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Cape Town - Channel24 has claimed a first by covering Rocking the Daisies using only smartphones and tablet devices.
All recordings, pictures and videos were shot and edited using only iPhones, Blackberries and an iPad.
Channel24 also asked their users to join the digital dream team by sending them tweets, updates and pics from their own smartphones in order to document the event in a new, interactive way. On Saturday at 12:00 the first photo gallery went live made up of official photos and user pictures. These pictures tell the story of the event.
The Channel24 team usually film with HD video cams and digital SLR cameras but weren't disappointed with the quality of the photos and videos they got on their mobiles. They recorded all video using the iPhone 4 Camera app and edited the footage on an iPad using iMovie. The spliced-together clips recount the festival vibe and stars a few rock stars in cameo roles.
Connections
"I'm totally convinced that you can send reporters out with only a smartphone and they will be able to get the story. They might not be able to retell it immediately because of weak and unreliable internet connections, but the quality of the photos and videos will be good enough," says Channel24 Editor Annel Malan.
"Our biggest setback was the weak 3G connection at the festival. Most of the time there was only Edge available and the wi-fi signal offered at the media tent was slow and often timed out. The result was that live reporting wasn't a reality. The team managed to update a few tweets and send out a few pictures, but many of our updates failed because of the weak connection."
Real thing
The festival's undisputed highlight was the much anticipated performance by international festival headliners Band of Skulls. Channel24 captured a clip on a Blackberry of their live performance, but admits – it doesn't even come close to the real thing.
Channel24 also met and interviewed Band of Skulls during a small press conference at the festival. Using Voice Memo for iPhone they recorded what the rockers had to say about their new album and playing South Africa for the first time.
Despite the internet not playing along, Channel24 still managed to post updates on Facebook and Twitter. They informed followers about which bands were playing, newsworthy events and posted a few paparazzi photos. Fans and followers joined in the conversation and retweeted their reports.
