Time-lapse Video Of 16-cell Purple Urchin Embryo, CIL15792
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
frames are captured (the
frame rate Frame rate, most commonly expressed in frame/s, or FPS, is typically the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (Film frame, frames) are captured or displayed. This definition applies to film and video cameras, computer animation, and moti ...
) is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus ''lapsing''. For example, an
image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
of a scene may be captured at 1 frame per second but then played back at 30 frames per second; the result is an apparent 30 times speed increase. Processes that would normally appear subtle and slow to the human eye, such as the motion of the sun and stars in the sky or the growth of a plant, become very pronounced. Time-lapse is the extreme version of the
cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...
technique of undercranking.
Stop motion animation Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animation, animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appe ...
is a comparable technique; a subject that does not actually move, such as a puppet, can repeatedly be moved manually by a small distance and photographed. Then, the photographs can be played back as a film at a speed that shows the subject appearing to move. Conversely, film can be played at a much lower rate than at which it was captured, which slows down an otherwise fast action, as in
slow motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...
or
high-speed photography High-speed photography is the science of taking pictures of very fast phenomena. In 1948, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) defined high-speed photography as any set of photographs captured by a camera capable of 69 ...
.


History

Some classic subjects of time-lapse photography include: * Landscapes and celestial motion * Plants and flowers growing * Fruit rotting * Evolution of a construction project * People in the city The technique has been used to photograph crowds, traffic, and even television. The effect of photographing a subject that changes imperceptibly slowly creates a smooth impression of motion. A subject that changes quickly is transformed into an onslaught of activity. The inception of time-lapse
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
occurred in 1872 when
Leland Stanford Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American attorney, industrialist, philanthropist, and Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician from Watervliet, New York. He served as the eighth governor of Calif ...
hired
Eadweard Muybridge Eadweard Muybridge ( ; 9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904, born Edward James Muggeridge) was an English photographer known for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture Movie projector, projection. He ...
to prove whether or not race horses hooves ever are simultaneously in the air when running. The experiments progressed for 6 years until 1878 when Muybridge set up a series of cameras for every few feet of a track which had tripwires the horses triggered as they ran. The photos taken from the multiple cameras were then compiled into a collection of images that recorded the horses running. The first use of time-lapse photography in a feature film was in
Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès ( , ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French magic (illusion), magician, toymaker, actor, and filmmaker. He led many technical and narrative developments in the early days of film, cinema, primarily in th ...
' motion picture ''Carrefour De L'Opera'' (1897).
F. Percy Smith Frank Percy Smith (12 January 1880–24 March 1945) was a British naturalist and early nature documentary pioneer, who explored time-lapse photography, microphotography, microcinematography, underwater cinematography and animation. Biography ...
pioneered the use of time-lapse in nature photography with his 1910
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
''The Birth of a Flower''. Time-lapse photography of biological phenomena was pioneered by Jean Comandon in collaboration with
Pathé Frères Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...
from 1909, by
F. Percy Smith Frank Percy Smith (12 January 1880–24 March 1945) was a British naturalist and early nature documentary pioneer, who explored time-lapse photography, microphotography, microcinematography, underwater cinematography and animation. Biography ...
in 1910 and
Roman Vishniac Roman Vishniac (; ; August 19, 1897 – January 22, 1990) was a Russian-American photographer, best known for capturing on film the culture of Jews in Central and Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. A major archive of his work was housed at t ...
from 1915 to 1918. Time-lapse photography was further pioneered in the 1920s via a series of feature films called ''Bergfilme'' (
mountain film A mountain film is a film genre that focuses on mountaineering and especially the battle of human against nature. In addition to mere adventure, the protagonists who return from the mountain come back changed, usually gaining wisdom and enlighten ...
s) by
Arnold Fanck Arnold Fanck (6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a German film director and pioneer of the mountain film genre. He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films as '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White H ...
, including ''Das Wolkenphänomen in Maloja'' (1924) and ''The Holy Mountain'' (1926). From 1929 to 1931, R. R. Rife astonished journalists with early demonstrations of high magnification time-lapse cine-micrography, but no filmmaker can be credited for popularizing time-lapse techniques more than
John Ott John Nash Ott (23 October 1909 – 6 April 2000) was a photo-researcher, writer, photographer, and cinematographer who was an early adopter of many modern photographic practices, including time-lapse photography and full-spectrum lighting. Pho ...
