‘Head-cam’ video voxpops at Press Gazette

Friday, 19 January 2007, 16:44

Press Gazette reporter Rachael Gallagher filmed some video vox pops this week to gauge Londoners’ opinions of the Evening Standard and the free newspapers London Lite and thelondonpaper. You can watch the results on YouTube.

But this is two stories in one. It was also a review for the Gizmos page.

Rachael filmed her vox pops on the hands-free “headcam” better known as the Cylon Body-Worn Surveillance System. The tiny camera, designed to be strapped to the side of the user’s head, records directly to an Archos digital video recorder.

The headcam was designed for police evidence-gathering, which explains the unsightly timestamp throughout Rachael’s footage. Apparently the manufacturers can make a version for journalists without this feature.

There are clearly journalistic applications for this device, particularly in areas where mobility is vital, such as war reporting. Tristan Nichols, defense correspondent of The Herald in Plymouth, recently used this camerato film stories about British troops in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.

And it costs a mere £1,700.

Entry Filed under: Evening Standard, London Lite, Plymouth Herald, Press Gazette, Video, YouTube, thelondonpaper