Motion-controlled timelapse cinematography
LookyCreative is one of the leading teams in the world and the first and only one in Poland which has been pioneering motion-controlled timelapse cinematography. Not only we have mastered the technique, but we have been also involved in developing the innovative motion control gear being sold worldwide under the DitoGear™ brand.
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Timelapse shots are a great mean of expression that have a potential to make a production unique, be it a music video, advertising spot, corporate, documentary or a feature film.
For timelapse work we use mainly the best HDSLR cameras available nowadays (mainly Canon 5D MKIIs) as well as a wide range of motion-control equipment dedicated for timelapse photography and advanced processing workflows.
We also provide stop-motion shooting service which may be used not only for stop-motion animation genre, but also for shooting motion-controlled product studio shots where high technical quality of image is of the highest priority.
Our timelapse shots are not created by speeding up of the film/video recording, but rather by combining a series of high quality still images.
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Shooting always in highest resolution RAW images we acquire footage at extremely high technical quality, surpassing many times quality of film ad video image.
Key advantages of shooting timelapse as stills are:
- Much higher detail level of the footage
- Much higher image resolution
- More flexibility and control over motion blur, depth of field and sharpness of the footage
- Incomparable results when shooting in extreme low-light situations
- Much wider tonal range of captured image
- More flexibility in post-production
Technical details
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With our own equipment we are capable of shooting timelapse using up to 5-6 motion-controlled cameras simultaneously as well as a few additional static cameras. This allows to optimize shooting time and work on a set efficiently.
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Tonal range and HDR acquisition
Thanks to HDR timelapse technique mastered by Patryk Kizny and his team at LookyCreative, it is possible to achieve much wider tonal range of acquired images comparing to shooting on film stock or video.
We’re able to capture scenes reaching the tonal range of ~24EV and more. It allows to realistically represent and render difficult scenes such as shots which combine interiors with exteriors or the widest dynamic range landscape scenes.
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Time span of the timelapse shots
Timelapse projects may be realized in various timescales, starting from a few-hour shots compressed to about 10seconds of footage, through timelapse shots spanning across days or even months.
For long-term projects the sophisticated technical infrastructure and planning is required.
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The pricing of LookyCreative timelapse work allow for using it in most of commercial productions, starting from medium-budget music videos through the advertising spots to documentaries and features.
Detailed costs vary depending on project requirements – the equipment and team needed, timespan of the project and logistics, as well as post-production scope.
Please feel free to contact us for a detailed quote.
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LookyCreative is the only team in Poland and one of the few in the world providing know-how, experience and equipment for acquiring sophisticated and advanced motion controlled timelapse shots.
Among standard options are:
- Slider timelapse shots (up to 3m)
- Modular slider timelapse shots
(up to 200m of the track!) - Panning/tilting timelapse shots (may be combined with other axes)
- Crane timelapse shots (4.5m 2-axis crane control)
- Focus and zoom drive control
Thanks to combining the equpiment and the post-production workflows we’re also able to create pivoting, orbiting shots or crane-like shots only using timelapse slider. It is also possible to create such sophisticated effects as Vertigo using simultaneous focus and zoom drive.
There’s also an option of creating shots where the camera is static and the film object is in motion – such as rotating shot of a growing plants or moving the lights using motion control rigs.
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The timelapse shots are provided in HD1080, 2K, 4K resolutions. Maximum resolution limit of Canon 5DMKII camera at 5616 x 3744px allows for enormous level of flexibility and reframing in post-production.
The bit depth of source image is 12 or 14bpp depending on the cameras used, which is two or four times more than in standard video workflows basing on 10-bit codecs such as Apple ProRes or Cineform.
In case of timelapse projects for IMAX theatres or full dome venues we make use of special custom-built cameras allowing us to work with high resolution medium format camera digital backs and various optics. This allows for shooting single hemispherical shots at resolution between 5K and 8K – perfectly suited for dome theatres!
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Contrary to typical work on a set, where shots may be repeated many times, timelapse shots need much more time to prepare and conduct.
Preparing for a 10-seconds shots may takes many hours, so it is more time consuming that acquiring similar shot in realtime film or video. This needs to be taken into account when working out shooting schedules.
Usually, working in a team of 3 persons with full equipment we’re able to shoot about 10-12 medium-difficulty shots a day.
With a team of 7 people and 4 shootings units we provide up to 40-medium-difficulty shots a day.
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To get more information and discuss the upcoming projects please contact
Patryk Kizny / (paco( at )lookycreative.com) paco (at) lookycreative (dot) com / +48 693 569 233
