At the beginning of 2022, we were approached by one of our clients Spa Comms to carry out a Timelapse video. We’ve carried out plenty of Timelapse over the years and approached this one with the same enthusiasm as those that had come previously. The brief arrived and this one was a little different. They wanted to film for a year a whole building construction which was a first for our team. The challenge was to find cameras that could be continuously powered outdoors with the ability to transfer data, without having to access the cameras themselves.
We began our research and identified that several options could provide solutions, the camera we decided upon was the Tikee by Enlaps. This make of camera ticked all the boxes for us. It allowed us to install two cameras on poles for the full duration and not touch them again until the project was finished. It also allowed us to monitor the project remotely and keep a regular eye on the progress of the build, allowing our client to access imagery and footage, and share the status of the build. The software also enabled us to switch off remote filming at weekends and during the night. Another benefit of this camera is that a solar panel is attached to the top which keeps the cameras working throughout the project.
Timelapse Video, Kao Data Centre
To achieve the connectivity we had to sign up to a 4G provider. From a little research, we discovered that Vodafone was going to achieve the strongest continuous signal which proved reliable throughout the entire project. It allowed data transfer from the cameras to be securely stored on servers. The other benefit of the Tikee cameras was that they were robust which meant that the cameras continued to work through all weather including storm-force winds, extreme cold and heavy snow. Another key feature was that the camera has a 220-degree angle of vision which meant for more creative editing.
The build was completed 18 months later by which time the timelapse project generated 40,000 images. It was time to stitch them together and this is when the software came into its own. We were able to specify the length of the video and programme the elements we didn’t want to use such as nighttime shots. We could also programme the smoothness of the transition between the images. Once completed, a short wait and the magic of Timelapse was ready for us to share with our client. The flexibility of these cameras made for a successful project together with reliable 4G and software.
