laws allow for the arrest of stalkers, peepers and alike.  The use of a drone in no way insulates someone criminally invading privacy.  There is not a single case involving these drones resulting in sufficient evidence to bring about and indictment or conviction.

The fact is each and every claim of drone misconduct has been debunked.  However new, non-stop phony reports instantly follow the ones that fail.

The late Nazi Propaganda Minister, Josef Goebbels said it best; “If you tell a lie often enough it becomes the truth.”

The only people cited in any drone incidents were those found flying their drones in areas like national parks that have suddenly banned them. It’s safe to assume that the violator’s were ignorant and unaware of these brand new prohibitions.

The major media honchos have their own issues and conflicts in this dogfight.  TV and Newspapers are losing ground to Internet bloggers like me. 

I did not have to invest in expensive presses or buy ink by the barrel.  For less than $10K I’ve acquired all the TV production equipment necessary to produce quality video news stories and full documentaries.  

Now, I even have two camera drones to get the aerial still shots and video I could only dreamed of capturing two years ago.  The big media giants no longer have an edge on me!  Wow!  What raw power! 

In the next decade the entire news and entertainment landscape will be Internet based.  We will see some the major news providers vanish altogether.  It’s all changing by the second! 

The only apparent uncertainty is how revenue the will be generated by content providers.  One thing for sure the new power of the little camera drones is making a lot of people nervous.  

Drone technology is a very serious threat to professional pilots.  Not to their safety, but their livelihood. We are close to aircraft that will fly free of pilot error crashes and of course pilots!

Very recent emerging drone technology has made great strides in collision avoidance software.   GPS, computer software and imaging hardware will eliminate the need for a large percentage of pilots.  Right now there is no love lost between conventional pilots and the burgeoning drone technology. 

It was just after the Wright brothers created air travel that the military discovered the value of being able to observe enemy movement from high above.  Aerial reconnaissance soon gave way to aerial combat and later bombing missions.

There are those in government that fear the population and never want to see any leading technology in civilian hands.  It’s about people control.  Our First Amendment already protects newsgathering drone cameras.  Is the Second Amendment arms bearing right potentially involved here too?

I recent years during civil disturbances the FAA declared cities or entire regions, No Fly Zones.  This was only about keeping newsgathering helicopters grounded.  It’s more than obvious that this is to give government absolute power to control and dictate what news is reported.   

The whole drone propaganda campaign is not based on public safety or flying Peeping Toms.  It’s obviously all about controlling Americans and who can report news. 

The New Politics of Civilian Drone Regulation

Los Angeles, CA—As a long time photographer, licensed private investigator and television journalist I have to weigh in on drone regulation.

For me it all began for me as a Chicago cop long ago.  I’m also a Viet Nam Era veteran.

First of all there are no recorded deaths from the consumer drones that photographers are using.  Injuries and property damage has so far been so insignificant as to be totally off the radar.

Our drone cameras are no different that your cell phone cameras.  You have to get really close for a recognizable face shot.  The cameras drone operators are using are not suited for such portrait photography.   Privacy concerns are way over-rated and are only a figment of paranoid imaginations.

Our drones are electric and are not capable of making noise disturbances. 

Yes, drones can be misused just like rocks, scissors and paper.  You can make a weapon out of anything and cause damage or harm.  Our simple drones are not weapons. Using a drone to commit or facilitate a crime is and will always be a crime. 

All of the needed laws are already in place and have been for a very long time. 

We only have privacy rights in places where there is a reasonable expiation of privacy.  Despite the NSA inside our homes and businesses we are protected from spying by law.   Stalking, harassment and disturbing the peace laws already apply to everyone including drone operators.

Assault, manslaughter, and endangerment laws are on the books everywhere.  Reckless behavior with a drone or in any other way is already a crime.   Flying a drone in the near vicinity of manned aircraft would be a crime under state and local laws everywhere.

Suddenly  I see drone operators fearing bans suggesting compromising our legal ability to fly our drones such as where people exist.  There is just no basis or justification for that kind of restriction based on the fact that there are no deaths or injuries happening.

These drones were considered toys until they were married with the tiny cameras such as the GoPro.    Suddenly drones became the subject of over-imaginative conversation and news stories.   People are going overboard and believe that we now somehow need new bans and laws.

