My iPhone is at the centre of a mobile reporting solution for news and PR which we are developing. We use the Owle Bubo to improve the picture stability, colour saturation and contrast, and special leads to allow broadcast mics to connect with the phone. In addition We have the twin Rotolight interview kit and a 12v battery all in a small shoulder bag.

Our tests show that it’s achievable to make a specific type of factual news/PR story and upload it to a server or to YouTube every half hour. The storyform has been developed using Dramatica Theory. This will impact both citizen journalism and the more traditional form and allow for a more collaborative approach to news gathering. We will be testing the full Social Media integration at #BVExpo next week.

I also use the free I-Prompt app with the iPhone taped to the matte box. Scripts can be written either locally or sent by email.

Call sheets get developed in OmniFocus and output in Mindjet – both on iPhone and both synchronise with OS X desktop applications. The Google integration is good allowing use of much of its functionality.

There are timesheet and budget as well as Dropbox and celtx script apps.

Sunseeker allows you to work out where the sun will be and therefore where the shadows will fall at a particular location and at a specific date/time. Great for location research.

There are timelapse apps and Ustream have a free streaming app.

All this allows maximum flexibility for use and deployment of very light and agile crews. To get the benefits from this disruptive technology then the rules for telling stories must adapt to accommodate the change in limitations.

The iPhone is significantly more powerful than my first Mac but it’s still a more effective than efficient device. I think that the distinction is worth appreciating.

One note about Reel Director. Version 2 adds some GREAT new features (you mentioned a couple), but you still can’t preview as you work. In order to view your edit in progress, you need to render out a new movie, which can take some time depending on the length of your cut. I’m guessing they’re working on improving that.

Best,
Taz
Hand Held Hollywood

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