As with audio, video format in mobile journalism has two meanings. The programme format is the type of video story, such as a news package, a piece to camera, a short vertical explainer or a live stream. The technical format is the way the video is recorded and stored: its resolution, frame rate, aspect ratio, codec and file container. A mobile journalist chooses the programme format that suits the story and the platform, then sets the phone to record in a technical format that the edit and the publishing platform can handle. Example: covering a public participation forum on a proposed county by-law, a reporter may shoot a 90-second horizontal package for the newsroom's television partner and a 45-second vertical explainer with captions for its social media accounts.
| Setting | Common options | Guidance for mobile journalism |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1280 × 720 (HD), 1920 × 1080 (Full HD), 3840 × 2160 (4K) | 1080p is the usual working standard; 4K gives room to crop but uses far more storage and battery |
| Frame rate | 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 frames per second | 25 fps (or 50 fps for fast action) suits Kenya's 50 Hz mains electricity and avoids flicker under artificial lights; keep one frame rate for the whole project |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 horizontal, 9:16 vertical, 1:1 square, 4:5 portrait | Choose before shooting according to the main platform |
| Codec | H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), Apple ProRes on some iPhones | H.264 is the most widely compatible; HEVC saves space but some older devices and editing apps handle it poorly; ProRes is very large and suited to high-end edits |
| Container | MP4, MOV | MP4 is accepted by almost every platform; iPhones record MOV by default |
| Bit rate | Measured in megabits per second (Mbps) | Higher bit rates keep more detail; social platforms compress uploads again |
Resolution and aspect ratio work together. A Full HD horizontal frame is 1920 × 1080 pixels (16:9), while the same detail in a vertical frame is 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16). A square frame is often exported at 1080 × 1080 pixels. Shooting horizontally and cropping to vertical later loses more than half of the frame, so a story meant mainly for vertical platforms is shot vertically from the start.
Frame rate is the number of still images recorded each second. For natural-looking motion, the shutter speed is set to about double the frame rate, known as the 180-degree shutter rule: at 25 fps, the shutter is about 1/50 second. Higher frame rates such as 50 or 60 fps allow smooth slow motion when played back at 25 fps.
Decide the main platform before the shoot, set the camera app's resolution, frame rate and orientation accordingly, and check the receiving television station's or web desk's specification. Keep the original high-quality files, and export separate versions for each platform rather than uploading one version everywhere.
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