Time Lapse on JVC at DVinfo.net

Brian Henderson · June 5th, 2006, 08:37 AM

A producer I work with wants me to shoot time lapse footage with the JVC HDV camera. He showed me some footage that looks pixelated. I couldn't find a time lapse funtion in the menu though. He said some thng about the shutter being set to 1/72 and you can see it in the viewfinder. Any ideas how this is done?

Paolo Ciccone · June 5th, 2006, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Henderson

A producer I work with wants me to shoot time lapse footage with the JVC HDV camera. He showed me some footage that looks pixelated. I couldn't find a time lapse funtion in the menu though. He said some thng about the shutter being set to 1/72 and you can see it in the viewfinder. Any ideas how this is done?

The camera doesn't has an intervalometer but you can obtain this feature via software. Do you use PC or Mac? For the Mac there is iStopMotion ( http://www.istopmotion.com ), it does both Time Lapse and Stop Motion. I used it with a DV camera and it works well. They have an HD version. Be aware that files can be huge so save often and check the results.

John Mitchell · June 7th, 2006, 08:32 AM

You can also get this feature with most of the hard drive recorders on the market like the DR-HD100-80 ..

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/c...&itempath=null

Brian Henderson · June 12th, 2006, 10:49 AM

I stopped by the studio and some one showed me what the producer is talking about. You go in to the shutter mode that gives you up to 1/2000 of a second, I think it's the "step" shutter rather than the "variable" one that you use for shooting monitors. In step mode you can crank the shutter speed below the frame rate. For example if you're shooting at 30 frames persecond, you can still have the shutter open for 1/15th of a second or as low as 1/7.5th. In one second you're only making four descrete images instead of 30 so motion looks jerky and a little blurry (use a tripod). The tape keeps moving at 30fps. Sped up, or just ditching the extra frames in an NLE, the image looks pixelated. It's basicly a time lapse feature, but a little different because it's based on shutter speed. I'm sure you could use the 1/7.5 and 1/15th shutters to produce some interesting effects for all sorts of shots like dream / drug sequences etc.

Brian Duke · June 23rd, 2006, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paolo Ciccone

The camera doesn't has an intervalometer but you can obtain this feature via software. Do you use PC or Mac? For the Mac there is iStopMotion ( http://www.istopmotion.com ), it does both Time Lapse and Stop Motion. I used it with a DV camera and it works well. They have an HD version. Be aware that files can be huge so save often and check the results.

how is the Stop Motion working for you? I would love to do some Stop Motion, and TImne Lapse on my next short film I am shooting. Do you hook up the camera to the mac while you shoot, or how does it work?

Duke

Paolo Ciccone · June 23rd, 2006, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Duke

how is the Stop Motion working for you? I would love to do some Stop Motion, and TImne Lapse on my next short film I am shooting. Do you hook up the camera to the mac while you shoot, or how does it work?

Yes, you connect the camera to the laptop via FireWire and the software takes a picture every n seconds, you decide how often.

Stephen Knapp · June 23rd, 2006, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paolo Ciccone

The camera doesn't has an intervalometer but you can obtain this feature via software. Do you use PC or Mac? For the Mac there is iStopMotion ( http://www.istopmotion.com ), it does both Time Lapse and Stop Motion. I used it with a DV camera and it works well. They have an HD version. Be aware that files can be huge so save often and check the results.

Does anybody know what corresponding software you would use for this on a PC?

Brian Duke · June 23rd, 2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paolo Ciccone

Yes, you connect the camera to the laptop via FireWire and the software takes a picture every n seconds, you decide how often.

Thanks Paolo. I assume it works with the JVC HD_100, correct? I would love to should some stuff like that.

Paolo Ciccone · June 23rd, 2006, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Duke

Thanks Paolo. I assume it works with the JVC HD_100, correct? I would love to should some stuff like that.

I didn't try it with the HD100, the HD license is more than I can justify right now (bought a Chrosziel matte box :)) but it should and I think they offer a warranty.

Paul Jefferies · June 23rd, 2006, 02:40 PM

I've done several timelapse shots using the JVC by the old method of shooting in real time to tape and speeding up in the edit (perfect if your timelapse is one hour or less). Looks fine to me. Only problem I have had is stability of the set-up in windy conditions (I use the camera on the JVC quick release plate, and its pretty firm, but there is still a tiny bit of movement)

Brian Duke · June 23rd, 2006, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Jefferies

I've done several timelapse shots using the JVC by the old method of shooting in real time to tape and speeding up in the edit (perfect if your timelapse is one hour or less). Looks fine to me. Only problem I have had is stability of the set-up in windy conditions (I use the camera on the JVC quick release plate, and its pretty firm, but there is still a tiny bit of movement)

Do you have any footage you cna post to get an idea how it looks?

Steve Benner · June 23rd, 2006, 03:30 PM

I just got my DR-HD100 in today...How do you do timelaspe with it (Only is SD from what I hear)?

Robert Schaller · June 23rd, 2006, 11:15 PM

I have spent an hour or so with the iStopMotionHR demo that Paolo linked to, and have some puzzling results.

I only have a mac here with a KonaLE card, and iStopMotion sees only that card, not firewire. I can only get input from the analog ports of the camera, at 720p59.94. It's a bit finicky -- I have to "initialize" the card with FCP by seeing the live input in log and capture before iStopMotion can see it, but then it comes through, and the timelapse works great.