, whose life work is documented in the film ''Exploring the Spectrum''. Ott's initial "day-job" career was that of a banker, with time-lapse movie photography, mostly of plants, initially just a hobby. Starting in the 1930s, Ott bought and built more and more time-lapse equipment, eventually building a large greenhouse full of plants, cameras, and even self-built automated electric motion control systems for moving the cameras to follow the growth of plants as they developed. He time-lapsed his entire greenhouse of plants and cameras as they worked—a virtual symphony of time-lapse movement. His work was featured on a late 1950s episode of the request TV show ''
You Asked for It ''You Asked for It'' is a human interest television show created and hosted by Art Baker (actor), Art Baker. Initially titled ''The Art Baker Show'', the program originally aired on American television between 1950 and 1959. Later versions of ...
''. Ott discovered that the movement of plants could be manipulated by varying the amount of water the plants were given, and varying the color temperature of the lights in the studio. Some colors caused the plants to flower, and other colors caused the plants to bear fruit. Ott discovered ways to change the sex of plants merely by varying the light source's color temperature. By using these techniques, Ott time-lapse animated plants "dancing" up and down synchronized to pre-recorded music tracks. His cinematography of flowers blooming in such classic documentaries as Walt Disney's ''Secrets of Life'' (1956), pioneered the modern use of time-lapse on film and television. Ott wrote several books on the history of his time-lapse adventures including ''
My Ivory Cellar My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Marke ...
'' (1958) and ''
Health and Light Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, pain ...
'' (1979), and produced the 1975 documentary film ''
Exploring the Spectrum Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some expectation of discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organisms capable of directed locomotion and the abilit ...
''. The
Oxford Scientific Film Institute Oxford () is a cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world; it has buildings in every ...
in
Oxford, United Kingdom Oxford () is a cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world; it has buildings in every ...
specializes in time-lapse and slow-motion systems, and has developed camera systems that can go into (and move through) small places. Their footage has appeared in TV documentaries and movies. PBS's ''
NOVA A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...
'' series aired a full episode on time-lapse (and slow motion) photography and systems in 1981 titled ''Moving Still''. Highlights of Oxford's work are slow-motion shots of a dog shaking water off himself, with close ups of drops knocking a bee off a flower, as well as a time-lapse sequence of the decay of a dead mouse. The non-narrative feature film ''
Koyaanisqatsi ''Koyaanisqatsi'' is a 1982 American non-narrative documentary film directed and produced by Godfrey Reggio, featuring music by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke. Described as an "essay in images and sound on the state of American ...
'' (1983) contained time-lapse images of clouds, crowds, and cities filmed by cinematographer
Ron Fricke Ron Fricke (born February 24, 1953) is an American film director and cinematographer specializing in time-lapse and large-format cinematography, known for his non-narrative feature films. Career After serving as director of photography for '' ...
. Years later, Ron Fricke produced a solo project called ''Chronos'' shot using IMAX cameras. Fricke used the technique extensively in the documentary ''
Baraka Baraka or Barakah may refer to: * Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony * Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres * Baraka, full ''ḥa ...
'' (1992) which he photographed on
Todd-AO Todd-AO is an American post-production company founded in 1953 by Mike Todd and Robert Naify, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. The company retains one facility, in the Los Angeles area. Todd-AO ...
(
70 mm 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...
) film. Countless other films, commercials, TV shows and presentations have included time-lapse material. For example,
Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerist painting in particular. Common traits in his films a ...
's film ''
A Zed & Two Noughts ''A Zed & Two Noughts'' is a 1985 film written and directed by Peter Greenaway. This film was Greenaway's first collaboration with cinematographer Sacha Vierny, who went on to shoot virtually all of Greenaway's work in the 1980s and 1990s, unti ...
'' features a sub-plot involving time-lapse photography of decomposing animals and includes a composition called "Time Lapse" written for the film by
Michael Nyman Michael Laurence Nyman, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer, pianist, libretto, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film soundtrack, scores (many written during his lengthy ...
. In the late 1990s, Adam Zoghlin's time-lapse cinematography was featured in the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
television series ''
Early Edition ''Early Edition'' is an American fantasy comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996, to May 27, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
'', depicting the adventures of a character that receives tomorrow's newspaper today.
David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the nine nature d ...
's 1995 series ''
The Private Life of Plants ''The Private Life of Plants'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first shown in the United Kingdom from 11 January 1995. A study of the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants, it wa ...
'' also utilised the technique extensively.


