5 Things for Basic Video

You only need a few items to have a “sloppy success” with your first video venture. Here are 5 things you need to be way ahead of the pack.

  1. Flip HD. The Flip HD is genius. Awesome quality, MP4 (works GREAT with a Mac & PC ). Cost is about $220. You can always try out the Flip Ultra SD (Standard Def) for about $99

    Flip Mino HD

  2. A Tripod. Get something to keep your Flip Stable and pointing at you. Doesn’t have to be huge, but a good tripod keeps viewers from getting sea sick.
  3. YouTube Account. Get you YouTube account set up. It’s free and it is your gateway to easy and efficient web video. YouTube gives you all the tools for embedding video into your website, your blog your friend’s blog, your friend’s friend’s blog…
  4. A Locale. Wait till the Kids are off to school or in bed. Pick a non-cluttered, well-lit location. Do it at your desk, do it at the kitchen table, do it at the easiest place for you to do it again. Keep It Simple Sweetie (K.I.S.S.) & Keep It Consistent Knucklehead. (K.I.C.K.)
  5. Patience. It takes a try or three to get your video mojo woikin’! Give yourself some slack. Your “video voice” will come. But do NOT shoot for perfection. Aim for a “sloppy success”. Shoot for 70% and increment from there. Give yourself permission to be “OK” and not perfect. What you have to say and share is important. Don’t stifle it with perfectionism. While the technology is close to perfection, it too demands some patience. Don’t get frustrated with yourself or the technology. Easy does it.
March 29, 2009 by Perry Lawrence
Under: Blog

7 Comments »


  1. Rich
    March 31, 2009
    @ 11:21 am

    Hey Perry! Can you show us a “walk-around” with your Flip HD camera and tripod to show us some of the situations you would use it?

    Thanks.
    Rich

    [Reply]


  2. Perry Lawrence
    March 31, 2009
    @ 12:01 pm

    Sure Rich! Stay Tuned…

    [Reply]


  3. Greg Friese
    April 7, 2009
    @ 2:26 pm

    How about some tips on video editing? I find the Flip software to be inadequate for video editing.

    [Reply]


  4. Gerry Oginski
    April 15, 2009
    @ 7:58 pm

    If you use the Flip HD outside, what is your experience with the sound quality if you are more than 10 feet away from the camera?

    [Reply]

    Perry Lawrence Reply:

    Gerry, The Flip audio is awesome, provided you are within 6 feet of the mic. It falls of after that, especially in outdoor settings. Not horrid but not optimal. The Flip is for intimate videos (audio wise). For wide outdoor settings I recommend a camera that has a mic in jack.

    [Reply]


  5. Marco
    April 25, 2009
    @ 5:39 pm

    What kind of video editor do you use to edit the Flip files? They produce a highly compressed mp4 format I assume, but then… ;) Which editor talks nice to it. (assuming you want more than the default Flip software)

    Thanx! Grrrrrreat site!

    [Reply]

    Perry Lawrence Reply:

    Marco, I like iMovie as it really handles the files well (Flip Mino HD).

    [Reply]

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