The eternal question: how important is the equipment when you tell a story?
When I was in the fledgling stages of photojournalism I would blame my equipment a lot. If I only had this lens, or that camera body, or a certain tripod or whatever, I would be able to create photos like the big guys.
As I left full time photojournalism to live a more balanced life, I found myself drifting back to storytelling. Several years later here I am: a budding filmmaker/storyteller/content creator. Now that my aim is film, that big question comes up again: how important is equipment?
16 hours later I have answered in part my eternal equipment question.
I have to say my results surprised even me.
As you can tell, I’ve been using the diminutive Flip Video camera. And just like the constraints that Lars von Trier created in 1995 with ‘Dogme 95′ to make film more creative and real, I am finding the constraints of the Flip Video camera have made me a better film maker.
Because I have limited technical choices I am forced to concentrate on using what I already have in a the most creative way possible.
Yesterday I set out to film the exact same mini-film using a Canon XH-A1 and a Flip Video camera. I actually taped the Flip Video to the side of the Canon XH A1 to ensure that each shot was exactly the same. Both sets of identical footage were editied exactly the same way: down to the frame! I wanted no bias in this test.
Both cameras were set to auto everything (Flip Video is always this way) and only minimal color correction was applied in Final Cut Pro to make them both roughly the same tone. I even cropped out about 30% of the Flip Video footage to make it have a 16:9 aspect ratio like the Canon XH A1.
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I think you’re absolutely right. With today’s abundance of streaming media, pocket media and even wrist band media, (checkout the new OLED screens) you have to ask yourself. What is going to be the medium this content will be viewed on? I think the average person has this idea that the content needs to be the biggest best highest quality on the market, or it’s crap. That’s just the way America works. “I WANT MY PHOTO’S IN 600DPI BECAUSE IT’S BETTER RIGHT?!” Well you get my point.
Very well done, you had me baffled, I had to rewind to see if she said the same thing at the same spot. I thought it was two different shoots. Even though the Flip Video was cropped, I felt a few of the cuts looked even better with the subject off centered and filling the frame.
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That was awesome!! Well done. ~NL
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Kirk,
Eric and I have always been impressed with your skills as a photographer. It is amazing to see the direction you are heading with filming video. I am very impressed. And to think we knew you when…
miss ya! C&E
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Kirk,
What a fascinating comparison. The HD video is top notch, and the Flip is more than acceptable. I detected some minor artifacting in it; the HD did better with motion, and the audio quality was comparable on both. I’ve heard that the ipod nano with the mic attachment is a great tool. I think you confirmed that it is.
I’ve been wanting to back up my HD camera with a good quality point-and-shoot. I’m looking at the latest high-speed Casio still digicam that is said to be able to shoot HD.
I come from a still photo background, and have had difficulty being the “fly-on-the-wall” that I was with still cameras. My video cam and equipment are simply too obtrusive sometimes. A flip cam or something similiar might be the answer.
Thank you for sharing.
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Kirk
Great work on the HD v. Flip. You are absolutely correct, we are on the verge, I think it has already happen for younger people ( I’m 58). I’ve had a camcorder for 24 years. First version was as two part 10 lbs each pieces, now I have a HD canon, reg canon, and flip. Flip is the best.
The story is that when you “pitch a script” idea in Hollywood, they say “tell me the story you want to tell in two sentences.” If you can’t do that you can make a movie. The point is, the point is the story not all the money, techniques, talent, and PR of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. Telling a good story in video, no different than telling a good story around the camp fire.
In the 70’s when I was starting out in photography, I noticed that the people who won all the photo contests where for the most part, not really better photographers, but people who could go to Europe, hang at the beach all day for the perfect shot, take 1000’s of photo, etc. They had the ability to(money and time) to be exposed to the opportunity. I could never take a castle shot living in the Midwest, cannot do Rome photo living in Indiana. My point is opportunity and having a story need to come together to make something good happen.
Flip Video does just that. Anybody, who can explain their story in two sentences, now has the opportunity that was, in the past only affordable to those with time and money. A good analogy is a big wedding, where you see all those people with the digital cameras, and the professional staging his shots. Weeks later when you see the photo may of the best shots were taken by just ordinary people. Multiple view, even of the same event can be beneficial and enriching for all of us.
Twenty four years ago, when my daughter was four, on Easter, I spent hours getting out the video equipment and making some family video. I’m glad I did, both she and I love to watch it. Last Friday, I bought and sent her a Flip Video, she lives in Phoenix and I live in Tampa. She took it with her to visit her boyfriend’s parents and both for Easter brunch. By that night she had edited and sent me a video of her day. 24 years ago she could not even have lifted the camera, now that ability is in the palm of her hand.
The world will never be the same.