Terminology

The frame rate of time-lapse movie photography can be varied to virtually any degree, from a rate approaching a normal frame rate (between 24 and 30 frames per second) to only one frame a day, a week, or longer, depending on the subject. The term ''time-lapse'' can also apply to how long the shutter of the camera is open during the exposure of ''each'' frame of film (or video), and has also been applied to the use of long-shutter openings used in still photography in some older photography circles. In movies, both kinds of time-lapse can be used together, depending on the sophistication of the camera system being used. A night shot of stars moving as the Earth rotates requires both forms. A long exposure of each frame is necessary to enable the dim light of the stars to register on the film. Lapses in time between frames provide the rapid movement when the film is viewed at normal speed. As the frame rate of time-lapse photography approaches normal frame rates, these "mild" forms are sometimes referred to simply as ''fast motion'' or (in video) ''fast forward''. This type of borderline time-lapse technique resembles a VCR in a fast forward ("scan") mode. A man riding a bicycle will display legs pumping furiously while he flashes through city streets at the speed of a racing car. Longer exposure rates for each frame can also produce blurs in the man's leg movements, heightening the illusion of speed. Two examples of both techniques are the running sequence in Terry Gilliam's ''
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' is a 1988 fantasy adventure film co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, Jonathan Pryce and Valentina Cortese. An international ...
'' (1989), in which a character outraces a speeding bullet, and Los Angeles animator
Mike Jittlov Mike Jittlov (born June 8, 1948) is an American animator and the creator of short films and one feature-length film using forms of special effects animation, including stop-motion animation, rotoscoping, and pixilation. He is best known for th ...
's 1980s short and feature-length films, both titled ''
The Wizard of Speed and Time ''The Wizard of Speed and Time'' is a 1988 American feature film written by, directed by, and starring animator Mike Jittlov, as well as a 1979 16 mm short film, also by Jittlov. 1979 short film In the original short film, a young man in a gre ...
''. When used in motion pictures and on television, fast motion can serve one of several purposes. One popular usage is for comic effect. A
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
comic scene might be played in fast motion with accompanying music. (This form of special effect was often used in
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
comedies in the early days of cinema. Another use of fast motion is to speed up slow segments of a TV program that would otherwise take up too much of the time allotted a TV show. This allows, for example, a slow scene in a house redecorating show of furniture being moved around (or replaced with other furniture) to be compressed in a smaller allotment of time while still allowing the viewer to see what took place. The opposite of fast motion is slow motion. Cinematographers refer to fast motion as ''undercranking'' since it was originally achieved by cranking a handcranked camera slower than normal. ''Overcranking'' produces slow motion effects.


Methodology

Film is often projected at 24 frame/s, meaning 24 images appear on the screen every second. Under normal circumstances, a film camera will record images at 24 frame/s since the projection speed and the recording speed are the same. Even if the film camera is set to record at a slower speed, it will still be projected at 24 frame/s. Thus the image on screen will appear to move faster. The change in speed of the onscreen image can be calculated by dividing the projection speed by the camera speed. : \mathrm = \frac\times\mathrm So a film recorded at 12 frames per second will appear to move twice as fast. Shooting at camera speeds between 8 and 22 frames per second usually falls into the undercranked fast motion category, with images shot at slower speeds more closely falling into the realm of time-lapse, although these distinctions of terminology have not been entirely established in all movie production circles. The same principles apply to video and other digital photography techniques. However, until very recently , video cameras have not been capable of recording at variable frame rates. Time-lapse can be achieved with some normal movie cameras by simply shooting individual frames manually. But greater accuracy in time-increments and consistency in exposure rates of successive frames are better achieved through a device that connects to the camera's shutter system (camera design permitting) called an
intervalometer An intervalometer, also called an interval meter or interval timer, is a Machine, device that measures short intervals of time. People commonly use such devices to signal, in accurate time intervals, the operation of some other device. The inte ...
. The intervalometer regulates the motion of the camera according to a specific interval of time between frames. Today, many consumer grade digital cameras, including even some
point-and-shoot camera A point-and-shoot camera, also known as a compact camera and sometimes abbreviated to P&S, is a still camera (either film or digital) designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic syste ...
s have hardware or
software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
intervalometers available. Some intervalometers can be connected to motion control systems that move the camera on any number of axes as the time-lapse photography is achieved, creating tilts, pans, tracks, and trucking shots when the movie is played at normal frame rate. Ron Fricke is the primary developer of such systems, which can be seen in his short film ''
Chronos Chronos (; ; , Modern Greek: ), also spelled Chronus, is a personification of time in Greek mythology, who is also discussed in pre-Socratic philosophy and later literature. Chronos is frequently confused with, or perhaps consciously identified ...
'' (1985) and his feature films ''
Baraka Baraka or Barakah may refer to: * Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony * Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres * Baraka, full ''ḥa ...
'' (1992, released to video in 2001) and '' Samsara'' (2011).


