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Wondering what video editing techniques used on these videos

t0mat0

t0mat0

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Aug 29, 2006
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hello,
I've just had a look at some kitesurfing videos, covering Aaron Hadlow. I'm really impressed by the shots that they've been able to get - can anyone help identify some of the techniques used?

I understand that they use glidecam a lot, but don't know how they've been able to pause the subject of a shot, and let the background carry on, or do some crazy instant maouevres. And the strobe shots are pretty cool to.

Is it possible to do the strobe shots with a normal camera? (You see the kitesurfer going through their loop, as if it's on bulb, low lighting, with a flash gun strobing)

Youtube example, starting at one of the fun shots here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyAiY6mMGaE&fmt=18#t=1m15s

0m40s, 1m20s, 2m20s (the sound of his landing being on the beat)3m47, 4m,05, 4m15 (bit loop)flash multiple copies of Hadlow
m s- Foreground moving realtime, background scenery is on timelapse
1m35, 2m40 CGI huge fast pan shot (like they're on a curved zip line or something) 4m30
7m22 - Like time slows down

Andy Gordon's post production - pretty good way to sell FlexiFoils!

calibrate.png
 
The pan around him (in the air)is probably done both zooming in and using animated stuff.
I think the double hims are done by cutting him out (with AI) and placing him back several times.
 
Pretty darn cool in my book - what about the time lapse shots - like where the clouds are on a timelapse, but he's real time in the foreground?
So is it very hard to do the AI to add multiple copies of a moving object?
 
jammiefreerider said:
WTF!! I have never seen anything like that in an action sports video.
Click to expand...

I know! It've seen some of theh techniques in their earlier films, but it's still amazing - I thought some of this was still only at theoretical/SIGGRAPH level.
 
There is a lot of very professional 3D and compositing going on in this bad boy! I'd guess a bunch of the time lapse clouds effected shots were shot on days with no clouds and they simply keyed out the sky and replaced it with Timelapse ones (on a clear day the sky is just one big blue screen). That could also be how they do the multiple-shots....or they could have spent the time to rotoscope him. With some of those effects/equipment they'd probably have the budget for anything.
 
So did they take a section of Hadlow jumping, and basically turn everything else into greenscreen, and then clone that video multiple times onto the same section with noone there but starting at dif times.

Kinda like a clone stamp? Will have to relook ast video as i'm sure some thenm also have camera movement.

Just love the use of it -
can give a real rollercoaster feel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR_ZD-5FaKA#t=1m05s
 
I find the time lapse ones a bit annoying but the others are amazing! I would be so proud if I could do something like this. Anyone got any idea on what sort of experience and equipment you need?

Thanks
 
Youtube's the problem

I was in touch with Andy, who shot and edited this masterpiece, exactly a year ago - when I first saw the vids and saved them to my drive for further endless enjoyment!

Suffice to say, he revealed very little to me.

Simple prosumer software was used throughout. One expensive pro plugin was used for time shifts.

We spent hours with it and eventually sussed out how it's all been done.

We've now made a timefreeze camera pan shot with a friend diving into a pool.... but as it's a draft and from our own learning files, I'm f**ked if I'm letting you lot see it! :D

Keep an eye on my website.... or even join our facebook group....... we'll let you know when there's something online to peruse over.

Sorry to not reveal the trick yet - let me release some videos first, yeah?
 
Cool :)
who are you waterworks/ how can we find out when you've done the video - could you update this thread?

Thoughts on how they did it.
Clever camera mount that can track a movement over thelength of a time lapse shot and also repeat a fixed quick pan shot
some serious autorotoscoping / intelligent motion tracking with frame by frame validation.
Once you've got video of just the kiter, selecting a fixed skyline to be speeded up or even the whole of the rest of the shot is fairly easy.
Maybe a 2 camera set up?
I think glidecam should make a backpack glidecam for Hadlow anyhow!

Look forward to seeing you freeze frame pan shot
What's the website? / what's the facebook group called linkage!

happy not to get immediate answer to the tricks of the shots - like a magic trick.

