News Creating internal time-lapse videos
Some of the world’s most spectacular scenery and events can be shown in a matter of minutes using high-definition time-lapse photography. Whether capturing the wonders of the world, stunning celestial sequences from the most idyllic locations or spectacular events more close to home, time-lapse offers a unique visual perspective by manipulating the natural progression of time.
Time-lapse is often best suited to long-term projects of at least a few months, if not a few years. Tracking the progress of something over longer periods of time can be especially rewarding as the results appear more pronounced and dramatic when shown in a condensed sequence.
But what about the weird and wonderful things that can be achieved with time-lapse photography from the comfort of your own home, sometimes over a much shorter period of time? In this video blog we take a look at smaller-scale projects shot from indoors, capturing the splendour in the ordinary and the everyday.
In this video a husband tracked the progress of his pregnant wife by photographing her in the same position once every day for a little over nine months. The final edit of this time-lapse sequence not only shows the incredible growth from bump to baby, but also captures the changes going on their home around them. It gives the video a ‘stop-motion’ quality, enhanced by the images not being played back at 25 frames per second.
Notice the transformation of the room as time progresses, with the movement of the toys on the shelves and the replacement of the bed for a cot. The two family dogs waiting in the lamplight for the return of the new addition also adds a heart-warming touch.
By keeping the camera angle fairly consistent (although a little jumpy, unlike professional time-lapse videos) and the positioning of the subject the same for each photograph for the duration of the project, the subtle changes of certain objects and the growth of the baby bump appear striking against the consistency of the surroundings.
There are a plethora of time-lapse videos focusing on spectacular movements in the skies, particularly the setting of the Sun over an idyllic location. This video proves that a sunset can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.
Focusing on the effects of the sunset as opposed to the sunset itself, this time-lapse video tracks the movements of the Sun’s rays as they travel over various surfaces of the house. The warm tones of the Sun’s rays appear to float across the dark walls and floorboards in such a way that is quite mesmerising.
The changing position of the camera adds to the illusion of witnessing the Sun actually moving before your eyes. This movement across everyday household objects also makes the ordinary appear rather sublime.
And to finish, no compilation of indoor time-lapse videos would be complete without a day in the life of some feline friends. This video from Cat CATastrophes packs an entire day in the life of a group of house cats in to a minute-long video.
The subtle movement of the cameras in between the capture of individual images gives the illusion of a panning movement over the action. The speed at which the images are edited together also emphasise the cats’ movements.
Both the subtle tracking of the camera and the speed at which the images are edited give real emphasis to the cats’ movements.
The focus of the image changing multiple times throughout the video gives a fuller, complete narrative of the day’s events. Showing the cats’ interactions with certain objects such as the fish bowl and a toy ball, are juxtaposed nicely with more sedate activities like napping on various different household surfaces.
Whilst only professional, specialist media companies can achieve the best results for long-term projects, it is entirely possible to create fun and quirky time-lapse videos around your home.