SKYPIX Timelapse Creation / Service & Cost

Long-Term Filming
(Long-term time lapse)

- For a long-term time lapse which lasts more than several months, we use the sophisticated unattended remote controled filming system.-

Specially-developed dedicated system

What is required in the system
We recently face to the requests for a long-term time lapse shooting for more than a couple of months in a construction site very frequently. Long-term time lapse is not easy. If it's for one month, even a simple system would work OK. However, if it's a long term project for more than a couple of months, it is almost impossible to have a success. Obviously, unmanned system is required, and it should have a strong resistance against a heavy rain, wind, and change of the temperature. Also the solid and ridged physical stability is essential. In short, a reliable and strong system which never stops whatever happens during a long shooting term. The collection and the management of the data, and the maintenance of the equipment are also the keys. Especially if you need to get the high resolution image, the excellent system is needed even if you try to film the scene from inside of the building.

Our unique in-house developed shooting system
Long-term time lapse shooting is one of our specialized fields which we've been developing for many years since its early days. Our shooting system which meets all the requirements is in-house developed based on many experiences, and is a concentration of know-how. We use a DSLR with a full-size CCD to provide a high definition images in 4K- 6K . The quality is extremely high enough for you to be satisfied with. Our system can work both inside, and outside of the building in the field where it rains and snows. As we check and download the images via internet everyday remotely, there is no possibility to be disappointed with a failure and loss of all the expected images at the end of the shooting term. This is the most important point of the long-term time lapse shooting.
We are constantly developing new systems, and we even have a system run by solar energy for the shooting site where no AC power is available. We hace also developed a super compact system using a CCD camera, which enables us to install it anywhere and in a simple way

The best video processing is provided
The time lapse sequence being collected includes images shot in the morning and the afternoon, sunny day and rainy day, changes of the brightness due to the flow of the clouds in the sky, and this makes it really difficult to get the smooth video if you simply put them in a line for movie play. Special know-how is required to achieve a complete long-term time lapse movie, and it is impossible to get it within an extension of the normal time lapse movie. We have special know-hows and experiences to get it, and process it in a beautiful smooth sequence using a special software and technique. We will deliver to you a completed mp4/mov video file which is edited in desired size, speed and length.
We can also provide you a time lapse video file up to that moment at any time during the shooting period upon your request. We normally provide you an interim time lapse video at every end of the month without any additional cost. This is possible because we check and download the data filed everyday via internet.

The SKYPIX longterm time lapse shooting system that we have developed and manufactured. It is full of the special know-how.

Shooting system with a rain-proof cabinet. It has all the required units such as a ventilator, anti-dew heaters, timer controllers, PC with internet connection radio system, and HDD for data back-up. AC power is supplied via power line cable. It is the fruits of our know-hows.

A full-size DSLR and wide angle zoom lens are installed in the cabinet. （CANON EOS5DMKlll and EF16-35mm F2.8）　Up to 6K sized high resolution image can be obtained. At the back of the cabinet, universal joints for 50m/m steel pipe are installed.

This model can accept either of AC100V or DC12V input. Where no power line is available, this model enable to operate with solar power supply.

Examples to show how the system is installed.

Filming a new house construction from the balcony of the neighbouring house.

Interior construction site. A a large tripod with a camera on the top, and a control box is used for the remote control, as well

Road bridge construction site. The solar power system will be installed where the AC power can not be supplied.

A compact shooting stage built along the utility pole located right next to the construction site.

The stage is supported firmly to the pole by pipe-jack-bases fr
This stage is constructed with a cooperation of the construction company of the site.

Shooting stage built on the top of the building located right next to the construction site.

The solar power system is also installed here. This stage was also built with a cooperation of the customer which is a large construction company.

A wonderful tower structure about 10m high was installed at the construction site with a cooperation of the construction company of the site.

Shooting system mounted on the top of the tower. A high camera position realizes a very good look down view of the site.

In addition to the above, various installation methods are used like the below cases.

Nature scene shooting case

Case 1. Lakeside scenery

At the lake side of Lake Matsubara in Koumi town, Nagano prefecture, we shot for more than a year through the freezing winter season (minus 20 degrees C), and the terrible heat in the summer without any problem due to the built-in heater and exhaust fan system, together with the multiple fail-safe funtions. A local carpenter helped us to prepare a simple install structure for the shooting system.

