Time Lapse + Panning, Tilting and Zooming

[Cody Hoerig]

Hey guys,

I have a question about some effects that I am trying to achieve while I shoot time-lapse with my D90 (in still photos, using an interval-meter)


Basically I am trying to make some time lapse shots for the feature I am working on, and i want some of the shots to pan left or right, just like they did in some of those beautiful Planet Earth time-lapse shots on Discovery

I know they used a motion control system for the Planet Earth ones. They basically set a special pan and tilt head to gradually pan or tilt over the course of a few days, thus resulting, in a smooth pan for the finished product.

Since I do not have the money for an expensive motion control system, my question is, how can i do this at home?

My initial thought was i could shoot the lime-lapse, then throw it onto my computer in 2k or 1080p and then just do it all digitally, like have a digital "window" pan or tilt on the larger image. Since my feature is in 720p i figured this would be a good idea.

The problem is, I have no idea how to do this. I would assume that it would be done in Final Cut and After Effects or Motion.

Can anyone shed some light onto how i might go about doing this?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

(I do not know if this is the right forum, because it is a complex question so i am going to post it in a few sections)

Thanks,

 

[Matthew Bennett]

You could do it in camera by putting the camera on a lazy susan or something, and then have a super-slow hobby motor slowly rotating it... maybe get some gears or something to slow it down...

I used a very slow hobby motor in tandem with a Kessler pocket dolly to create this:

http://www.qmediasolutions.com/guest/CAMERA_TESTS/Kessler_Crawl_1_h264.mov

I just stuck the motor on the end and had it rotating the crank arm... I powered it with two AA batteries, and the super-low voltage made it go real slow...

 

[Cody Hoerig]

Hey thanks for the tip Matt.

The test footage looks good. It looks like if I can't find a software solution for this then this might be a good cheap rout to go with. What exactly do you mean by "hobby motor".

Also, I checked out your reel.... Looks really good man, i like your style, some great shots in there, awesome graphics work, and really great sound design.

 

[Liam Hall]

It's very easy to do in After Effects and pretty simple in FCP and Motion.

Shoot your stills in 4k (you can go larger in AE).

Open QuickTime and go File>Open Image Sequence.

Save it as a self-contained movie.

Open FCP/Motion/AE create a sequence/timeline that is 1080p. Import the self-contained movie, drop it on to the sequence/timeline then you can scale it, move it, zoom it or whatever in any number of ways.

That's how I did this:

http://www.vimeo.com/2662842

 

[Liam Hall]

You could also strip out the motorized pan and tilt head from an equatorial mount as used on a telescope.

 

[Cody Hoerig]

Thanks Liam,

That FCP/AE/Motion workflow sounds like it would work for me. I loved your video on vimeo, thats exactly what im going for. I would obviously prefer to do it manually with a motorized pan tilt head, but its just not in my budget and i already have the programs so that seems best for me as long as i can get results equal to the work you did.


I'm going to start playing around with this next week, I will prob have some questions about the process since i am new to it. Thank you sooo much, i knew it was something simple like that, i just couldn't figure out how to get the information.

 

[August Thurmer]

This works great!

This works great!

You could also strip out the motorized pan and tilt head from an equatorial mount as used on a telescope.

I have done this a few times with a DP's rig. It works great! I cant remeber exactly how the rig works. But you need a adjustable mounting plate, a clam or two (keep buttons on the remote depressed) and chart.

 

[Anson Fogel]

timescapes.org

timescapes.org

Tom L (frequent Reduser poster) has a website called timescapes.org, the forums there are the standard authority on moving timelapse methods. Its a lot harder to do well than you might think....it has taken me a couple years and a ot of dollars to get motion control systems well in hand.

If you need moving timelapse for a feature or project, just hire Tom.

 

[Cody Hoerig]

Tom L (frequent Reduser poster) has a website called timescapes.org, the forums there are the standard authority on moving timelapse methods. Its a lot harder to do well than you might think....it has taken me a couple years and a ot of dollars to get motion control systems well in hand.

If you need moving timelapse for a feature or project, just hire Tom.

Thanks for the heads up, that site is awesome, some really beautiful images!

I wish we had the money to hire Tom, once i get the money i will surly opt for the real thing as opposed t digital.