Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-mo ) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down . It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use of high-speed cameras and then playing the footage produced by such cameras at a normal rate like 30 fps , or in post production through the use of software.
58-412: Slo-Mo is short for slow motion , a filmmaking technique. It may also refer to: Mike Brenner , a Philadelphia musician SloMo (Chanel song) Slo-Mo (drug) "Slo Mo", a song by Cutterpillow "Slo Mo", a song by !!! from Wallop Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
116-634: A 15-second exposure time to simulate a normal shutter. The resulting film will appear smooth. The exposure time can be calculated based on the desired shutter angle effect and the frame interval with the equation: Long exposure time-lapse is less common because it is often difficult to properly expose film at such a long period, especially in daylight situations. A film frame that is exposed for 15 seconds will receive 750 times more light than its 1 ⁄ 50 second counterpart. (Thus it will be more than 9 stops over normal exposure.) A scientific grade neutral density filter can be used to compensate for
174-736: A Flower . Time-lapse photography of biological phenomena was pioneered by Jean Comandon in collaboration with Pathé Frères from 1909, by F. Percy Smith in 1910 and Roman Vishniac from 1915 to 1918. Time-lapse photography was further pioneered in the 1920s via a series of feature films called Bergfilme ( mountain films ) by Arnold Fanck , including Das Wolkenphänomen in Maloja (1924) and The Holy Mountain (1926). From 1929 to 1931, R. R. Rife astonished journalists with early demonstrations of high magnification time-lapse cine-micrography, but no filmmaker can be credited for popularizing time-lapse techniques more than John Ott , whose life work
232-485: A VCR in a fast forward ("scan") mode. A man riding a bicycle will display legs pumping furiously while he flashes through city streets at the speed of a racing car. Longer exposure rates for each frame can also produce blurs in the man's leg movements, heightening the illusion of speed. Two examples of both techniques are the running sequence in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989), in which
290-410: A character outraces a speeding bullet, and Los Angeles animator Mike Jittlov 's 1980s short and feature-length films, both titled The Wizard of Speed and Time . When used in motion pictures and on television, fast motion can serve one of several purposes. One popular usage is for comic effect. A slapstick comic scene might be played in fast motion with accompanying music. (This form of special effect
348-527: A composition called "Time Lapse" written for the film by Michael Nyman . In the late 1990s, Adam Zoghlin's time-lapse cinematography was featured in the CBS television series Early Edition , depicting the adventures of a character that receives tomorrow's newspaper today. David Attenborough 's 1995 series The Private Life of Plants also utilised the technique extensively. The frame rate of time-lapse movie photography can be varied to virtually any degree, from
406-438: A device that connects to the camera's shutter system (camera design permitting) called an intervalometer . The intervalometer regulates the motion of the camera according to a specific interval of time between frames. Today, many consumer grade digital cameras, including even some point-and-shoot cameras have hardware or software intervalometers available. Some intervalometers can be connected to motion control systems that move
464-688: A door open and walking out into the street would appear to start off in slow motion, but in a few seconds later within the same shot the person would appear to walk in "realtime" (everyday speed). The opposite speed-ramping is done in The Matrix when Neo re-enters the Matrix for the first time to see the Oracle. As he comes out of the warehouse "load-point", the camera zooms into Neo at normal speed but as it gets closer to Neo's face, time seems to slow down, perhaps visually accentuating Neo pausing and reflecting
522-405: A film at a speed that shows the subject appearing to move. Conversely, film can be played at a much lower rate than at which it was captured, which slows down an otherwise fast action, as in slow motion or high-speed photography . Some classic subjects of time-lapse photography include: The technique has been used to photograph crowds, traffic, and even television. The effect of photographing
580-431: A frame for 1 ⁄ 50 second every 30 seconds. Such a setup will create the effect of an extremely tight shutter angle giving the resulting film a stop-motion animation quality. In long exposure time-lapse, the exposure time will approximate the effects of a normal shutter angle. Normally, this means the exposure time should be half of the frame interval. Thus a 30-second frame interval should be accompanied by
638-494: A full episode on time-lapse (and slow motion) photography and systems in 1981 titled Moving Still . Highlights of Oxford's work are slow-motion shots of a dog shaking water off himself, with close ups of drops knocking a bee off a flower, as well as a time-lapse sequence of the decay of a dead mouse. The non-narrative feature film Koyaanisqatsi (1983) contained time-lapse images of clouds, crowds, and cities filmed by cinematographer Ron Fricke . Years later, Ron Fricke produced
