Mobile journalism now easier on Android devices

When I conduct training on using mobile devices as news gathering tools, the room is generally filled with journalists wielding iPhones. However, in a recent podcast produced by journalism.co.uk, some mobile experts are suggesting that 2015 was a game changing year for producing news content with Android devices.

Florian Reichart, the man behind @smartfilming on Twitter, says three developments were particularly significant.

“Probably the three big things that made Android better as an app platform within the last year or months was the arrival of Periscope, FLMiC Pro and the second video track option on the video editing app KineMaster,” says Reichart.

Periscope is, of course, a live video streaming mobile app that allows you to broadcast directly to the world through Twitter.  FiLMiC Pro has long been regarded one of the top high def video video production apps, but it has only recently been made available for Android.   KineMaster has been on the market for awhile, but the multi-track option added this past year has made the app much more useful to journalists.

Podcast host Catalina Albeanu also mentioned an app called Legend that lets you create text-based animations.  I’m looking forward to checking it out as a tool to add a stronger visual element to video stories that require full-screen graphics.  The app gives you the option to download what you create as an MP4, which should make it possible for you to add that element into whatever story you are producing in the field.   You can also share these animations on Instagram, Twitter, Vine and Facebook.

If you’ve used Legend or have another graphics app solution we should know about, please feel free to share your what you’ve learned.

 

Share