Short and long exposure

As mentioned above, in addition to modifying the speed of the camera, it is important to consider the relationship between the frame interval and the exposure time. This relationship controls the amount of
motion blur Motion blur is the apparent streaking of moving objects in a photograph or a sequence of frames, such as a film or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single exposure, due to rapid movement or l ...
present in each frame and is, in principle, exactly the same as adjusting the
shutter angle A rotary disc shutter is a type of shutter. It is notably used in motion picture cameras. Rotary shutters are semicircular discs that spin in front of the film gate, alternately allowing light from the lens to strike the film, or blocking it. ...
on a movie camera. This is known as "dragging the shutter". A film camera normally records images at 24 frames per second (fps). During each second, the film is actually exposed to light for roughly half the time. The rest of the time, it is hidden behind the shutter. Thus exposure time for motion picture film is normally calculated to be second (often rounded to second). Adjusting the shutter angle on a film camera (if its design allows), can add or reduce the amount of motion blur by changing the amount of time that the film frame is actually exposed to light. In time-lapse photography, the camera records images at a specific slow interval such as one frame every thirty seconds ( fps). The shutter will be open for some portion of that time. In short exposure time-lapse the film is exposed to light for a normal exposure time over an abnormal frame interval. For example, the camera will be set up to expose a frame for second every 30 seconds. Such a setup will create the effect of an extremely tight shutter angle giving the resulting film a
stop-motion animation Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...
quality. In long exposure time-lapse, the exposure time will approximate the effects of a normal shutter angle. Normally, this means the exposure time should be half of the frame interval. Thus a 30-second frame interval should be accompanied by a 15-second exposure time to simulate a normal shutter. The resulting film will appear smooth. The exposure time can be calculated based on the desired shutter angle effect and the frame interval with the equation: : \mathrm = \frac\times\mathrm Long exposure time-lapse is less common because it is often difficult to properly expose film at such a long period, especially in daylight situations. A film frame that is exposed for 15 seconds will receive 750 times more light than its second counterpart. (Thus it will be more than 9 stops over normal exposure.) A scientific grade
neutral density filter In photography and optics, a neutral-density filter, or ND filter, is a photographic filter, filter that reduces or modifies the intensity of all wavelengths, or colors, of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition. It can be a ...
can be used to compensate for the over-exposure.


Camera movement

Some of the most stunning time-lapse images are created by moving the camera during the shot. A time-lapse camera can be mounted to a moving car for example to create a notion of extreme speed. However, to achieve the effect of a simple
tracking shot In cinematography, a tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. Mostly the camera’s position is parallel to the character, creating a sideway motion, tracking the chara ...
, it is necessary to use
motion control Motion control is a sub-field of automation, encompassing the systems or sub-systems involved in moving parts of machines in a controlled manner. Motion control systems are extensively used in a variety of fields for automation purposes, includi ...
to move the camera. A motion control rig can be set to dolly or pan the camera at a glacially slow pace. When the image is projected it could appear that the camera is moving at a normal speed while the world around it is in time-lapse. This juxtaposition can greatly heighten the time-lapse illusion. The speed that the camera must move to create a perceived normal camera motion can be calculated by inverting the time-lapse equation: : \mathrm = \frac\times\mathrm
Baraka Baraka or Barakah may refer to: * Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony * Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres * Baraka, full ''ḥa ...
was one of the first films to use this effect to its extreme.
Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
and
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
Ron Fricke designed his own motion control equipment that utilized
stepper motor A stepper motor, also known as step motor or stepping motor,Clarence W. de Silva. Mechatronics: An Integrated Approach (2005). CRC Press. p. 675. "The terms ''stepper motor'', ''stepping motor'', and ''step motor'' are synonymous and are often u ...
s to pan, tilt and dolly the camera. The short film ''
A Year Along the Abandoned Road ''A Year Along the Abandoned Road'' () is a Norway, Norwegian short film shot over a period of 105 days in 1988/1989 and released in 1991 in film, 1991. Directed by Morten Skallerud, the film was shot in Super Panavision 70 (70 mm film, 65 m ...
'' shows a whole year passing by in Norway's Børfjord (in
Hasvik Municipality Hasvik (; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Breivikbotn. Other villages in the municipality include Breivik, Finn ...
) at 50,000 times the normal speed in just 12 minutes. The camera was moved, manually, slightly each day, and so the film gives the viewer the impression of seamlessly travelling around the
fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...
as the year goes along, each day compressed into a few seconds. A panning time-lapse image can be easily and inexpensively achieved by using a widely available equatorial telescope mount with a
right ascension Right ascension (abbreviated RA; symbol ) is the angular distance of a particular point measured eastward along the celestial equator from the Sun at the equinox (celestial coordinates), March equinox to the (hour circle of the) point in questio ...
motor.360 degree example using this method: Two axis pans can be achieved as well, with contemporary motorized telescope mounts. A variation of these are rigs that move the camera during exposures of each frame of film, blurring the entire image. Under controlled conditions, usually with computers carefully making the movements during and between each frame, some exciting blurred artistic and visual effects can be achieved, especially when the camera is mounted on a tracking system that enables its own movement through space. The most classic example of this is the "slit-scan" opening of the "stargate" sequence toward the end of
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
's '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968), created by Douglas Trumbull.


