After suggestions for filming a long term transformation

platypus

platypus

platypus

Caporegime
Joined
25 Jul 2003
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Hi folks,

I'm after ideas on how I can film a "time-lapse" over several weeks, potentially months. To give the project some context, we're buying a business that is in need of a total refit. However it is a very busy, full time business, and whilst we'd like to shut for 2-3 weeks to gut and refit it, it just isn't feasible. So the likelihood is we'll approach it a room at a time, save for major jobs like the electrics. I'd very much like to film, over time, the transformation to make a video of it for my wife.

The only real way I can think of doing it is to buy a couple of powered go pro type cameras, stick them in the ceiling, record hundreds, potentially thousands of hours of footage and then just work through it laboriously in what little free time I have, meaning I can put together a video some time by 2035, just in time for us to sell up and retire :D.

There must be a better way, and I thought I'd ask if anyone has any, and indeed any other suggestions for a very much amateur trying to undertake such a project.

TIA.
 
Most SLRs have software that'll allow you to control the camera over USB and have built in support for doing timelapses, just take one shot per hour or whatever and then converting them all to video after is pretty simple.

I haven't bought new camera equipment in about 8 years though, I'd be surprised if most new SLRs didn't have time lapse functionality built in already.

I'm pretty sure newer GoPros will do it. Too.
 
When we had a building project at work, we just used a CCTV camera. Logged on every day and took a couple of still frames. Then used some open source software to join the frames into a video

(Bonus being that if we forgot for any reason or e.g at weekends we could pull frames from the saved footage)
 
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We use cheap dedicated time lapse cameras at work (can't remember exact model) - set to take a photo as frequently as you want, can set to only do it during working hours etc., battery will last a good few weeks (even months with the big battery pack) if you're only doing say a picture an hour and it'll produce a video at the end. Very much fit and forget for a while.
 
That sounds like a good idea @Kenai, if you are able to find out what cameras they are that'd be great but I'll do some searching.

The CCTV is an option but we might not have that fitted before the refit starts unfortunately.
 
I guess you need to move the cameras between rooms as you go? So battery powered is probably important.

Have a look at the Bushnell range of trophy cams. They have a nice on them called 'field scan', which is basically 'take a photo at a set time', say twice a day.

They're designed to be put in a field and retrieved weeks later, so very low maintenance. It's then extremely easy to turn the photos into a timelapse.
 
Thanks @AyeAyeAhoy! I was originally going to get a much more expensive construction camera but the Bushnell 20 Prime looks perfect for what we need and its only £120, a real bargain. We've gone for that!
 
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