Entertainment: Does Size Matter?

When I got my hands on my first Flip camera, I wanted to film everything in sight. I narrated long waits outside of movie theaters and howled at footage of my roommates trying to open a can of Spaghettio's (without a can opener!). All my friends loved hamming it up for the miniature HD recorder — and oohed and ahhed over the handy flip-out USB input that uploaded videos instantly.

But, when it came time to using the Flip for media projects, I began to run into skeptics. I told one celebrity that we would be filming her interview for a blog post. She showed up in full makeup and an entourage only to look crestfallen when I pulled out my recorder.

"Oh, we're just using a Flip?" she asked. "A Flip and fluorescent lighting...great."

As the public demands smaller and sleeker devices, the media world continues to live by the rule, "the bigger, the better." A press pass is no longer a slip of paper you wear around your neck; it's the equipment you hoist over your shoulder. No one will look at you twice if you pull out a miniature point and shoot. But hold up a giant hand-held trailed by a mess of colorful wires and you'll have every celebrity on the carpet.

Two brothers tested this theory with the HBO television series, the Neistat Brothers. The brothers, Van and Casey, set out to film episodes using only point-and-shoot digital cameras and a computer to edit their footage. The result is a hilarious, personal and artistic look into their lives (without the trashy "reality show" feel). Their low-budget equipment allowed them to film in inaccessible places (like airports) and have access to footage at any time. Rather than scheduling shoots, they kept cameras in their pockets to capture anything worth filming as it came along. They became so engrossed in their project, they even began to confuse their own reality with the film they were creating.

"I still don't know whether I broke up with my girlfriend because I wanted to or if I thought it would make good television," Casey Neistat joked.

I caught up with the brothers at the HBO premiere in New York City, where they dished about their decision to shake up television production.



Will shows like the Neistat Brothers move from 12 a.m. slots to primetime? No one doubted the size of Monet's paint brushes, so why don't we trust a filmographer without a lighting crew? Production is changing, but are we ready for it?

Flipping out,

Voguerrilla