cool time lapse effect

[Steve Roberts]

a) ask him to walk very slowly (it takes practice) then speed up the footage
b) shoot it once with him backed by a greenscreen on wheels, then shoot it again normally, no talent, no greenscreen, and speed up in post. But to line up the two shots, you need a motion control rig, which is out of your budget, presumably.
c) same as B, but with camera locked off.
d) shoot him in studio, with legs not visible (for easier matching), and shoot the BG as mentioned. It might be best to have him steady in shot, not advancing or receding.

Anybody else?

[David Bogie]

Good tips.

The time distortion effect is cool, yes, but achieving the effect is not easy.

You research the various techniques then figure out what you have the competency and tools to attempt. Then you experiment and change your approach as you discover your tools or available crew and talent can’t possibly meet the expectations. This stuff is hard.

So you change your expectations, redesign your effects and figure out what’s doable.

The lowest tech is the “shoot ’em in real time” method. Have your talent walk at a glacial speed then speed up the file in AE or you nle. As Steve Roberts noted, it takes practice but any dancer or good actor should be able to handle the physical challenge for a few minutes. The tough part, once you’ve got the pacing calculated, is limiting his interaction with the passersby.

Have you seen ye ancient video from The Police, “Wrapped Around My Finger”? They went the other direction, super slow motion sped up to normal speed. Sting had to lipsync and act at three times normal speed while the film camera rolled at 72 frames per second. It was beautiful

bogiesan

This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”

[Steve Roberts]

It helps if the talent is very good at Tai Chi, too. 🙂