Time-lapse Totally Explained

Everything about Time-lapse totally explained

ť For the 1996 computer game, see Timelapse (computer game).

Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby each film frame is captured at a rate much slower than it'll be played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing. Time-lapse photography can be considered to be the opposite of high speed photography.
Processes that would normally appear subtle to the human eye, such as motion in the sky, become very pronounced. Time-lapse is the extreme version of the cinematography technique of undercranking, and can be considered a borderline form of stop motion animation.

History

Some classic subjects of timelapse photography include:

cloudscapes and celestial motion
plants growing and flowers opening
fruit rotting
evolution of a construction project
people in the city

The technique has also been used to photograph crowds, traffic, and even television. The effect of photographing a subject that changes imperceptibly slowly, is to create a smooth impression of motion. A subject that's changing quickly already is transformed into an onslaught of activity.
   The first use of time-lapse photography in a feature film was in Georges Méliès' motion picture Carrefour De L'Opera (1897). Time-lapse photography of biologic phenomena was partially pioneered by F. Percy Smith in 1910 and Roman Vishniac from 1915 to 1918. Time-lapse photography was further pioneered in a series of feature films called Bergfilms, including (Mountain films) by Arnold Fanck, in the 1920s, including The Holy Mountain (1926).
   But no filmmaker can be credited for popularizing time-lapse more than Dr. John Ott.
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 even time-lapsed his entire greenhouse of plants and cameras as they all worked, a virtual symphony of time-lapse movement. His work was featured on an episode of the request TV show, You Asked For It in the late 1950s.
   Ott also discovered that the movement of plants could be manipulated by varying the amount of water plants were given, and varying the color-temperature of the lights in the studio, with some colors causing the plants to flower and other colors causing the plants to bear fruit. Ott even discovered ways to change the gender of plants merely by varying the light source color-temperature.
   By using these techniques, Ott time-lapse animated plants "dancing" up and down in synch 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 a book on the history of his time-lapse adventures, My Ivory Cellar (1958).
   Ott's experiments with different colored lighting systems and their effects on the health of plants led to experiments with colored lights on the health of animals, then humans, then on individual cells, using time-lapse micro-photography. Ott discovered that only a full spectrum of natural light (including natural amount of infra-red AND ultra-violet) worked to entirely promote full physical and mental health in plants, animals and humans. A second book detailing these experiments followed, Exploring the Spectrum (1973). Ott-Lights are sold at lighting stores worldwide.
   A major refiner and developer of time-lapse is the Oxford Scientific Film Institute in Oxford England. The Institute specializes in time-lapse and slow-motion systems, and has also developed camera systems that could go into (and move through) impossibly small places. Most people have seen at least some of their footage which has appeared in TV documentaries and movies for decades.
   PBS's NOVA 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 slo-mo shots of a dog shaking water off himself, with close ups of drops knocking a bee off a flower, as well as time-lapse of the decay of a dead mouse.
   The first major usage of time-lapse in a feature film was Koyaanisqatsi (1983). The non-narrative film, directed by Godfrey Reggio, contained much time-lapse of clouds, crowds, and cities lensed by cinematographer Ron Fricke. Years later Ron Fricke produced a solo project called "Chronos" shot on IMAX cameras which is still frequently played on discovery HD. The most recent film made entirely in time lapse photography is Nate North's film Silicon Valley Timelapse, which also holds the distinction of being the first feature length film shot almost entirely in 3 frame HDR.
   Countless other films, commercials, TV shows and presentations have included time-lapse.
   For example, Peter Greenaway's film A Zed & Two Noughts featured a sub-plot involving time-lapse photography of decomposing animals and included a composition called "Time-lapse" written for the film by Michael Nyman. More recently, Adam Zoghlin's time-lapse cinematography was featured in the CBS television series Early Edition, depicting the adventures of a character that receives tomorrow's newspaper today. David Attenborough's 1995 series, The Private Life of Plants, 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, or even a week, or more, depending on the slowness of 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 allow the dim light of the stars register on film, with lapses in time between frames providing the actual movement when viewed at normal speed.
   As the frame rate of time-lapse approaches normal frame rates, these "mild" forms of time-lapse are sometimes referred to simply as fast motion or (in video) fast forward. This type of borderline time-lapse 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 (1989) in which Eric Idle outraces a speeding bullet, and Los Angeles animator Mike Jittlov's impressive 1980 short and feature-length film, both titled The Wizard of Speed and Time, released to theaters in 1987 and to video in 1989.
   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 style comic scene might be played in fast motion with accompanying music. (This form of special effect was often used in silent film comedies in the early days of the cinema; see also liquid electricity.)
   Another use of fast motion is to speed up slow segments of a TV program that would otherwise take up to 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.

How time-lapse works

Film is often projected at 24 frame/s, meaning that 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 the images onscreen appear to move normally.
Even if the film camera is set to record at a slower speed, it'll 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 simply dividing the projection speed by the camera speed. ť

mathrm

Baraka was one of the first films to use this effect to its extreme. Director and cinematographer Ron Fricke designed his own motion control rigs that utilized stepper motors to pan, tilt and dolly the camera.
A panning timelapse can also be easily and inexpensively achieved by using a widely available telescope Equatorial mount with a Right ascension motor (*360 degree example using this method

). Two axis pans can be achieved as well with contemporary motorized telescope mounts (*link

)
   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 also mounted onto a tracking system of its own that allows for 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's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), created by visual effects maestro Douglas Trumbull.
   (Additional info via Daniel J. Fiebiger.)

Related techniques

Stop motion animation

Slow motion photography

Motion control photography

Bullet time

HDR Time-lapse

The most recent development in time-lapse cinematography is a convergence of High dynamic range imaging (photographic technique) and multi frame time-lapse. One of the first experiments was an 11 second series completed in un-automated form by Nicholas Phillips on July 8, 2006 link

. Modern time-lapse enthusiasts have started to follow suit as of May 2007. Ollie Larkin (work

) and Jay Burlage (work

) have both successfully shot and processed HDR time-lapse footage in High definition, with motion control, using DSLR cameras. The first example of this technique in a full length film can be seen in Silicon Valley Timelapse (2008).

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