In case everyone didn’t get enough Slomo in class last week in Joshua Izenburg’s NYT Op-Doc, here he is again, in a music video! I chose to share this video because it’s a great example of how to implement time lapse in a way that serves your story. In this case, it highlights the subject remaining intentionally still as the world rushes by. The other technique that stands out in this piece is creative camera angles that result in unique POVs.
The video opens with a time lapse of sunrise and pans over sunbathers at the beach before slowing to normal speed. At 0:12 Slomo enters frame in slow motion.
At 0:15 there is more time lapse of people on the boardwalk, and the pacing begins to establish a pattern of fast, slow, fast slow.
Time lapse is also used a few times to juxtapose Slomo standing still against all the hustle and flow on the boardwalk, passing him by (examples at 0:32, 0:42, 1:33).
There’s a great shadow shot (0:19), shooting through a window provides a reflection effect (0:22), and a true reflection through sunglasses (0:57).
I like that this video played with many different, and unique points of view as well. At 0:37, 1:18, and 2:23 the camera is underneath Slomo, looking up at him.
While at 0:40 and 0:59 the camera is overhead for more of a birds eye view. I liked the above and below juxtaposition as well.
And at a couple points, like 2:03, the camera POV is through Slomo’s eyes.
I thought it was interesting that in some ways, the approach to this video was almost the opposite of the Slomo Op-Doc; where the op-doc leveraged slow motion techniques to slow and suspend time, this music video leaned on time-lapse to show the world moving quickly by Slomo.