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There is a lot of footage coming out of Charlotte after multiple nights of protesting has been underway after the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, 43. It was difficult at first to figure out what was shot on a cell phone, and what was shot on a camera of some kind. What made this video recognizable as cell phone coverage is how the footage looks.
It doesn’t have a fully professional look that footage from the Associated Press has, and it also doesn’t have the branding that someone with a camera would likely add to their footage. It is, of course, entirely possible that the Associated Press covered this event with a cell phone, but it was too difficult of a decision to decide that they did, which is why their footage was not chosen for this post.
The first-hand account that the viewer receives feels authentic. The footage is captured on the ground of the event and the natural sound surrounding it is setting the stage of what is happening.
The video has the feeling it was shot by a backpack journalist. A journalist covering this event with a traditional camera that’s clunky and noticeably visible might feel threatening to bystanders and protesters alike.
A cellphone or a handheld camera such as an LG 360 cam or a Go Pro are much more effective because it gives the journalist capturing the event the appearance of a concerned observer. It also makes it easier to upload, either via an SD card or directly to social media, YouTube, or a blog.
The background sound as stated before sets the scene for what is happening at the moment the footage is captured. The sounds are loud, indicating that many people are participating. The aesthetic captured is brash and overbearing at times. The video and audio both captured this, and it was present throughout the entirety of the footage.
Cypher Sessions 
Oops, looks like the owner of the audio clip removed it from YouTube. Anyway, for future assignments, it would be helpful to add some specificity to your critique about the techniques/methods used to record the situation.
For example, in what you can recall from the clip, do you think it’s more important to aim for authenticity in a loud chaotic scene (raw audio with virtually no editing) or to try to package an audio narrative that provides more context to the audience (with light to moderate editing)?
Live scenes are really hard to cover well so kudos to you for selecting an important, but technically difficult reporting topic.