The Compelling Image

There’s an interesting article in this month’s Wired Magazine about the proliferation of so-called “Good Enough” technologies. In an age of increased technological sophistication, it turns out we like our gadgets cheap, simple and minimalistic. Take, for instance, the MP3. The audio quality of an MP3 is terrible compared to a uncompressed WAV file, but consumers have demonstrated they’ll take the convenience of the small file size over the purity of hi-fidelity any day.

This trend extends to video as well. The article highlights the Flip digital video camera, so simple and feature-deprived that even a puppet can figure it out. By every account, the Flip should be a novelty, a toy for either the super thrifty for whom it’s their only option, or the super rich who can hand them out as party favors at their kid’s Bar Mitzvah. But despite having inferior image quality, no zoom and no image stabilization, the Flip is the top selling digital camera on the market. The Flip is everything large HD cameras not: fast, cheap and easy.

So what to make of this phenomenon, and what does it mean for the future of video production? I, for one, think it’s great that cameras are getting cheaper and smaller and easier to use. I believe we’re entering a whole new world of video literacy and storytelling, one where a filmmaker’s idea is more important than his or her equipment. The more comfortable we as a society get with consuming and producing video, the more creative and innovative we will become in telling and appreciating great stories.

One of my favorite videos I produced in the last year was with three Flips, a digital still camera and a prosumer HDV video camera during Barack Obama’s inauguration. I had three colleagues station themselves around Washington, DC, filming people arriving to the ceremony as well as anything else interesting they saw. With the digital camera I took still photos, and with the HDV camera I was able to get some nice candid shots of people’s faces as they watched Obama’s speech. I then edited all of the clips together to create what I like to call an ‘experiential’ interpretation of the event. Without the smaller and cheaper equipment I never could have done a project like this.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH “THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY EXPERIENCE”

All that said, much of what makes this video work is that the production value is still fairly high. There’s not a whole lot of shakycam (unless it’s intentional), the shots are framed according to fundamental rules of composition, there’s an overarching narrative and the editing flows together. Compare this effort to someone who just filmed the ceremony for their video scrapbook, and you’ll see what I mean. There are some universal fundamentals of video production – such as planning and organization, scripting, sequencing, etc. – that are instrumental no matter what kind of camera you own or story you want to tell. So to all you aspiring filmmakers out there, remember that gear can be “Good Enough,” but presentation must just be “Good.”

Professional videojournalist Andrew Satter teaches online and interactively at The Compelling Image. Learn more about his course, “Mastering Video Production Basics,” and how it can get you up-and-running in the field of digital video production. ENROLL NOW! There are still openings for the current session.