If you have ever seen a timelapse before, there’s a high chance that you were captivated by it or found it somewhat satisfying to look at. It lets us see the impossible or the very hard things to see in the real world. Timelapses are there to make us appreciate various aspects of movement from something as complicated and slow as construction of a building to the slow movements of a plant.
Timelapse of 2 buildings being built!
How is a timelapse different from a regular video
A timelapse is very different from a video even though it’s just a very sped up video. It gives off a different mood and feeling when sped up. It can make the viewer feel a sense of dread if used in the right way, or perhaps it can be used to feel happy and excited. Timelapses should be used in specific scenarios, but when used correctly, can be an emotional rollercoaster. Timelapses let people see things they have never seen before. A still plant looks normal while a plant moving with purpose and a style can be interesting yet unfamiliar.
What is an appropriate timelapse
There are specific scenarios and times where a timelapse will really work. For a time lapse to be effective, something must be in constant motion. For example, a sunrise or sunset looks really good on a timelapse with the constant motion of the sun and the transition from day to night with natural and manmade lights. Another great example are plants growing. We never see how plants truly move since it’s so slow which is why it’s so fascinating to watch at high speed.
Here is a good example of a timelapse about a plant growing over 1.5 years!
The amount of planning on one timelapse
To first film a timelapse, a lot of planning needs to be done such as the place and time of the shoot. Planning can be more difficult than you might think. First, you will need equipment. Batteries, a tripod, and a camera to get started. With the tripod, it has to be heavy and stabilized. Even a slight gust of wind and a slight shift in the angle would be enough to mess with the timelaps. At least one extra battery will be needed since there is a high chance that the current battery will die due to the amount of energy the camera will take up.
A timelapse also needs planning for the time it will take to film. Depending on the frames per second and how long you want your timelapse to be, it would take hours to film one. Some timelapses can even take a few days or months to get the footage. This is why it’s so important to bring extra batteries if the other battery dies.
What makes a timelapse so powerful
When watching a timelapse, you might think or feel something related to the subject of the timelapse. Specifically in story telling, the rapid visualization of things can give the feeling of dread or happiness. It feels familiar yet different. Take clouds for example, we see them in our everyday lives but only when they are moving slowly across the sky. In a timelapse, we get to see the transformation of the cloud and the direction of which it is headed. Another excellent example is construction. Even when our eyes can see a big building, we can only truly see the massive scale through the progress. It opens our eyes to see the big picture in anything and appreciating how beautiful something as simple as movement can be.
Watch as these clouds grow, shrink, and morph into different shapes!
Here is a great product for creating time lapse panorama videos: