The time-lapse sequence has become quite popular in how-to videos to replace the old cooking show stand-by, “Here’s one I prepared earlier.” The explosion of DIY videos on the internet is really great but often the time-lapse sequence of the thing being built is not all that interesting. The key to making a worthwhile time-lapse segment is the same as the key to a good camera move:

Make the middle interesting, otherwise use a cut.

If all that matters is the before and the after, use a cut or transition. You wouldn’t want to use a long, slow pan from one item of interest to another if the area between them is visually uninteresting. The same holds for the time lapse; if it’s just people moving around really quickly and you can’t tell what’s going on, you probably can just cut to the chase.

The best time-lapse footage comes from something where you can see a long arduous process come to life, like a building being erected in a couple minutes or a pumpkin rotting. Here’s a great example from my friend Clay.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 11:44 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.