The Apple advertising campaign “Shot on iPhone 6” can now be a line on the closing credits of a Swiss news station, which now does 100 percent of its broadcasts on the iPhone.
During the summer, Léman Bleu gave each of its reporters an iPhone 6 kit to shoot their stories and use for live shots. That means a reporter with a mic in one hand can use the free hand to grip a selfie stick for live standup shots.
Photo: Léman Bleu/
The iPhone continues to be a seismic disruptor in the photography world with a sensor and camera software so sophisticated, photographers and videographers are producing beautiful, publishable work indistinguishable from more expensive dedicated cameras. A growing number of television commercials are being shot with iOS devices and one breakout movie at Sundance this year, Tangerine, raised eyebrows because the entire movie was done with two iPhones.
The technology just gets better, making smartphones like the iPhone an attractive option. Earlier this month, Apple rolled out the iPhone 6s with a 12-megapixel camera, image stabilization and 4K video.
The move by Léman Bleu is sure to have camera operators nervous and station accountants hopeful as the typical iPhone costs pennies compared to traditional news video cameras. And with an app, like LIVE+ from Dejero, stations will gladly sell off expensive satellite trucks used for live reports.
“It’s a search for lightness and responsiveness, but also a way to reduce costs of producing a newscast,” news director Laurent Keller told a Swiss newspaper.
Keller told the newspaper that Léman Bleu made the conversion after a Scandinavian station switched over to iPhones. He said the quality from the iPhone is not inferior to results from a standard TV camera.
He also said the cost saving is important, especially for a small regional station that is only on the air a few hours each day.
A television station in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this year tried using iPads in the field but stopped using them over summer because of technical problems and an “amateurish quality” to the broadcast.
Two years ago, the Chicago Sun-Times laid off its entire photography staff and boldly claimed it would train reporters on using the iPhone. While some iPhone photos are used, the newspaper relies on professional freelance photographers for sports and big events.
Source: FTVLive