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#1732781159512696-569: A glacially slow pace. When the image is projected it could appear that the camera is moving at a normal speed while the world around it is in time-lapse. This juxtaposition can greatly heighten the time-lapse illusion. The speed that the camera must move to create a perceived normal camera motion can be calculated by inverting the time-lapse equation: Baraka was one of the first films to use this effect to its extreme. Director and cinematographer Ron Fricke designed his own motion control equipment that utilized stepper motors to pan, tilt and dolly
754-423: A moment in time. Vsevolod Pudovkin , for instance, used slow motion in a suicide scene in his 1933 film The Deserter , in which a man jumping into a river seems sucked down by the slowly splashing waves. Another example is Face/Off , in which John Woo used the same technique in the movements of a flock of flying pigeons . The Matrix made a distinct success in applying the effect into action scenes through
812-659: A moment, and perhaps alluding to future manipulation of time itself within the Matrix later on in the movie. Slow-motion is widely used in sport broadcasting and its origins in this domain extend back to the earliest days of television, one example being the European Heavyweight Title in 1939 where Max Schmeling knocked out Adolf Heuser in 71 seconds. In instant replays , slow motion reviews are now commonly used to show in detail some action ( photo finish , goal , ...). Generally, they are made with video servers and special controllers. The first TV slo-mo
870-483: A rate approaching a normal frame rate (between 24 and 30 frames per second) to only one frame a day, a week, or longer, depending on the subject. The term time-lapse can also apply to how long the shutter of the camera is open during the exposure of each frame of film (or video), and has also been applied to the use of long-shutter openings used in still photography in some older photography circles. In movies, both kinds of time-lapse can be used together, depending on
928-539: A series of cameras for every few feet of a track which had tripwires the horses triggered as they ran. The photos taken from the multiple cameras were then compiled into a collection of images that recorded the horses running. The first use of time-lapse photography in a feature film was in Georges Méliès ' motion picture Carrefour De L'Opera (1897). F. Percy Smith pioneered the use of time-lapse in nature photography with his 1910 silent film The Birth of
986-428: A short dissolve between still frames). Many complicated algorithms exist that can track motion between frames and generate intermediate frames within that scene. It is similar to half-speed, and is not true slow-motion but merely a longer display of each frame. Slow motion is used widely in action films for dramatic effect, as well as the famous bullet-dodging effect , popularized by The Matrix . Formally, this effect
1044-416: A slower speed. This technique is more often applied to video subjected to instant replay than to film. A third technique uses computer software post-processing to fabricate digitally interpolated frames between the frames that were shot. Motion can be slowed further by combining techniques, such as for example by interpolating between overcranked frames. The traditional method for achieving super-slow motion
1102-439: A solo project called Chronos shot using IMAX cameras. Fricke used the technique extensively in the documentary Baraka (1992) which he photographed on Todd-AO ( 70 mm ) film. Countless other films, commercials, TV shows and presentations have included time-lapse material. For example, Peter Greenaway 's film A Zed & Two Noughts features a sub-plot involving time-lapse photography of decomposing animals and includes
1160-434: A subject that changes imperceptibly slowly creates a smooth impression of motion. A subject that changes quickly is transformed into an onslaught of activity. The inception of time-lapse photography occurred in 1872 when Leland Stanford hired Eadweard Muybridge to prove whether or not race horses hooves ever are simultaneously in the air when running. The experiments progressed for 6 years until 1878 when Muybridge set up
1218-422: A television screen and any other device that displays consecutive images at a constant frame rate. For purposes of making the above illustration readable, a projection speed of 10 frames per second ( fps ) has been selected (the 24 fps film standard makes slow overcranking rare but nevertheless available on professional equipment). The second type of slow motion is achieved during post production. This
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#17327811595121276-422: A very large factor, for example to examine the details of a nuclear explosion . Examples are sometimes published showing, for example, a bullet bursting a balloon. Usually, digital camcorders (including: bridge cameras , DSLM , higher-end compact cameras and mobile phones ) historically had two ways of storing slow motion video (or: high framerate video ) into the video file: the real-time method and
