Review of TimeScapes The Movie

After literally years in the making, TimeScapes: The Movie was release earlier this week.

If you’re a photographer or videographer…go buy this movie.

If you’re a lover of nature and the miracle of the outdoors…go buy this movie.

If you enjoyed the Discovery HD Theater’s Sunrise Earth series…go buy this movie.

If you want to see some of the most amazing time-lapse video footage created today…go buy this movie.

If you’re lucky enough to have a 4k video viewing environment…go buy the 4k version of this movie!

I had pre-ordered the Special Edition digital download copy of the movie and was super excited to see the email a few days ago announcing the release.  Luckily, I was able to take advantage of the kid’s nap times to watch both the feature as well as the director’s commentary.  Tom Lowe and all the others that have assisted him over the past few years creating cutting edge time-lapse video segments have created something special here.

If you just enjoy the experience of watching the movie, it is a purchase you won’t regret.

If you have any interest in photography or videography, you’ll likely watch it again and again to try to understand all work Tom and crew went through to create these sequences. The use of motor driven multi-axis controlled dollies and cranes to create motion within the time-lapse is impressive. The end result of night time sky time-lapses and transitions from night to “day” (which is actually just illumination from the moon…you can still see the stars!) is incredible.  Luckily, Tom talks about the creation aspects as well as some of the emotions he was trying to portray in the director’s commentary and there are many knowledgeable members of the TimeScapes forum that can help you learn more of what it takes to creates these types of sequences.

After viewing the movie twice now, the only real complaint that I have about it is that the flow of the sequences can feel a bit disjointed at times.  After the initial awe of the sequences fades, you realize that there is a flow in some sections, but not an overall flow for the entire movie.  It was great that Tom talked about some of his edit/placement decisions in the Director’s Commentary, but it would be great to understand the editing aspect behind the movie in more detail.

However, even with the flow nit, I’d have to reiterate…go buy this movie.

 

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