Filmed at the above site by the system shown above for a year. (Converted to 8K from the original 6K)

Case 2. Rural scenery

The camera system is mounted to a steel pipe which is fixed to the corner of the warehouse. The warehouse is located right next and faced to the farm.

Scenery time lapse movie filmed of the personal farm by the above camera system for a year. (Mosaics are added over the neighbors houses. A month indicator is added.)

Construction site shooting case

Case 1. Construction of a Villa

At the construction site of a villa (Vacation home), shooting during a couple of months. Steel pipes for construction are used to build a mounting system. Three slant pipes and a vertical pipe knock into the ground for 30 - 50cm jointed and coupled with universal joints form this system. Short vertical pipes knock into the ground at the end of the slant pipes are also jointed with universal joints. Normally, the mounting system is prepared by the applicant, as the construction company is willing to set up this simple facility for the applicant. At this shooting site, two systems are installed, and two cameras are working.
A white tarpaulin on the ground is to cover the rain proof control box (the same as the red one in the below image in the building) for just in case. The picture on the far right is of a regular maintenance.

Filmed at the above construction site by the system shown above for four months. Play back speed is edited to be slowered around the completion of framework. (Down converted to 4K from original 6K)

Case 2. Construction of a Retail store)

Okada Automobile Co., Ltd. built a new office at Mukoh, Kyoto. The construction lasted for 9 months. Our shooting system installed at the corner of the propaerty worked perfectly without any problem for a long period. It has been controlled remotely everyday from the SKYPIX office in Saitama pref. 485Km away. This system has everything built-in and does not need any other control box. AC100V was supplied from the construction site.

This is the time lapse for 9 months at the above site. As the speed of the development of the construction may be varied from time to time, we will adjust the playback speed in wide range at the final editing process. The total numbers of the shot reaches to 27,000 cuts.

Case 3. Construction of a Distribution center)

CoreStaff Co,.Ltd. built a new Distribution center of semiconductor parts in Nagano prefecture. It is located in front of Mt.Asama, and the temprature during the winter was really freezing, however, shooting was completed without any problem.

These photos were taken over a period of 15 months at the construction site above. The number of still images taken has reached 81,000. (Down convert original image 6K to 4K)
We can edit the video to any length.

Case 4. Restoration work of Temple & Shrine

A historic old temple in Kamakura, Kakuonji Temple requested us to film the long-term time lapse for the partial rethatching construction of the thatched roof of the shrine. The same as the case before, we constructed strong tripod with steel pipes to mount the camera system. This model has all the required control units built in, so the separated control box is not required anymore. The customer had prepared a AC power cable for the system.

Filmed at the above construction site by the system shown above for two months. (Down converted to 4K from original 6K)

We can provide you the video shooting by drone or video camera as the supplement images. Combining with the time lapse sequence, the work will be much attractive and understandable. Please inquire us of your request.

In this case, the condtions of the shooting site was very difficult. The direction of the sun and the high trees around the object to make strong shadow on the object were the problem to cause a strong contrast in the front light. This causes uncomfortable problems in a time lapse movie. Therefore, we dare selected images only during the time of a day when the lighting from the behind is given permitting halo problem which may be presented in thin branches of the trees with the bright sky in its behind, and added adjustment to keep adequate brightness in the shadow part so that we could achieve the best compromised result. We have acumulated various experiences to make it possible to provide you the best result under the given conditions.

Case 5. Bridge Construction

JEF Engineering spent a year building a bridge for installing between Dejima Isd and mainland, located in Onagawa-cho, Miyagi Prefecture, on the quay of nearby Onagawa Port. At the end it was hoisted by a crane on a huge barge and headed towards Dejima. It includes the entire process from the time the ship leaves the port. We built a tower on the roof of a neighboring warehouse and fixed the camera system there. The power source was provided by solar power generation.

Filmed at the above construction site by the system shown above for one year. (Down converted to 4K from original 6K)

This shooting was done from a tower installed on the roof of a building along the coast, but it was very windy along the coast and the camera was constantly shaking violently, causing the images to shake (shift) from frame to frame. In order to stabilize it, special image processing was repeated countless times. At our company, we don't just take pictures, but we also use as much image processing technology as possible to achieve the best results possible. There is no additional charge for those image processings.

Furthermore, we are shooting long-term time-lapses at large-scale construction sites all over the country.