1334-482: A widely available equatorial telescope mount with a right ascension motor. Two axis pans can be achieved as well, with contemporary motorized telescope mounts. A variation of these are rigs that move the camera during exposures of each frame of film, blurring the entire image. Under controlled conditions, usually with computers carefully making the movements during and between each frame, some exciting blurred artistic and visual effects can be achieved, especially when
1392-419: Is fast motion . Cinematographers refer to fast motion as undercranking since it was originally achieved by cranking a handcranked camera slower than normal. It is often used for comic, or occasional stylistic effect. Extreme fast motion is known as time lapse photography ; a frame of, say, a growing plant is taken every few hours; when the frames are played back at normal speed, the plant is seen to grow before
1450-462: Is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate ) is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing . For example, an image of a scene may be captured at 1 frame per second but then played back at 30 frames per second; the result is an apparent 30 times speed increase. Processes that would normally appear subtle and slow to
1508-496: Is able to record at 60 fps (e.g. Asus PadFone 2 (late 2012: 720p@60 fps ) and Samsung Mobile starting at the Galaxy Note 3 (late 2013) with 1080p at 60 fps, labelled "smooth motion"), recorded it using the real-time method. These advantages make the real-time method the more useful method for power users . The menial method saves recorded video files in a stretched way, and also without audio track. The framerate in
1566-413: Is achieved when each film frame is captured at a rate much faster than it will be played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving more slowly. A term for creating slow motion film is overcranking which refers to hand cranking an early camera at a faster rate than normal (i.e. faster than 24 frames per second). Slow motion can also be achieved by playing normally recorded footage at
1624-456: Is documented in the film Exploring the Spectrum . Ott's initial "day-job" career was that of a banker, with time-lapse movie photography, mostly of plants, initially just a hobby. Starting in the 1930s, Ott bought and built more and more time-lapse equipment, eventually building a large greenhouse full of plants, cameras, and even self-built automated electric motion control systems for moving
1682-528: Is known as time-stretching or digital slow motion . This type of slow motion is achieved by inserting new frames in between frames that have actually been photographed. The effect is similar to overcranking as the actual motion occurs over a longer time. Since the necessary frames were never photographed, new frames must be fabricated. Sometimes the new frames are simply repeats of the preceding frames but more often they are created by interpolating between frames. (Often this motion interpolation is, effectively,
1740-404: Is referred to as speed ramping and is a process whereby the capture frame rate of the camera changes over time. For example, if in the course of 10 seconds of capture, the capture frame rate is adjusted from 60 frames per second to 24 frames per second, when played back at the standard film rate of 24 frames per second, a unique time-manipulation effect is achieved. For example, someone pushing
1798-437: Is through high-speed photography , a more sophisticated technique that uses specialized equipment to record fast phenomena, usually for scientific applications . Slow motion is ubiquitous in modern filmmaking. It is used by a diverse range of directors to achieve diverse effects. Some classic subjects of slow-motion include: Slow motion can also be used for artistic effect, to create a romantic or suspenseful aura or to stress
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1856-444: The menial method . The real time method treats the video as a normal video while encoding it. The output video file contains the same framerate as the image sensor output framerate . The duration of the video in the output file also matches the real-life recording duration. And the output video also contains an audio track, like usual videos. This method is used by all GoPro cameras, Sony RX10/RX100 series cameras (except in
1914-565: The "Holy Grail" technique. In a remote area not affected by light pollution the night sky is about ten million times darker than the sky on a sunny day, which corresponds to 23 exposure values . In the analog age, blending techniques have been used in order to handle this difference: One shot has been taken in daytime and the other one in the night from exactly the same camera angle . Digital photography provides many ways to handle day-to-night transitions, such as automatic exposure and ISO , bulb ramping and several software solutions to operate
1972-493: The camera is mounted on a tracking system that enables its own movement through space. The most classic example of this is the "slit-scan" opening of the "stargate" sequence toward the end of Stanley Kubrick 's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), created by Douglas Trumbull. Time-lapse can be combined with techniques such as high-dynamic-range imaging . One method to achieve HDR involves bracketing for each frame. Three photographs are taken at separate exposure values (capturing
