As an experimental scientist my job is all about trial and error. I take measurements that no one has ever taken before, so I don’t know the results in advance. Although I usually have an idea (or hope) what the outcome will be, sometimes we can be surprised. To get the results, I start by trying one approach and, if it doesn’t go well, I learn from that and make improvements for the next time. This is the basis of the scientific method.
So when I decided I wanted to take more time-lapse videos, naturally for me I took the same approach. In this post, I’m going to show you some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way. Just as it is at during my research, these errors are valuable learning experiences and also part of the fun!
For information, the videos have all been made with a Go Pro 4 Black. I’ve added to my equipment along the way, usually as a result of learning from a video.
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#1 Securely attaching the camera
My camera was pretty new when I was volunteering for the TEDxCERN event in 2015, so I was keen to find out what I could do with it! I thought it would be a nice idea to film the guests arriving for the start. I didn’t have a lot of extra equipment, except for a 3-way tripod, so I ended up using scotch tape to to secure the tripod to a bar just above head-height. Unfortunately, it wasn’t secure enough and when I came back to check on the camera after some time, it was pointing towards the ground!
#2 Having a long enough battery life
I quickly learnt on my trip to Asia that the camera only had a battery life of ~2 hours and so leaving it on overnight wasn’t going to give me that sunrise video I was after! The problem with the standard Go Pro case is that it doesn’t have any access for the power cable, so the camera can’t be charged while it’s in the case and on a tripod. I looked, while I was travelling, for a skeleton case that would give access to this port, but I wasn’t able to find one in any shop (even at airports). Instead I had to start the camera less than two hours before the event I wanted to record.
Later, when I returned back to Europe, I was able to find this CamKix frame and this allowed me access to the charging port. Now I use this case with my portable charger, which means that I don’t need to be next to a plug to take videos. I use a 16,000 mAh external charger which, when close to fully charged near the beginning, has always been more than enough for leaving the Go Pro running overnight.
Another mistake I made with this video is setting the interval for the photo at 4 minutes, so I had very few frames to make a video from. Definitely set it to fewer. The maximum I use now is 10 seconds per photo.
#3 Keeping the camera still
During a trip to Vietnam last year, I was very fortunate to get an upgrade on my overnight boat trip in Ha Long Bay, which meant I had a private deck space! This was a great opportunity to capture a video of a sunrise in this stunning location. I setup the camera on the tripod and securely (very securely!!) tied it with shoe laces and a travel-washing line to to the railings of the boat. Around sunrise, I woke up and went outside to turn the camera on with the time-lapse setting. I then went to have breakfast on the top deck with the rest of the guests.
Later in the morning I looked back at the footage and realised something that should have been completely obvious to me – boats move. I’m not just talking about bobbing up and down in the water, although that is a problem, but they also drift with the current around the anchor and, when the crew wake up earlier than you do, they move on to their next location while all the guests are still sleeping or having breakfast. All of these movements provide a challenge when trying to have an interesting video that isn’t going to make everyone seasick! Below is what I managed to get with this. Looking back on it now, I’ve grown fond of it, but it wasn’t the video I intended to take.
Having the right equipment
I visited Japan for work in March and had the weekend before as a tourist in Tokyo. I went to visit Shibuya Crossing, which is famous for being the busiest crossing in the world! I had recently bought a rotating egg-timer like device to pan the camera as it recorded, so I was looking forward to using that. I thought it came with two screw-to-GoPro adapters, but it didn’t, so when I came to build the setup, I didn’t have all the right pieces. In the end, I taped most of it together and hoped it stayed long enough to get a good video.
When I returned, I ended up buying a 40-in-1 (37 in the US, not sure why) kit, which had the GoPro tripod adapters that I wanted, plus much more.
A tripod
The following video was taken of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Unfortuantely without a proper tripod, I had to rest the Rotating Time Lapse Timer on a step, which meant the camera was among the legs of the tourists passing by.
After this recording, I decided to buy a proper tripod. In the end I went for a Manfrotto Befree Compact Lightweight Travel Tripod, because it folds up really small and is very lightweight (it’s in the name!).
Having a clear view (AKA cleaning the window!)
On a visit to see family in Saltburn in the UK, I stayed in a hotel room with my siblings. The view of the ocean was beautiful and I worked out that the sun would rise directly over the water! I decided to try to capture the sunrise. While I was setting up the equipment, I noticed that the window wasn’t brilliantly clean, but I couldn’t get my arm out to clean it. It didn’t seem too noticeable, so I set the camera running when I went to sleep and came back the next morning.
Unfortunately, when the sun hits at certain angles, the marks on the window show up noticeably. Take a look below.
Having an interesting video
The next time I visited Saltburn, the weather was very foggy. Feeling optimistic, I setup the camera and hoped that the fog would clear during sunset, making a dramatic video. It didn’t. Below is the result of this attempt, which I wouldn’t say was the most interesting time-lapse video.
Being aware of the weather
This lesson is linked to #1, securely attaching the camera. In this case I wanted to take a 360 degree time-lapse of Luxembourg Park in Paris. It had been sunnier in the day, but it become overcast later. I was still determined, and clouds make interesting additions to the videos. However, this also meant wind and rain.
Take 1. I set up the camera on my full-sized tripod and put this on a bench. After ten minutes or so, I turned to look at the camera and as I did I saw it suddenly coming towards me! Fortunately I caught the tripod as it fell from the bench, but because of the wind, I had to move it to the ground. This meant I didn’t get as good of a view over everyone’s head, but it was better than the camera landing on mine!
Take 2. I started the camera again. After another roughly ten minutes a sudden downpour started and I quickly thew the tripod case over the camera to protect it. But this was the end of that take!
Take 3. Since it was getting late in the afternoon and I wanted to eat at some point, I had to abandon my plan of a full 360 degree video and instead settle on a ~150 degree video. This time the wind was not too strong and the rain (mostly!) held off, so I got the video I wanted. You can see I also edited the colour on the final video to give contrast to the clouds and bring out the colour of the senate building.
Today
So that’s where I’m up to now. I’m sure there will be many more lessons to learn as I go along. Perhaps even enough for a second post. The next thing I want to work on is getting rid of glare and reflections from windows when I have to film in doors. For that I’m going to try a dark cloth taped around the camera.
For now, I’ll leave you with a video I took in Cambodia at an elephant sanctuary of the elephants taking their morning bath. Enjoy!
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