Why Film?
There are digital Time-lapse devices becoming available
(see
here), but there are still several major problems
with this new technology. Digital timelapse does not
offer the flexibility with exposure and interval that
you get with film:
When I use film I can shoot with an interval as small
as a quarter of a second. This is still not possible
with digital cameras. Small intervals are excellent
for events that are have a reasonably short duration
(sunrise with a telephoto lens, quick-changing clouds)
or where the subject matter changes so quickly that
any interval will effectively randomise what you see.
For example - a waterfall, or light sparkling on water.
I
frequently use long exposures, with heavy neutral
density filters
during
daytime
shooting,
to
slightly
or grossly blur the subject matter. This creates
a very different feeling to the staccato jumpiness
usually seen in timelapse. Long exposures on digital
severely
drain the battery of digital cameras. My Bolex is clockwork!
Literally! It will never run out of battery power,
and my time lapse unit is powered by a lead acid cyclic
battery that will go for several days without a charge.
Negative film has a huge latitude and is very tolerant
to overexposure. Light levels frequently change during
a shot. When the film is transferred I usually take
2 runs of each shot - one for the brightest sections
of the shot, one for the darkest. These can then be
blended in post-production to give huge lattitude and
smoother transition from lighter to darker.
Its What You Do With It
Many timelapse professionals shoot on 35mm, I use
16mm at the moment: At the end of the day it doesn't
matter what equipment you've got... A camera is a
camera. Check out the portfolio... timelapse cinematography |