2030-417: The camera on any number of axes as the time-lapse photography is achieved, creating tilts, pans, tracks, and trucking shots when the movie is played at normal frame rate. Ron Fricke is the primary developer of such systems, which can be seen in his short film Chronos (1985) and his feature films Baraka (1992, released to video in 2001) and Samsara (2011). As mentioned above, in addition to modifying
2088-670: The camera. The short film A Year Along the Abandoned Road shows a whole year passing by in Norway's Børfjord (in Hasvik Municipality ) at 50,000 times the normal speed in just 12 minutes. The camera was moved, manually, slightly each day, and so the film gives the viewer the impression of seamlessly travelling around the fjord as the year goes along, each day compressed into a few seconds. A panning time-lapse image can be easily and inexpensively achieved by using
2146-401: The cameras to follow the growth of plants as they developed. He time-lapsed his entire greenhouse of plants and cameras as they worked—a virtual symphony of time-lapse movement. His work was featured on a late 1950s episode of the request TV show You Asked for It . Ott discovered that the movement of plants could be manipulated by varying the amount of water the plants were given, and varying
2204-490: The color temperature of the lights in the studio. Some colors caused the plants to flower, and other colors caused the plants to bear fruit. Ott discovered ways to change the sex of plants merely by varying the light source's color temperature. By using these techniques, Ott time-lapse animated plants "dancing" up and down synchronized to pre-recorded music tracks. His cinematography of flowers blooming in such classic documentaries as Walt Disney's Secrets of Life (1956), pioneered
2262-414: The film frame is actually exposed to light. In time-lapse photography, the camera records images at a specific slow interval such as one frame every thirty seconds ( 1 ⁄ 30 fps). The shutter will be open for some portion of that time. In short exposure time-lapse the film is exposed to light for a normal exposure time over an abnormal frame interval. For example, the camera will be set up to expose
2320-410: The film is actually exposed to light for roughly half the time. The rest of the time, it is hidden behind the shutter. Thus exposure time for motion picture film is normally calculated to be 1 ⁄ 48 second (often rounded to 1 ⁄ 50 second). Adjusting the shutter angle on a film camera (if its design allows), can add or reduce the amount of motion blur by changing the amount of time that
2378-426: The human eye, such as the motion of the sun and stars in the sky or the growth of a plant, become very pronounced. Time-lapse is the extreme version of the cinematography technique of undercranking . Stop motion animation is a comparable technique; a subject that does not actually move, such as a puppet, can repeatedly be moved manually by a small distance and photographed. Then, the photographs can be played back as
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2436-432: The menial method for 120fps video recording). In this example, the real-time-method recording device can be an iPhone 5s , a Galaxy S6 (including variants), a Galaxy Note 5 , a Sony Xperia Z2 , Xperia Z3 or Xperia Z5 . This table also includes references from other video recording types (normal, low-framerate, time-lapse ) to facilitate understanding for novice people. Fast motion Time-lapse photography
2494-651: The modern use of time-lapse on film and television. Ott wrote several books on the history of his time-lapse adventures including My Ivory Cellar (1958) and Health and Light (1979), and produced the 1975 documentary film Exploring the Spectrum . The Oxford Scientific Film Institute in Oxford, United Kingdom specializes in time-lapse and slow-motion systems, and has developed camera systems that can go into (and move through) small places. Their footage has appeared in TV documentaries and movies. PBS's NOVA series aired
2552-410: The output file does not match the original sensor output framerate, but the former is lower. The real-life timespan of the recording (while holding the camera) does not match the length of the video in the output file, but the latter is longer. The opposite is the case for time-lapse videos, where the effectively saved framerate is lower than for normal videos This means that the action visible inside
2610-402: The over-exposure. Some of the most stunning time-lapse images are created by moving the camera during the shot. A time-lapse camera can be mounted to a moving car for example to create a notion of extreme speed. However, to achieve the effect of a simple tracking shot , it is necessary to use motion control to move the camera. A motion control rig can be set to dolly or pan the camera at
2668-510: The projection speed and the recording speed are the same. Even if the film camera is set to record at a slower speed, it will still be projected at 24 frame/s. Thus the image on screen will appear to move faster. [REDACTED] The change in speed of the onscreen image can be calculated by dividing the projection speed by the camera speed. So a film recorded at 12 frames per second will appear to move twice as fast. Shooting at camera speeds between 8 and 22 frames per second usually falls into
