Cell phone journalism tips

We can all be journalists with the tools that we have today. One thing that I don't take advantage of is my video camera on my cell phone. For some reason, it never occurs to me to record news on my cell phone probably because I rarely video record.

Luckily, Aaron Chimbel has given tips on "How to make the most of Flip and cell phone video". He realizes that a great majority of people these days own a cell phone, but just don't know how to properly use it for journalism.

Technology today allows ordinary people to contribute and capture news that they see. Although the quality isn't the best on mobile devices, they are improving which allows for more journalism use.

Now, for Aaron Chimbel's tips that we can benefit from.

-Get up close during interviews since there is just that one little microphone on your device.

-Hold steady. No one wants to watch video where the cameraman is constantly shaking. No one told the people in The Blair Witch Project, or maybe they were too scared.

-Get views from different angles. Variety is good.

-Don't zoom, if you do it makes the recording more shaky. Physically get closer.

-Go where huge cameras cannot. You're camera is in your hand, not on a tripod or resting on your shoulder.

Hope these tips were useful, now go out and capture some news with your phone. For editing tips and Aaron Chimbel's blog, click here.