Thinking About the 5x5 Videos of Simon Edmonds

I wanted to dive a little deeper into the 5x5 videos of Simon Edmonds. He was one of the participants in Vlomo2011.What he does is to record five scenes in five seconds. The result is a 25 second videos.

Simon has made a video a day for 2011. This is an example of his work:






It is deceptively simple. 

• Each shot is five second long. 
• There are five scenes in the video.
• Record only the environmental sounds, no narration.
• No zooms
• No manipulations
• Just what appears before the camera/recording device.

I'm not sure if he is telling a narrative story or do I bring my own story and match it to the images. Kinda cool either way.

Figuring Out How To Make A 5x5 Video

In reality, I suspect that Simon probably has to record for a bit more than fives seconds. On some recording devices you have to allow the device to get up to speed.

I can see using my Android Smartphone. By the time I get it set up and recording that is going to be much more than five seconds.

Stabilization

Well, for one this holding the camcorder steady is vital. If you are using a phone or tablet you are going to need to find a way to stabilize it so that the video is stable.


Be Quiet

No talking, heavy breathing or using any function that is going to be picked up by the device.

It Is All In the Edit

Whether you choose to do it in-camera or using edit software you still have to make decisions about when to start and stop a scene. 

So if you are looking for an idea or just want to practice your video skills give the 5x5 a try.