It is more than Guttenberg inventing movable type, it is more like in the evolutionary process of man learning language.
Great work.
Question, saw you used your iPod to record sound, how do you sink it with the video, I use Imovie, so I guess it is not that difficult?
Keep up the great work, I have linked your video.
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Thanks for doing this comparison — eye-opening. How did you record the audio for the Flip on the iPod? Did you use one of the external-recorder accessories?
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I sure wish you had A. shown us the two diff cams used (what is a flip video?) and shown us how you set them up. and B. shown us the audio equipment used and how you set them up.
Make the video fuller, by taking us all the way through each step- thru setup, thru shot, thru audio, thru a/v integration, thru editing, etc.
Otherwise, I still don’t quite get what you’re talking about….
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I’m new to this & was stunned about using a nano for audio recording. Could you describe your nano setup? Thanks, Reid
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Your cool vlog, reminded md of an article I read late last year, Why LoDef is the new HiDef or something like that. Here’s the link:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/04/why-low-def-is-the-new-hd/
An interesting read.
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Kirk,
Thank you for the amazing demonstration. My wife and I love our Flip Ultras, but my sixteen-year-old stepson insists that he needs an HD video camera to shoot his friends skateboarding. Maybe your video will change his mind and save him several thousand dollars. Then again, he’s sixteen, which means he’s pretty much immune to reason.
Thanks again, and good luck with your work.
– CapitolHillbilly
Washington, D.C.
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First, well done.
Second, a question about the goal of the test: While the two videos seem pretty much identical when I watch them in an embedded video window online, how does this translate into larger screens? Not just living room television, but also projection or even theater scale?
If you think that the explosion in ultra-low cost video production is going to be served over cell phones and the internet, this might not come into play. But what’s the potential impact on larger screen (and therefore larger audience) venues?
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That was an excellent comparison. I have one question, however:
How did you capture the audio?
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Eye-opening comparison. How does the flip compare with a point & shooter, like the Canon SD800IS?
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The ramifications of the Flip are HUGE, especially in education. Think of how many students can get turned onto film, film editing, video journalism, etc., etc. in schools that have a few on hand.
Your posts helps corroborate the quality and usefulness of this little gem. Thanks!
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Thanks, very interesting. Talk about your double system audio. Do you just extract an MP3 file from the iPod and then sync in your editing system?
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Your storytelling is beautiful! I do agree, that above all else, story is what matters regardless of format. As an educator in the field of media production though, I still teach quality over quantity. If you have the equipment with higher quality you should use it.
Through extensive research we found the Flip camera to be incompatible with an expedited workflow. We house all types of cameras and the Flip is the most unruly. The biggest downside we find is the audio acquisition. It seems to be a six foot bubble that picks up the shooter more than the subject.
With consistent new breakthroughs in compressions and the advancements of h.264 I’d much rather show my work in the highest possible quality, all of which is above what Flip acquires in.
All that being said, the story is still the quality here. If you can tell it correctly, it doesn’t matter what format you use. Thanks for the post!
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A great job that goes to prove it’s the story and how you tell it that makes it… not the gear! Well done.
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I’m curious why you don’t publicly answer commenters questions/requests for help about your audio setup. You’re a blogger…have a conversation with your readers for pete’s sake and help them out when they ask questions.
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I used an iPod nano with a Belkin Tunetalk mic when filming with the Flip Video.
I would sync the audio and video with a hand clap in front of the camera once the iPod and the camera were both rolling. Then I would sync the audio spikes in Final Cut Pro.
Then and only then would I start cutting up the audio/video and make the film. Only once the audio and video tracks are synced.
I hope that makes sense.
For the HD part I used a shotgun mic mounted to an XH A1, with the audio level set manually.
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Hi, Kirk-
Thanks. I figured the Belkin Tunetalk mic, looking at your video and doing some research.
Was there ever an issue of losing synch?
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Beautiful work, Kirk,
Are there any other alternatives to using the iPod Nano and Belkin Tunetalk? I like the idea, but am wondering what else may be possible. For example, is there a microphone attachment for the iPod Nano that has either a wireless option or short cord (so as to hide the Nano)? I am always interested in ways to do photography and/or video with simpler devices. My own photography shocks people when they find out it is done with a point&click digital camera (no fancy lenses or expensive hardware, just a good camera, natural light, and an observant eye).
I am currently interested in using the Flip video for education research purposes.
Take care,
Mark
http://web.mac.com/marksalata/Red_Rose_Photography/Welcome.html
http://www.mininggems.org
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Hey Kirk,
Great comparison. Bottom line is how well you can tell a story not what type of camera you are using. Right now the majority of people are viewing online video in the format you’ve embedded in your blog so the video quality isn’t so obvious. Poor audio, however, is a killer. I wonder if there if the audio from the ipod eventually slips while you are editing. I understand you sync with a audible/visible marker, but does it begin to slip over time? I’ve heard that some digital audio recorders record at a different “frame rate” than most video cameras? What was your experience with this?
