New application of tilt shift stop motion photography
January 3, 2009 11:59 PM   Subscribe

 
Zomg Bad link for second link. Supposed to be this one.
posted by Lord_Pall at 12:01 AM on January 4, 2009


Really the kind of thing that's better out of focus anyway.
posted by twoleftfeet at 12:13 AM on January 4, 2009


We'll sell you the whole seat BUT YOU'LL ONLY NEED THE EDGE!
posted by furtive at 12:17 AM on January 4, 2009 [9 favorites]


This is actually time lapse photography rather than stop motion, isn't that right?
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 12:23 AM on January 4, 2009


If you're not there YOU'D BETTER BE IN JAIL!

And if you're in jail, THEN BREAK OUT!

SUNDAY!!! SUNDAY!!!
posted by Dark Messiah at 12:32 AM on January 4, 2009 [4 favorites]


HARMFUL NOISE LEVELS!

CONCENTRATED DIESEL FUMES!!

KIDS HALF PRICE!!!
posted by longsleeves at 1:08 AM on January 4, 2009 [4 favorites]


Really perfectly surreal. I love My Robot Friend.

This is how we do shit in 'Merca, "Michel Gondry," ya puss. WITH TRUCKS and ELECTRO.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:09 AM on January 4, 2009 [2 favorites]


What a great combination, three things I wouldn't of thought to combine. Tilt shift, robot friend and monster trucks. That was just really fun.
posted by -t at 1:36 AM on January 4, 2009


Were these actually done with a tilt-shift camera, or just a "photoshop" filter that blurred the top and bottom? In the beach video there are some shots where people are standing in the in-focus part of the beach, but their heads are blurry, just as blurry as the sand or rocks behind their heads even though their heads should be just about as far away from the camera as their feet, and much closer.

Look at the boxers at 1:02 in the Helpless video, or the guy in the blue shorts standing on the whale at 1:49. Or the woman stretching on some rocks at 0:47.
posted by delmoi at 1:43 AM on January 4, 2009


I think you're right, delmoi. It looks distinctly as though this is just a fake tilt-shift like this.

If this is really tilt-shift cinematography, I'd really, really like to see the rig they've got set up to do that, as I've never met a film camera that had adjusters for tilt and shift. And if, further, this is digital footage, as I'd suspect, well, I guess tilt-shift is still possible, but it'd be an even more interesting and strange feat.

Neat vid, though; lots of fun.
posted by koeselitz at 2:19 AM on January 4, 2009


Hmm.

Keith Loutit's the guy who did the truck rally and the beached whale. Here's his web site. He claims there that he uses "a variety of techniques including tilt-shift and time-lapse photography."

Thinking about it, my earlier argument probably doesn't stand, as these are time-lapse. Sure, it'd be tough to film this stuff tilt-shifted, but he wouldn't have to; the technology required to take a shot at planned intervals with a standard film camera is pretty simple and ubiquitous.

Interesting stuff, anyhow.
posted by koeselitz at 2:27 AM on January 4, 2009


Yeah, just a standard digi -- shooting at timed intervals and post-processing with photoshop action setup to do a tilt-shift style blur.
posted by dawiz at 2:57 AM on January 4, 2009


VROOM, VROOM... uh oh... iiiiiiiiiiirt CRASH

*plays with matchbox and hot wheels*
posted by kliuless at 5:43 AM on January 4, 2009


I'd like to see what 5d MK2, with a tilt shift lense on it, would produce using it's 1080P video capability, that would be fun.
posted by mrzarquon at 5:52 AM on January 4, 2009


There's absolutely no reason why these couldn't have been taken with a real t/s lens on a real camera. No Photoshop required. Since all the shots are from fixed vantage points, it's likely he simply set up his focal plane and either shot remote or had some kind of timer.

Throw a tilt/shift on the 5D mark 2 and you got yourself full HD video t/s.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:52 AM on January 4, 2009


Jinx.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:52 AM on January 4, 2009


You'll get an entire seat, but you'll only use THE EDGE!!!!
posted by inigo2 at 6:02 AM on January 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


Damnit...I somehow missed furtive's comment above. I suck at the internets.
posted by inigo2 at 6:04 AM on January 4, 2009


Freaking perfect combo of technique, subject, and music. Loved it.
And if anyone has an mp3 of that Digital Form Remix of Robot High School....well, you know where to find me.
The version on the website isn't that remix.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:12 AM on January 4, 2009


I took a vanload of international students to a monster truck rally in Salinas, California in 2004...and their minds were blown. At first skeptical that it would be worth watching - "Who'd want to see a bunch of trucks go in circles?" - they were on their feet, standing on the bleachers, screaming for more Gravedigger (whoops, I mean GRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEDIGGER!!!!!) by the end of it.
posted by mdonley at 6:17 AM on January 4, 2009 [3 favorites]


Might I suggest a a better soundtrack? [NSFW!!]
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:02 AM on January 4, 2009


Metafilter: KIDS GET IN FOR JUST FIVE BUCKS! Plus adminstrative fee? Aww...
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 7:52 AM on January 4, 2009


I was going to post an article on this guy a while ago, but this post came up in a search so I was afraid it was a double. Just noticed the monster truck rally wasn't in there but his other videos were featured.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:56 AM on January 4, 2009


Banal blurry videos/pictures are all the rage.
posted by Zambrano at 9:44 AM on January 4, 2009


Cool post. The original video for this song kicks ass as well -
"Despite how it may appear, the video was shot in a single take with no significant computer-generated effects added, just some minor post-production cleanup. "
posted by hypersloth at 11:02 AM on January 4, 2009


Thankyou. You made my day.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:56 AM on January 4, 2009


Personally, I think it'd be more impressive if it wasn't done with a tilt-shift lense. Just record the video from a stationary point, calculate some good processing boundaries, and apply the filter to the video stream for each take. Stop motion might actually be an enhancement though; lifelike motion may change perception of the video.
posted by pwnguin at 12:53 PM on January 4, 2009


As a side note, can we make this the official notice of Vimeo kicking youtube's ass all around the universe as being the kind of place I want to go to watch cool videos?

BRING YR WIFE AND KIDS AND YR SLAPHAPPYGRANDPAPPY
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:51 PM on January 4, 2009


I still have a soft spot for FULL ARMOR JOUSTING!!!!
posted by maudlin at 3:51 PM on January 4, 2009


This is the first use of the "shift" tag in over five years.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:20 PM on January 4, 2009


Very cool. Also the sound track lead me to this: Robot Highschool.
posted by rubin at 9:58 PM on January 4, 2009


YEEEEEEEEEE-HAW!!!!!

[this is good]
posted by jason's_planet at 3:35 PM on January 5, 2009


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