Reporter Jeremy Jojola filed a live video story last week for KOB-TV in Albuquerque, N.M., using an iPhone and the Web site Qik.com. Jojola is one of many journalists who have begun experimenting with new ways of recording live video reports using their phones and free video-sharing Web sites.
Take a look at Jojola’s story and then read my edited Q&A with him to learn more about the journalistic application of Qik and how this kind of technology is changing the way journalists record live reports.
Al Tompkins: How does Qik work?
Jeremy Jojola: Qik is a program people can install on their cell phone to broadcast live video that can be seen via Qik’s Web site. Users create profiles on Qik.com, where their live video can be seen by anyone connecting to that particular profile. My profile is www.qik.com/jeremyjojola.
How did you know the video you were shooting with the phone was centered correctly while you were doing your standup?
Jojola: I didn’t shoot the video myself. A producer was holding the iPhone for me. It was quite strange speaking in front of the phone during a live shot. It felt strange because I wasn’t wearing a microphone, there were no cables and there wasn’t a tri-pod. It felt like a scene from a science fiction movie.
How did you know what the anchor was saying on air?
Jojola: We didn’t use interruptable feedback (IFB) in this case. I relied on the producer in the control booth to cue the producer who was holding the iPhone, who in turn cued me. Before the live shot, we tested out the software and realized there was a four-second delay.
So the producer cued me four-seconds before my actual hit. I think if we used IFB and I started talking when I heard the anchor’s toss, there would been a four-second delay on air, which is a long time. I was really nervous about nailing the timing, but I think we did it quite well.
The audio is not terribly clear in your standup. How can we get something cleaner for air?
Jojola: I’ve always wanted to do an iPhone live shot using Qik but never had the opportunity to test it out on my own. When we tested it for this story, the audio sounded fine, but the testing was done inside our newsroom. We didn’t think about ambient noise outside. Next time we will try a Bluetooth headset or something similar.
How do you see iPhones and Qik changing the way journalists record live reports?
Jojola: Getting a live truck to a breaking news scene for a live shot is a lot of work. First the truck has to be parked, then the microwave mast has to be raised, and then cables have to be hauled over to the camera and tripod. This takes a lot of time and effort that usually involves two people.
With Qik and my iPhone, I can broadcast live video within five seconds of opening the program on my phone by myself. No photographer or cables are needed.
The technology is cheaper and faster, and it’s only going to get better. What news manager isn’t going to like that?
I believe in several years it will be common for reporters to have this technology in their pockets. My iPhone is always in my pocket. I’m just waiting for the day when there is breaking news and I’ll be able to do a live hit from the scene by myself without a photographer or an expensive live truck. I have a feeling that day is going to happen very, very soon.