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This was an interesting comparison. But this was just a test in picture quality. How would you have done an (almost similar) film without the Flip taped to the Canon?
Is it possible to mount the Flip on a tripod. And if you shoot without one there certainly would have been a difference between shooting with cameras with a different weight.
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I too used the flip recently. I think it is easily the most interesting acquisition tool out there right now.
not sure if this will let me post a link to a video made with flip, but i’ll try.
http://www.viddler.com/explore/VideoGriff/videos/12/
Your blog is very interesting. I will have to come back and read more.
Thanks, Griff
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Hello from Austria,
thank your for sharing this with us!
Martina (from Graz)
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I take it this was done on an earlier version of the Flip, not the Flip Mino HD, since the HD version just came out in November 2008. Is that correct?
If so, I would imagine the comparison would be even closer using the Flip Mino HD–which I just got a few days ago and find very impressive, especially for the price.
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I’m a broadcast engineer by trade, so I work with pro-grade cameras all the time. My nephew got a Flip Ultra for Christmas and although not “professional”, its output is surprisingly good considering its size and cost.
Although the difference in detail and color between the HD camera and the Flip in your demo is quite visible to me, the Flip acquits itself very nicely. I can see this being a very, very useful tool for the low-budget filmmaker. As a matter of fact, I’ve just ordered one for myself.
It would be nice if Flip included an external audio input, though. I had the idea to use an external, decent-quality audio recorder and use a slate with a clapper at the beginning of each scene to provide a sync reference. I see you’ve used a similar method successfully, so that’s encouraging.
“NewYorkDave”
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Thanks for the post. I was researching the Flip camera before I bought it because I was concerned of the video quality. I use Windows Movie Maker with my old camera but I just grainy “feeds”. With the flip it’s only around $150 but these days I don’t want to waste anymore money!
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being creative nowadays is not enough., you must back it up with a good gear.
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Thanks for the experiment. It’s great to see such an effort to make a clear comparison between the two cameras so people, especially the broadcasting people, understand the importance of stories over equipments.
There is a strong resistance from the professional people everywhere in the world when it comes to this.
I’m a film director from Thailand. Recently, I produced a ten hours documentary for Thai National television, using the filp camera together with one cmos HDV camcorder for prime time slot. Together with Thailand’s most famous TV journalist, Suthichai Yoon, we travel from Tibet to Vietnam, following the Mekong river. We put the documentary on the http://www.mekongstory.com. Please check them out. I’m the guy with the steadicam.
The website is in Thai, however, if you hit “see more videos” you can watch the ten episodes (now 7 are online). Just want to share and affirm that what you do is very important and being put to real world practice around the globe. Thanks again.
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Kirk Mastin Reply:
June 9th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
It’s kinds funny that there is resistance. Lo-fi (aka Flip video, or point and shoot video’, to me, is just another ‘look.’ Hi-Def is a look and Lo-Def is a look. They both have their place. One thing I know for sure though, is that the best camera is the one you have on you when you need to shoot. I also know that although we keep getting pressure to upgrade to higher and higher resolution cameras/camcorders, the viewing size of most video is decreasing. Everything will be seen on a tiny cell phone screen more than on a 42′ plasma screen. Crazy paradox eh?
Pipope, thanks for sharing your link! Although I could not read anything (it’s in Thai), I did really enjoy the clips you posted. It looks like a great project!
I once spent almost a year in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The Mekong holds a special place in my heart. Much happened there for me.
Kirk
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Kirk,
Thanks for a fascinating post. As a community publisher, I find this very useful info.
Just a heads up on the audio sync. I don’t know how this could happen, but the first time I watched the video, the audio was NOT in sync with the video. I went back to check again, since none of the other commenters mentioned this, and the second time I watched, it WAS in sync.
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Any ideas for a two Flip Video setup for an interview?
–
Can’t imagine that Flip Video won’t eventually add an external audio port. Lighting and audio have been the two aspects of amateur (of which I am one) video that are worth the time and effort.
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Kirk Mastin Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Bill- I think you are right. At the moment, Kodak has released the Kodak Zi8 which adds an external mic jack. It is pretty awesome. Now, I’m waiting to see if Apple, or a third party, will engable to iPhone 3GS to use the headphone jack as a mic jack while recording video. Pair the iPhone with a cheap wireless (or wired) lav kit, and you have a mobile, high quality recording studio. Add Qik to the mix and you would have a live mobile recording studio. I think we are on the verge of this and it’s pretty damn cool.
As always, great lighting and composition (and story!) can really take the video experience to new levels.
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