One question - could you do this from footage from a Flip or new iPhone (assuming/ hoping it's a decent video taking phone) ?

Much as I love the concept of someone using the skycam/ cam on rails and givin the track curves and hoisting it into the sky to follow hadlow it seems there's a lot of post aht taking magic going on!
 
Hi there, t0m

I'm just a tall, skinny, dumb blonde..... :p

www.waterworksproductions.biz

facebook group WaterWorks Productions

join the group now as we're on the verge of some serious releases that will make you wet your pants... :)

half the fun is working out exactly what Andy Gordon did in his post production. Thanks for your kind understanding if I keep my lips sealed for now...

RE the footage from an iphone etc..... in THEEEEOOOOORY!!! But very unlikely... Gotta get pretty sexy raw footage.

RE post production taking away the magic: it's the post production that gives the magic to 90% of moving image data nowadays, isn't it? without it, where would hollywood be? (not that I'm a big hollywood blockbuster fan or anything!)

cheers

Chris
 
Cheers - will look at the links in a bit - had another view of the video - really need to frame by frame it - hopefully iPhone gets that / YouTube gets their cr together.

Hehe the auto text misspelt what I meant - I'd typed make (or tried to) but it turned to take post definitely adding some magic

just rewarch the 1min 30 part - saw the sexing cam that allows them to quickly pan out - can catch the change about 1m35s I think giving it a skyhelicam shot theN post zoom 1 frame blur flip to the 2 other camera views.

Interesting to see I think he uses wave footage to cover up certain things and also has more kites showing than riders in the multiple hadlow shots - gues it's easier than worrying about background sky or water for the shot.
Respect to Gordon and the team - hope they can throw some more hardware bullet time/ head cam/ other into next video (it's instructional for those without a big trampoline!

Here's to sexy raw footage!
 
t0mat0 said:
So did they take a section of Hadlow jumping, and basically turn everything else into greenscreen, and then clone that video multiple times onto the same section with noone there but starting at dif times
Click to expand...
That's a fairly straightforward job using something like the Replicator in Motion (doubtless there's an equivalent functionality in AfterEffects). See here for an explanation of what can be done with it.

I'm not saying that's what they used, but it's certainly one major tool you would use to achieve that sort of effect.
 
waterworks said:
Hi there, t0m

I'm just a tall, skinny, dumb blonde..... :p

www.waterworksproductions.biz

facebook group WaterWorks Productions

join the group now as we're on the verge of some serious releases that will make you wet your pants... :)

half the fun is working out exactly what Andy Gordon did in his post production. Thanks for your kind understanding if I keep my lips sealed for now...

RE the footage from an iphone etc..... in THEEEEOOOOORY!!! But very unlikely... Gotta get pretty sexy raw footage.

RE post production taking away the magic: it's the post production that gives the magic to 90% of moving image data nowadays, isn't it? without it, where would hollywood be? (not that I'm a big hollywood blockbuster fan or anything!)

cheers

Chris
Click to expand...
How are those releases going? :)
 
think I might have an idea...

Hey,
I've been a big fan of the hadlow videos for ages and have been trying to replicate the effects. As has been said already having a mega camera definitely helps, but ive been using a hd handycam and have managed to get a similar effect (although its not finished, else id post it).The best way I found to do the replicated shots is keep the background constant and then put a few copies of the video on different layers, offset them slightly and then with the slowest ones on the bottom layers, go ahead and apply a mask to the top layer, and animate this mask so that it follows the subject. its probably a primitive way to do it but it works fairly well. If for instance the rider is going left to right then you can even just mask one side of the rider as only one side will overlap. To save time you can set the mask up for the top layer for the duration of the trick and then duplicate that layer (with mask) for each repetition. If you do it with a tripod its not too hard, just time consuming. You could then go ahead and add some motion to the entire thing just using a camera in after effects, you'd lose some quality obviously but makes the editing easier than moving the camera as you film. if anyones got a better way of doing it give me a shout because it does take ages and is reaaaaaaaaally tough with less than perfect footage.
 
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