Amateur mobile video has become a staple of television news, covering events ranging from police actions to natural catastrophes. But professional journalists are not being left behind. Philip Bromwell’s  “The Inking of the Titanic” is an example of smartphone-shot TV news. The report aired on RTE (Irish Television). 

This news report—about a guy who is getting a tattoo collage honoring The Titanic—was shot using an iPhone 5S. While grassroots clips usually lack filmic sophistication, “The Inking of the Titanic” employs all of the classic news video techniques. These include close-ups, cutaways, and voice over.

Perhaps the main lesson that this RTE piece teaches is that viewers likely won’t know that the material was shot using a phone.

“The Inking of the Titanic” is an entry in the current Original iPhone Film Festival. You can see more of Bromwell’s work here.