Got MoJo?
Sure, you can shoot cinematic-looking video with a DSLR. Or you can "run and gun" with a video camera. But what if you don't have those cameras with you? That's the idea behind Mobile Journalism—that you can produce video journalism with your smart phone. And, yes, there are actually people out there who rely almost exclusively on their smart phone to not only capture, but edit their audio and video.
But mobile journalism isn't just about the phone, it's a mindset: “It’s about the reporter being mobile, not the equipment," said BBC journalist Nick Garnett. "Mobile journalism involves people realizing that they and the gear they carry are like a Swiss army knife, with lots of attachments. You choose the one you need.” In short, mobile journalism is an altogether new storytelling language.
There are even conferences and awards for mobile journalism. Take a look at this award-winning story by Spanish journalist Leonor Suarez:
Dr. Quint Randle, who is teaching this class in New York City this spring, is recommending an inexpensive condenser lavaliere mic to his students. The MAONO lavalier mic will work with smart phones, DSLRs, and camcorders (not all mics can do this). The amazing part is you can get it for $20 from Amazon. It has a long cable and it sounds great, as you can hear in this video (which was shot with the amazing camera on the iPhone 7):
Incidentally, Dr. Randle is also experimenting with drone video, in case you're interested in that.
Just as with other cameras, it's best to shoot video on a tripod. Luckily, there are plenty of options for mounting a mobile phone (or tablet, for that matter) on a tripod.
Best principles for capturing video and audio are the same on mobile phones as they are on other platforms, but there are a few tricks. Here are three from this German journalist:
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