2726-610: The sophistication of the camera system being used. A night shot of stars moving as the Earth rotates requires both forms. A long exposure of each frame is necessary to enable the dim light of the stars to register on the film. Lapses in time between frames provide the rapid movement when the film is viewed at normal speed. As the frame rate of time-lapse photography approaches normal frame rates, these "mild" forms are sometimes referred to simply as fast motion or (in video) fast forward . This type of borderline time-lapse technique resembles
2784-436: The speed of the camera, it is important to consider the relationship between the frame interval and the exposure time. This relationship controls the amount of motion blur present in each frame and is, in principle, exactly the same as adjusting the shutter angle on a movie camera. This is known as "dragging the shutter". A film camera normally records images at 24 frames per second (fps). During each 1 ⁄ 24 second,
2842-406: The three in immediate succession) to produce a group of pictures for each frame representing the highlights, mid-tones, and shadows. The bracketed groups are consolidated into individual frames. Those frames are then sequenced into video. Day-to-night transitions are among the most demanding scenes in time-lapse photography and the method used to deal with those transitions is commonly referred to as
2900-461: The time-limited "super-slow-motion" High Frame Rate (HFR) mode), Apple iPhones with high framerate (slow motion) video recording functionality (starting with the iPhone 5s in late 2013), Sony Xperia flagships since 2014 ( Xperia Z2 , first Sony flagship with precluded 120 fps video recording), LG V series mobile phones and every Samsung Galaxy flagship phone since 2015 ( Galaxy S6 ) for videos with 120 fps or higher. Every video camera that
2958-463: The title Slo-Mo . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slo-Mo&oldid=1241830903 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Slow motion Typically this style
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#17327811595123016-649: The undercranked fast motion category, with images shot at slower speeds more closely falling into the realm of time-lapse, although these distinctions of terminology have not been entirely established in all movie production circles. The same principles apply to video and other digital photography techniques. However, until very recently , video cameras have not been capable of recording at variable frame rates. Time-lapse can be achieved with some normal movie cameras by simply shooting individual frames manually. But greater accuracy in time-increments and consistency in exposure rates of successive frames are better achieved through
3074-415: The use of multiple cameras, as well as mixing slow-motion with live action in other scenes. Japanese director Akira Kurosawa was a pioneer using this technique in his 1954 movie Seven Samurai . American director Sam Peckinpah was another classic lover of the use of slow motion. The technique is especially associated with explosion effect shots and underwater footage. The opposite of slow motion
3132-488: The video runs at slower speeds than in real life, despite the indicated playback speed of ×1. This encoding method is used by the camera software of the following devices (incomplete list): A 120 FPS video whose real-life recording duration is 00h:00m:10s can be encoded in the following methods seen in the table on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 , S4 , Note 3 , S5 and Note 4 (example devices that use
3190-445: The viewer to see what took place. The opposite of fast motion is slow motion. Cinematographers refer to fast motion as undercranking since it was originally achieved by cranking a handcranked camera slower than normal. Overcranking produces slow motion effects. Film is often projected at 24 frame/s , meaning 24 images appear on the screen every second. Under normal circumstances, a film camera will record images at 24 frame/s since
3248-455: The viewer's eyes. The concept of slow motion may have existed before the invention of the motion picture: the Japanese theatrical form Noh employs very slow movements. There are two ways in which slow motion can be achieved in modern cinematography. Both involve a camera and a projector. A projector refers to a classical film projector in a movie theater, but the same basic rules apply to
3306-417: Was often used in silent film comedies in the early days of cinema. Another use of fast motion is to speed up slow segments of a TV program that would otherwise take up too much of the time allotted a TV show. This allows, for example, a slow scene in a house redecorating show of furniture being moved around (or replaced with other furniture) to be compressed in a smaller allotment of time while still allowing
3364-523: Was the Ampex HS-100 disk record-player. After the HS-100, Type C videotape VTRs with a slow-motion option were used. There were a few special high frame rate TV systems (300 fps ) made to give higher quality slow-motion for TV. 300 fps can be converted to both 50 and 60 fps transmission formats without major issues. In scientific and technical applications it is often necessary to slow motion by
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