High-dynamic-range (HDR)

Time-lapse can be combined with techniques such as
high-dynamic-range imaging High dynamic range (HDR), also known as wide dynamic range, extended dynamic range, or expanded dynamic range, is a signal with a higher dynamic range than usual. The term is often used in discussing the dynamic ranges of images, videos, audio or ...
. One method to achieve HDR involves
bracketing In photography, bracketing is the general technique of taking several shots of the same subject using different camera settings, typically with the aim of combining the images in postprocessing. Bracketing is useful and often recommended in situ ...
for each frame. Three photographs are taken at separate
exposure value In photography, exposure value (EV) is a number that represents a combination of a camera's shutter speed and f-number, such that all combinations that yield the same exposure (photography), exposure have the same EV (for any fixed scene luminanc ...
s (capturing the three in immediate succession) to produce a group of pictures for each frame representing the highlights, mid-tones, and shadows. The bracketed groups are consolidated into individual frames. Those frames are then sequenced into video.


Day-to-night transitions

Day-to-night transitions are among the most demanding scenes in time-lapse photography and the method used to deal with those transitions is commonly referred to as the "Holy Grail" technique. In a remote area not affected by
light pollution Light pollution is the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting sources, during the ...
the night sky is about ten million times darker than the sky on a sunny day, which corresponds to 23
exposure value In photography, exposure value (EV) is a number that represents a combination of a camera's shutter speed and f-number, such that all combinations that yield the same exposure (photography), exposure have the same EV (for any fixed scene luminanc ...
s. In the analog age, blending techniques have been used in order to handle this difference: One shot has been taken in daytime and the other one in the night from exactly the same
camera angle The camera angle marks the specific location at which the movie camera or video camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles simultaneously. This will give a different experience and sometimes emotion. The diff ...
. Digital photography provides many ways to handle day-to-night transitions, such as automatic exposure and
ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...
, bulb ramping and several software solutions to operate the camera from a computer or smartphone.''Der heilige Gral der Zeitraffer Kinematografie. Möglichkeiten zur Erstellung von Tag zu Nacht Zeitraffern mit DSLR Kameras.'' Michael Arras (2014

/ref>


See also

* ''
The Benny Hill Show ''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketch comedy, sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and ...
'' * ''Everyday'' (video) * '' The Longest Way''


Related techniques

*
Bullet time Bullet time (also known as frozen moment, dead time, flow motion or time slice) is a visual effect or visual impression of detaching the time and space of a camera (or viewer) from that of its visible subject. It is a depth enhanced simulation of ...
* Hyperlapse *
Motion control photography Motion control photography is a technique used in still and motion photography that enables precise control of, and optionally also allows repetition of, camera movements. It can be used to facilitate special effects photography. The process c ...
*
Long-exposure photography Long-exposure, time-exposure, or slow-shutter photography involves using a long-duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of images while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. Long-exposure photography ...
*
Rephotography Rephotography or repeat photography is the act of photographing the same site twice, with a time lag between the two images; a diachronic, "then and now" view of a particular area. Some are casual, usually taken from the same view point but w ...


References


Further reading

* ICP Library of Photographers. ''Roman Vishniac''. Grossman Publishers, New York. 1974. * ''Roman Vishniac''. Current Biography (1967). * * * ''Exploring the Spectrum'' John Ott. (1975; DVD re-issue 2008). *EBSCO Industries. (2013). From ponies to ProjectCam: The history of time lapse photography. Retrieved from https://www.wingscapes.com/blog/from-peonies-to-the-projectcam-the-history-of-time-lapse-photography/


External links


Time-lapse photography tutorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Time-lapse Audiovisual introductions in 1897 Cinematic techniques Animation techniques Articles containing video clips Film post-production technology Photography by genre Time