Two OCCC broadcasting professors traveled across the Atlantic to Belgium for a five-minute presentation over mobile journalism. Husband and wife team, Rick Allen Lippert and Gwin Faulconer-Lippert, attended the World Journalism Education Conference in early July.

Prior to the trip, on April 4, the Lipperts delivered their presentation to a News Writing class, where they were able to share their ideas and methods. The name of their presentation is “SMARTer MoJo: The 5 Minute Challenge.”

In five minutes, the Lipperts taught journalism educators from around the world how to separate disaster from success when practicing mobile journalism on a smart phone.

Lippert said doing mobile broadcast journalism on a smart phone enfolds the jobs of five people into one.

The mobile journalist is doing the job of producer, reporter, sound person, lights, and videographer.

Under setup, they listed the components to be assembled: a smart phone, monopod or tripod, microphone, and a Vericorder MoJo Kit, which will improve basic audio and clarify images.

A Vericorder MoJo Kit costs about $220 at technology retailers, Lippert said.

These equipment pieces are the key to success and fit compactly into a backpack or carrying case.

Next is monitoring image and sound.

Lippert said you should review the subject’s appearance, check eye contact of subject, check for distractions, pay attention to background noise and lighting, and connect the location to the story through framing.

“Make sure your story is presented well to the audience,” he said.

Good audio is critical, which many videographers overlook.

“If the audience cannot hear your story, they will turn it off,” Faulconer-Lippert said. The first tip they shared is to avoid using the built-in microphone in the phone.

The best option is a hand-held or clip-on microphone, Lippert said. The volume should have presence, and there should be no distracting noises. The way to check this is by listening with headphones while the person is speaking.

Faulconer-Lippert stressed the importance of the reporter practicing in front of the lens.

You must be camera ready by looking prepared, locking in eye contact, acting like you know what you are doing, and enunciating words.

“It is important to look natural and comfortable,” she said, which takes practice.

On the technical side, you must make sure your gear is fully charged and ready to go.

“It’s the wrong time to read your manual,” Lippert said.

End your story with your final thought, your station’s name, and your name to close your report, Faulconer-Lippert said.

“This is the signature to your work, so make sure it flows well,” she said.

The Lipperts closed their presentation by showing two pictures. One picture had a reporter doing everything right, and the other had the reporter doing everything wrong.

There is time for the audience to observe these pictures and say what can be corrected using tips from the presentation.

The Lipperts teach these skills in their broadcasting courses on campus.Rick Lippert said he has two MoJo kits for his students in Video Production. Instead of a smart phone, the kits come with an iPod Touch, which serves the same function.