A group 16 broadcasters from around the South East Asian region this week were in Kuala Lumpur for a three day Smartphone workshop, run by the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and the Tun Abdul Razak Communications and Information Training Centre (IPPTAR).
Participants learnt how to shoot video, frame shots and compose pictures, choose good lighting, and use their phone apps to best advantage. They also learnt about social media usage and how to file smartphone reports to many social media platforms.
During a practical exercise, course participants were sent out to gather reports for a news broadcast, using only their smartphones to capture, edit and file their stories.
Aiza, from Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) described the process:
“On the first day we took three videos, 5 still photos and 2 audio recordings. We then evaluated them to discover how to take good photos using smartphones.
“We also learnt about the rule of thirds for composition, how to get good lighting and how to edit footage for our reports in the phone…
“We used our work to produce a news bulletin with seven items, live crosses and live hosting.”
Comments from Course Participants included:
Mazliha Hamzah from RTM Malaysia says: “So exciting… a great course. If we do not use smartphones and social media in media workplaces it can lead to hundreds of thousands of hours in lost productivity per year. Thank you so much Mr Steve.”
Faisal Jamal from RTM Malaysia said this workshop “is very informative and useful for journalists, especially at the uncomfortable situation like disaster/war/demonstration.”
Phanu Matchima from Thailand : “Great! We can do broadcasting by smartphone, thanks for Steve Ahern and all the classmates who took me high.”
Sukma Azura from Malaysia : “I really enjoy this course. Got new knowledge, experience on smart phone and new friends also.
Mohd Syukri Abu Bakar from Malaysia : “Steve Ahern, thumbs up!”
Zairul Eizam: “I learnt, don’t think about quality, think about content (Steve Ahern, 2017)”
Pyae Phyo Hlaing from Myanmar: “This workshop is very good but, I am felling three days is too little.”
Vu Hai Dang from Vietnam : “This is an interesting class for how to make a report, new for TV by smartphone. Combining social networking and more apps helps me get information the quickest and most effective way.”
Kamal from RTM Malaysia: “This is a revolution in broadcasting… 3 things that I learn from this Smartphone Course; One: I learn how to produce simple news, Two: I can play with new apps and explore it through this course AND Third: I see how important to use lights technique in shooting visuals.”
Some examples of the smartphone compiled and edited reports are below.