Journalism.co.uk: Falkland Islands Television Goes Mobile

Posted September 26, 2017

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The Falkland Islands are a small territory. You wouldn't expect them to have a very large media presence. Recently, the broadcaster has turned to smartphone and a mobile workflow to become more efficient and expand their local and global audience. 

The Television business started in just 2011 and initially worked in a standard workflow - camera man, reporter, sound man, a satelltte van and so on, with just a smattphone, you no longer need all of those extra peoepl, you can work alonge, and therefore create a much intimiate kind of video and story.

Caroline Scott from Jourlamism.co.uk talked with Paula Fowmes, station manager at FITV:

"You're always going to have people say that you shouldn't mix cameras, or use a mobile phone by itself to shoot professionally, but you do what you need to do to get the story out there," she said. 

"When our new Governor was sworn in, we were told that the ceremony was going to be so busy that cameras couldn't fit in there – so my reporter Chris and I went straight with our iPhone 7's and just filmed it all on mobile.

This is something that you cloud easily do. It doesn't have to be news; you can make travel videos, vlogs and much more without havung and still get just as quality ehst you are looking for

Check out this example piece: 

Caroline Scott from jourmalism.co.uk writes: 

Using Filmic Pro, a selfie stick, a miniature desk tripod, and a duo lapel mic, the reporters have found they're able to shoot more creatively. This makes production easier in the Falkland Islands, where journalists are regularly filming in unusual places such as the top of a mountain, in a plane or amidst hectic sheep shearing competitions. 

They have been experimenting with the type of kit that would work best for them in the long run, as the harsh wind in the Falklands means that audio has to be monitored carefully and kit has to cope with being outside for long periods of time during events.

"We run on an extremely tight budget here – using carpet underlay on the walls in the studios to knock-back the sound, and lights that take up to 30 minutes to heat for the green screen – but we do what we can to make it work for us," Fowmes said. 

"A £5 selfie stick has enabled us to get drone-like shots during, for example, motocross tournaments or outdoor parades, while also being great for capturing unique footage from hard-to-reach places, where we might want it on the creative pieces we produce."

Read the full article here.