Subjects standing perfectly still, camera moving

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

I recently saw this music video:

 

URL (Kings of Leon - Four Kicks)

 

What I couldn't get my head around was how they could move the camera around whilst there are objects floating perfectly still in the air. There?s a jug of water or something that gets thrown and you can actually see the water floating in mid-air, whilst the camera is moving around it.

 

How do they actually do this?

 

My best guess was CGI but then again, there are many factors that say it isn't. For a start budget, music videos don't usually go that high. Secondly, they would of had to use the best CGI artists in the world to get the graphics as good looking as that. So I honestly haven?t got a realistic clue as to how they did this.

 

Any help appreciated tnx.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Rent the Matrix DVD and watch the special features.

 

Basically it's a load of still cameras in a big arc all fired at once, then when you play the frames back in sequence you get the effect of flying around it.

 

Phil

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

Rent the Matrix DVD and watch the special features.

Will do tnx Phil.

 

Basically it's a load of still cameras in a big arc all fired at once, then when you play the frames back in sequence you get the effect of flying around it.

I thought about this but then again, sometimes they mix in both the moving picture (of the band) and the stills pictures (of the moshers) together. Be kinda hard to get the motion cameras in the exact position of the stills cameras. Unless they somehow managed to fire the stills cameras 1/25th of a second between them all, creating a perfect 25fps motion when tied together, be hard but I suppose it could be done. And then of course tied both scenes in together digitally.

 

This video just really is amazing. (Great song too!)

Edited March 17, 2005 by Daniel J. Ashley-Smith

[Matt Butler]

check out www.digitalair.com/techniques

they cover most aspects of 'time-slicing+motion'

 

cheers,matt

[Thomas Worth]

I don't think they used any CG in this video at all. In fact, I think all the "Bullet Time" shots of the actors were photographed as live action, with objects hanging from the ceiling and all the actors being completely still. The camera movement around the actors is obviously handheld. It looks to be more of a Matrix parody to me.

 

Two other facts that lead me to believe the effect was not done with CG. One, this was clearly shot on video so I don't think they would have had the budget to do any "Bullet Time" effects. If they did, it would have most likely been shot on 35. And second, if they DID have the budget to do it in CG, I think they would have gotten a better director.

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

I think they would have gotten a better director.

Meaning?

[DavidSloan]

LMAO! How did they do this? It's a bunch of people standing still!

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

LMAO!  How did they do this?  It's a bunch of people standing still!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Then explain the water being thrown in the air.

[Filip Plesha]

speaking of bullet time, does anyone know what kind if film did they put in those

EOS cameras for matrix? Was it motion picture film or still film? And which film?

[Nathan Milford]

>8)

[DavidSloan]

Then explain the water being thrown in the air.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That water splash thing is a prop. ;)

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

That water splash thing is a prop.  ;)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean like a model just hanging on wires or something?

[DavidSloan]

You mean like a model just hanging on wires or something?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Exactly. Take a look at the video again. You don't actually see the water being frozen as it's thrown. It's very obviously a prop.