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With the release of “Apple of my Eye”, the first short film shot and edited using the iPhone 4, I started to envision the future of mobile journalism and how iMovie could potentially transform the way we consume news media. Michael Korbel’s short film showcases the iPhone 4’s capability to capture raw emotion and visualize complex storylines while using a minimal amount of equipment. Be honest- In the right setting, “Apple of my Eye” might make you tear up, just a little.

So what does this mean for future iReport contributors? Well, quite a bit. Recording HD video at 720 p resolution/30 frames per second could produce award-winning documentaries capable of immediate web submission. Can you imagine the effect this would have had on the Iranian Twitter Revolution? Unedited video uploads went viral overnight, drawing international coverage and raising awareness of the turmoil surrounding the distressed country.

In the United States, we’ve seen growing popularity in Facebook and YouTube video uploads reporting police brutality. This has caused government officials to question altercations caught on tape, making the video camera one of the “most effective weapon(s) that ordinary people have to protect against and to expose police abuse.”

Recently, YouTube launched CitizenTube, a feed that tracks breaking news video uploads with a “focus on strong visuals and non-traditional sources.” Allvoices, a newly launched citizen journalism platform, has seen record growth internationally, with 6.5 million unique visitors in the month of May. Though iPhone-to-web direct uploads are not yet available, these signs show that journalism is shifting focus toward user-generated content, where importance lies in the citizen’s point of view.

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During SXSW, Jodi whipped us all into content creating shape to the point I imagined myself a TMZ reporter (much to Brad’s delight). While famous people didn’t assault me, I did learn that a few tricks go a long way to avoid dirty looks (from both your Content Task Master or the mobile content subject).

Snap a Picture of:

• Famous People—go right ahead and paparazzi your little heart out. They’re famous and used to being hounded by the press. And, you my friend, are the press.
• Normal People—ask first before going in for the kill. You’ll often find this diminishes blurry photos from people ducking out of the way or giving you the stink eye. And 9 times out of 10, they agree to have their photo taken.
• Things that don’t talk/animals/buildings—no need to ask. They don’t talk back.

Smile. You’d be surprised how showing a little Southern Hospitality goes a long way when you are raising your iPhone to snap a photo.

Get The Name of:

• Famous People—you should already know their name (or have someone tell you). Just avoid the awkwardness of saying how uncouth you are for not knowing who they are.
• Normal People—you will need to ask their name (first and last). Could be done during the whole, “Can I take your picture?” conversation.
• Things that don’t talk/animals/buildings—you might need to ask someone around for this. It will come in handy when your Task Master asks you why you took a picture of it.

Don’t forget the Twitter Name of:

• Famous People—you should already know their Twitter handle. See above for reasons why not to ask.
• Normal People—they’ll be flattered that you are social media savvy and will give it up. Plus you can go back, stalk them, and make sure you got their real name right the first time. And you’ll be able to Tweet them properly and share their photos with them.
• Things that don’t talk/animals/buildings—because they might be famous enough to have a Twitter name. Just look around. It might be posted somewhere.

After you get back to command central, your content manager (and your subjects) will be very grateful that you followed these simple rules.

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