Drone operators need to vigorously fight for what few rights we have left in America. 

The new drone journalists should be allowed to cover news like they are with pencils, typewriters, computers, and conventional cameras.  Camera drones are legitimate news gathering devices and should be fully protected under the First Amendment.

We must never forget that conventional aircraft and helicopters used by news kill people every year somewhere.  Drones are so much safer for newsgathering not to mention only a tiny fraction of the cost. 

The FAA needs to focus on their current aviation duties.  They want to expand their bloated bureaucracy to cover every 12 year-old boy with a remote controlled aircraft.  That’s just plain nuts! 

Here is a little video I created with a Phantom 2 drone with a GoPro 3+ camera at Carmel-By-The Sea.

The Netherlands by a camera Armed Drone---Wow!

'Okay I'm hooked on Drones for newsgathering, filmmaking and just plain fun.  I love Germany and the Netherlands and hope to retire there someday.  Here is some great video from yet another high-end offering into this new technology explosion!

Cloudshots.NL | videoshowreel jan. 2014 from Cloudshots.NL on Vimeo.

Cloudshots.NL | bevrijdingsfestival overijssel 2013 from Cloudshots.NL on Vimeo.

http://www.aerialtronics.com/

Can Quadcopters facilitate the Salvation of TV New

Helicopter Crash Scene Courtesy of KOMO-TV Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA—Tragedy struck this morning as a TV news helicopter crashed near the landmark Space Needle.  At least two people are reported dead and another is listed in critical condition at a local hospital.  At least three cars have been set on fire as result of the crash.

TV news helicopters have a relatively good safety record, but every few years somewhere, these horrible accidents are repeated.  

Over the years I’ve lost friends in crashes in Phoenix, AZ and Denver, CO that lost their lives covering news from the air.  Trust me, it always hurts.

Aerial news coverage is necessary but can be a little risky.  It is also the single most expensive cost of most TV news organizations. 

TV news has lost a major portion of its audience and revenue and many news organizations have curtailed or eliminated helicopter coverage altogether.

Technology has brought us something far lass risky or expensive, the camera armed, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.  These devices are very light, inexpensive, safe and perfect for gathering and broadcasting news video.  

The little drones can cost at little at $1000.00 with the popular high definition GoPro cameras or as much as $15,000 with a larger camera such as the Canon 5D DSLR with live broadcasting capability.   Either way it’s only a fraction of the cost of operating a helicopter.

The upside is that accidents with quadcopters are nearly always free from damage or injury.  They are so light that should they fall from the sky there is little or no damage in most cases.  The size of the quadcopters range from a small to an extra large pizza.

Medium and small market TV stations can keep several of these quadcopters in their broadcast arsenals at little cost.  They are also much quicker to deploy for a news story than those helicopters they now rely upon 

They can operate as long as 25 minutes before they are brought down for a quick battery change.

Those sensational and famous Los Angeles freeway chases are not currently suitable for the quadcopters because they often go on for hours and many miles. 

In riots helicopters are often shot at from the ground. That’s dangerous to say the least.  Quadcopters are a much smaller moving target and lives are not at risk should they be hit by gunfire.

A Denver federal judge has just reversed the FAA ban on commercial use of these drones.  Use of drones by hobbyists was always allowed but now news organizations are free to employ these devices.

I know for sure that employing drones will slow down the steady downpour of pink slips in newsrooms because they are so incredibly cost effective.

I can predict the immediate hiring of quadcopter multimedia journalist-pilots that can also edit the raw video into news packages on laptops in their vehicles at various news events. 

In the long run the use of drones will bring more use or aerial video than the helicopters simply because of the ease and reduced cost involved.

Another advantage is the drones can easily operate at much lower altitudes.  In fact the FAA wants them no higher than 400 feet.  Aerial video from just 30 to 75 feet is truly amazing.

The drones can be effectively flown and operated after only a few hours of practice.  News organizations cannot afford, not to employ these gee whizz gizmos if they are serious about their mission and financial survival. 

Below is my first video flight of my Blade 350 quadcopter and GoPro Hero3+ camera.  The cost of this bare bones package was about $1000.00.  I was able to do this with only about an hour’s instruction and practice.  I edited this video on a laptop with Final Cut pro X software. 


Here is some exceptional night video over Los Angeles with a DJI Phantom II with a GoPro: