I discovered this video via my Twitter feed. It’s part of the Doritos Viralocity viral video challenge. Richard Lalonde shot his video entirely on the Flip Camera and he was good enough to answer a few questions from My Flip.

1. Why did you choose to shoot your video on the Flip Camera?

I was introduced to the Flip when I saw the short films made at the Cannes 2008 film festival. I saw the type of potential this camera has for producing a great video. I chose to use the Flip because it is very small in size and you don’t need to lug around film gear. It makes it much easier to get access to locations such as the restaurant I used, once they see that you don’t have a lot of gear and won’t overly disrupt their business.

2. Which model of Flip Video did you use?

I used the Flip Ultra HD.

3. Which software did you edit on?

I used imovie for Mac.

4. How did you handle the audio?

The audio is as is. If you listen you can hear the wind russling in the background during the first scene, then when we are in the restaurant the background noise is very quiet. The onboard mic, does pick up the audio quite nicely, however its not the best when outdoors because it picks up lots of extraneous noises.

5. Although it’s a great camera for the price,  how did you work around the limitations of the Flip Camera?

When using the Flip Camera, you really have to play around with it a lot to get the shot and look you are going for. Making a little video like this with the Flip is perfect because you don’t have to worry about the limitations. The only negative is getting that perfect depth of field that your looking for, cause you don’t have all the lenses you would with a Pro-camera.

We say: At the end of the day the Flip isn’t going to replace a high end DV camera for shooting a fully fledged movie but for experimentation and actually getting on and doing something rather than keeping it in your head – it’s a winner!

You can buy the Flip Ultra HD Video Camera here at Amazon UK or Amazon US Canadian passports THIS WAY TO: Amazon CA

In my day job I work as a TV Director making Reality and Factual Entertainment TV.

This gives me an instant focus to my work. Although I love shooting home video on my Flip it’s great when I film for work with a goal in mind: to shoot and shape hours of footage on a topic into a (hopefully) entertaining show for others to watch.

So you got your Flip for Christmas, and you’ve randomly filmed family activities, fun and games for the past few days! This type of footage is precious to keep for years to come as people grow older but it can easily get swamped amidst the thousands of clips you will shoot.

I find that more Produced films can really stick in the mind. So I recommend setting yourself a more defined project for the New Year.

This is what ‘Producing’ Video is all about: having a plan before you shoot. Here are just 4 examples of the type of projects I mean, but I am sure you have some of your own. Please add a comment or link to share your ideas.

1. Sit your Kid down in front of a plain background, think about the lighting (add some desk lights if you don’t have a lighting kit). Stick the Flip on a tripod or wedge it steady on a chair and interview your child. Plan a few questions in advance, name, age, favorite colour, favorite toy, what they want to be when they grow up? etc. You’ll get a really nice record of your child and it will be shot differently and more focussed than grabbed soundbites in the kitchen.

2. As above, but make a record of an elderly parent or relative. Old people love to tell stories from earlier life, you’ve probably heard them 20x but how great to record them for future generations.

3. Your House. Maybe 2010 is the year when the housing market picks up? Who knows, but it’s always great to make a film about your house so when you move you have a record of where you lived. You could even shoot one as part of the sales pitch if you are selling. You could simply walk around (slowly and steadily) and narrate the features of the house behind the camera. Even better shoot lots of cutaways of details and sweeping shots of the rooms and cut them in MTV Cribs style! Use fast motion in the edit to speed up slow bits as you walk between rooms.

4. Friends chat show. How often do we just grab the camera and shoot random chat with friends, but when you watch it back it seems all over the place. Next time you have gathered a few friends at home or in a Cafe, produce the conversation. What I mean is like any Chat Show Producer you need to introduce themes and topics and focus the talk around that. So for example, you could ask everyone to talk about the “The first time I met you I thought ….” or “The funniest time we ever had was …” You get the picture.

Do you like the designer Flip Mino pictured above? If you are in the US you can find it here.

This entry level Flip Ultra 2nd Generation in Black is sticking firmly in the Amazon Bestsellers list as we head towards 2010. If you can’t quite raise the funds for the HD model then this is the Flip for you.

Tech Specs:

• 2 Inch Screen
• 120 mins record time
• 960 x 240 resolution
• 1/4″ VGA CMOS Sensor 5.6 µm pixels
• H.264 video compression, AAC audio compression, MP4 file format
• f/2.4 (fast lens for low-light environments)
• 2 AA Batteries (included) or optional Flip Video AA rechargeable battery pack (1.2 Volt NiMH rechargeable). Rechargeable through USB

Flip Video Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation With 4GB Memory at Amazon UK

In the USA? See the Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation 4gb at Amazon US

Every quarter Flip employees spend a day in the community supporting local projects. They recently decided to support a local Bay Area organization called Save the Bay. This video about the day is shot entirely on a Flip Mino HD.

It shows you that with some good technique you can use a low budget camcorder like the Flip Video to make useful Web videos that don’t feel amateurish.

This video has quality because of:

• positioning of interviewees before shooting (avoiding excess noise, and overlit backgrounds)
• good framing of interviews (use the rule of thirds – placing eyes on two thirds from left side of frame in a right to left talking head interview or one third from left hand side in a L to R interview)
• steady cutaways (grip the camera in two hands, and lock elbows to your waist)

Save the Bay is an organization that seeks to protect and restore the wetlands around San Francisco Bay. Every season they plant thousands of native plants at more than half a dozen sites with the help of volunteers.

Have you checked out the Flip pattern generator yet? You can choose patterns, shapes and colors, then let them whizz around, pause, and adjust before it’s printed onto your new Flip Mino.

I knocked up this example in less than 5 mins, I’m sure you can do a lot better!

Note: This service is only available in the US via the Flip store and only for Flip Minos.

Visit the Flip store US

We have a discount code for buying a Flip Camera direct from Flip HQ in the USA.

OFFER NOW EXTENDED UNTIL 31st DECEMBER – Link below. You also get Free shipping and a Free Accessory!

Note: Flip only sells Flip cameras direct in the USA, if you are in the UK check out the best prices I have found at Amazon UK

$10 Off Coupon from Flip Video! Click here and use Coupon Code: FLIP10 at checkout

If you are in the US (sorry Brits) you can customise your Flip Mino design by choosing from a gallery or uploading your own image. If you are a designer you can join a scheme whereby you earn $10 for each camera sold with your design on it.

You can see in the picture above the upload and design interface, I used a screenshot of my homepage for a quick test. You can resize, rotate etc. within the interface and, as in my case, if your image is too low resolution Flip will warn you.

I’ve been thinking about scenarios when having a customised Flip design would work well:

• If you use several Flip video cameras for school projects you can easily identify them by adding your school logo.
• For companies wanting to give a special gift to customers or employees.
• For charities who are using the Flip camera for covering global issues and want their brand to be seen out and about.
• For Vloggers or Web sites who want their domain to be seen wherever they film.
• For a family gift – how about scanning your Kids painting and giving them a personalised Flip camera with their own work on it?

Any more ideas? Check out the options by visiting Flip US below.

Can’t decide between the Flip Mino HD or Flip Ultra HD? Read This

This week Apple announced a new Ipod Nano that can shoot video, in the clip below the same scene is shot side by side using the new Nano and the Flip Ultra II Standard Definition. As you can see the Flip has noticably better image quality especially in low light.

Flip Video Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation Amazon UK

Flip Video Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation Amazon US

Of course the Nano, which shoots 640-by-480 VGA video in MPEG-4 format, has loads more storage space and plays music. But even though the two units are similarly priced (in the US around $150) I wouldn’t advise buying the Nano if Video is key for you. The Nano doesn’t seem to offer much beyond decent Mobile phone Video quality.

Note: The Audio used on the clip comes from the Nano so the clip isn’t an Audio comparison.

See why I think the Flip Ultra SD is still a good buy over the Flip HD and Mino HD.

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The Flip has a lens I consider to be wide enough for most purposes, especially family and friends filming and head and shoulders vlogging. But there’s a new trend – hacking a Flip by gluing an adaptor ring and adding some extra width with a Sunpak 0.5x wideangle lens (around $40).

This will void any warranty from Pure Digital but is worth a go if you are shooting subjects like citiscapes, landscapes or big groups in confined spaces. This video shows you how to do the hack, it rambles on a bit but definitely worth 6’06 of your time.

Buy the Sunpak 0.5x adaptor at Amazon US

Buy the Hama 0.5x adaptor at Amazon UK

The Flip Ultra (First generation) has had a price slash recently, as I write now I’ve spotted one at £79.99 on Amazon UK, that’s around £68.00 less than the Flip Ultra HD!

If you are Stateside see the Flip Ultra at Amazon US.

But is it worth considering the older model? The answer is yes, absolutely. If you are on a tight budget and want an entry point into the world of Flip then grab the chance now. Ok so it’s only Standard Definition, non-widescreen and doesn’t have rechargeable battery pack!

But I’ve been using my original Flip Ultra for over a year and didn’t miss any of those features before they came along. You’re unlikely to be making professional content with the Flip so you do you really need HD or widescreen? Yes these are nice features but you can still shoot very decent videos without them.

The less the unit costs the better. Why? Because I let my 6 and 3 year olds use it. And if (in the unlikely event) they decide to drop it down the WC when I refuse to buy them chocolate, at least I have taken less of a hit in the wallet. Letting them use my Flip Camera really does give them something to be creative with and have fun. Better for them to learn to create video themselves than just stare at the box.

Of course Adults are also prone to destroy Camcorders, I once lost a load of Camera gear on a beach in the Caribbean when the beach I was on got hit by a King Size wave! It’s the last time I will ever take a £1,000 Camera on holiday!

So in my view if you have the cash, yes go for the Ultra HD or Mino HD but the Standard Ultra will do you fine and the videos you capture in terms of sentimental value will be worth the cash.