Phoning It In: Filming LIVE TV Specials from his iPhone | Speedify LIVE

On the 102nd episode of Speedify LIVE we are joined by Mike Castellucci, Emmy-winning journalist and the creator of Phoning It In. He teaches mobile videography, while also doing LIVE TV specials and news segments professionally from his iPhone.

We chat to Mike about how Phoning It In came to be, whether phones can ever replace multi-thousand-dollar cameras, what gear he uses personally, and even get some useful advice for newcomer journalists!

Here are our 5 takeaways from our interview with Mike Castellucci:

1. For his video stories, Mike uses an iPhone, fixed on not a gimbal, but a Manfrotto Tripod to stabilize the shot, with two Sennheiser microphones, a Shotgun mic and a Wireless one, which he switches between whenever needed by plugging and unplugging the dongles and cables. When needed, he also adds a small LED light into the mix. 
2. Mike only mentions one piece of software that he uses to improve his videos: Filmic Pro. This is a mobile app that can turn your phone camera into as close to a DSLR camera as it gets! It makes adjusting everything from the iris, to the lighting and the focus much easier. 
3. While the iPhone has a built-in stabilizer, and Mike uses a tripod for additional stability, he says it’s more about the technique! Watching the best in the business he’s learned how to hold and move with the camera in a professional way. He even has tutorials about these techniques on his YouTube channel! 
4. When it comes to visuals vs story, Mike says that the story is everything! He says that while technology changes, storytelling never will, so if you can tell a good story, make it emotionally engaging, AND with beautiful imagery and natural sound, once it’s all put together, that’s a win. 
5. Mike’s advice to any newcomers in the video business: you already have a phone in your pocket, so if it’s what you want to do, then you can do it! You can start with just the phone, then add a couple things like a microphone or even switch to an expensive camera, but you already have what you need to start, so you can do it.