So, I can do it in the studio, but that doesn't help for the real application, which is outdoors. I'm hoping that firewire will work if there is no capture card, but I don't know (yet). Has anyone tried this?

And yes, the price tag ($349 on sale!) is steep, more annoying because it is the same downloaded package that with the DV licence costs $39. But the demo is free... at least we can see what's possible.

Robert Schaller

Paolo Ciccone · June 24th, 2006, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Duke

Thanks Paolo. I assume it works with the JVC HD_100, correct? I would love to should some stuff like that.

I didn't try it with the HD100, the HD license is more than I can justify right now (bought a Chrosziel matte box :)) but it should and I think they offer a warranty.

Robert Schaller · June 26th, 2006, 10:43 AM

Unfortunately, iStopMotion WILL NOT work over firewire with an HDV camera. The "Help" file for their software (version 1.10.1) states:

"StopMotion does not currently support HDV or MPEG-4 cameras as QuickTime provides no support for these technologies at the moment."

It will work with the Kona card, but this is of no value outside the editing suite, which is not where I, at least, really want to do time lapse recording.

Is there any tool out there that will capture HD as HDV over firewire to do time lapse? Or, what about Steve Benner's question about using the DR-HD100 to do time lapse -- and can that do full HD? Or, do we wait for something like the Vydeo Express Card 34 that was linked to elsewhere (and I can't find the thread) that will allow HD input into a laptop?

Real HD (V) time lapse would be very, very useful.

June 5th, 2006, 08:37 AM	#1
Brian Henderson New Boot Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Boston Massachusetts, USA Posts: 21	Time Lapse on JVC A producer I work with wants me to shoot time lapse footage with the JVC HDV camera. He showed me some footage that looks pixelated. I couldn't find a time lapse funtion in the menu though. He said some thng about the shutter being set to 1/72 and you can see it in the viewfinder. Any ideas how this is done? __________________ A bad day in television is still better than a good day in a cubucle.

June 12th, 2006, 10:49 AM	#4
Brian Henderson New Boot Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Boston Massachusetts, USA Posts: 21	I stopped by the studio and some one showed me what the producer is talking about. You go in to the shutter mode that gives you up to 1/2000 of a second, I think it's the "step" shutter rather than the "variable" one that you use for shooting monitors. In step mode you can crank the shutter speed below the frame rate. For example if you're shooting at 30 frames persecond, you can still have the shutter open for 1/15th of a second or as low as 1/7.5th. In one second you're only making four descrete images instead of 30 so motion looks jerky and a little blurry (use a tripod). The tape keeps moving at 30fps. Sped up, or just ditching the extra frames in an NLE, the image looks pixelated. It's basicly a time lapse feature, but a little different because it's based on shutter speed. I'm sure you could use the 1/7.5 and 1/15th shutters to produce some interesting effects for all sorts of shots like dream / drug sequences etc. __________________ A bad day in television is still better than a good day in a cubucle.

June 7th, 2006, 08:32 AM	#3
John Mitchell Contributor Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 873	You can also get this feature with most of the hard drive recorders on the market like the DR-HD100-80 .. http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/c...&itempath=null

June 23rd, 2006, 02:40 PM	#10
Paul Jefferies Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Croydon, England Posts: 277	I've done several timelapse shots using the JVC by the old method of shooting in real time to tape and speeding up in the edit (perfect if your timelapse is one hour or less). Looks fine to me. Only problem I have had is stability of the set-up in windy conditions (I use the camera on the JVC quick release plate, and its pretty firm, but there is still a tiny bit of movement)

June 23rd, 2006, 03:30 PM	#12
Steve Benner Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: United States Posts: 590	I just got my DR-HD100 in today...How do you do timelaspe with it (Only is SD from what I hear)?

June 23rd, 2006, 11:15 PM	#13
Robert Schaller New Boot Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boulder colorado Posts: 16	I have spent an hour or so with the iStopMotionHR demo that Paolo linked to, and have some puzzling results. I only have a mac here with a KonaLE card, and iStopMotion sees only that card, not firewire. I can only get input from the analog ports of the camera, at 720p59.94. It's a bit finicky -- I have to "initialize" the card with FCP by seeing the live input in log and capture before iStopMotion can see it, but then it comes through, and the timelapse works great. So, I can do it in the studio, but that doesn't help for the real application, which is outdoors. I'm hoping that firewire will work if there is no capture card, but I don't know (yet). Has anyone tried this? And yes, the price tag ($349 on sale!) is steep, more annoying because it is the same downloaded package that with the DV licence costs $39. But the demo is free... at least we can see what's possible. Robert Schaller

June 26th, 2006, 10:43 AM	#15
Robert Schaller New Boot Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boulder colorado Posts: 16	Unfortunately, iStopMotion WILL NOT work over firewire with an HDV camera. The "Help" file for their software (version 1.10.1) states: "StopMotion does not currently support HDV or MPEG-4 cameras as QuickTime provides no support for these technologies at the moment." It will work with the Kona card, but this is of no value outside the editing suite, which is not where I, at least, really want to do time lapse recording. Is there any tool out there that will capture HD as HDV over firewire to do time lapse? Or, what about Steve Benner's question about using the DR-HD100 to do time lapse -- and can that do full HD? Or, do we wait for something like the Vydeo Express Card 34 that was linked to elsewhere (and I can't find the thread) that will allow HD input into a laptop? Real HD (V) time lapse would be very, very useful.