A miniature city from up on high


From high above the city, jusojin captured this time-lapse AND tilt-shift video that miniaturizes the bustling city of Osaka, Japan. Trivializing every aspect of the Osaka hustle provides a toyish cityscape where people are reduced to ants and cars look like turbocharged micro machines in a lavish play-set.

Jusojin shot the video from the roof of the Umeda Sky Building – a two towered structure that boasts a sky garden called the “Floating Garden Observatory,” and an underground market designed to resemble the Osaka of a century ago. With modernity clashing with old school Japan in such a cool location, the 40 floor skyscraper is a must visit in Osaka.

Time Lapse (Umeda Sky Building2011) HD from jusojin on Vimeo.

Video: Milky Way from the plains

Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo, dakotalapse.com

I’m a sucker for a beautiful time-lapse video. Advancing technology has made the time-lapse approach to film-making accessible to more people. And as these visually-minded people try to hone their skills with the camera, Randy Halverson might as well consider his skills honed–as far as I’m concerned. This time-lapse video by Halverson features the Milky Way from South Dakota. Halverson spent the month of May putting this beauty together.

There’s something about the way a time-lapse video helps us to see things from around the world. There’s something spectacular about it, if it’s done right. Do you have any stellar time-lapse videos you’d recommend we see and perhaps publish on Gadling? Please let us know in the comments on this post if so.

A Day of Rebuilding at New York’s Ground Zero

While in New York, I was thrilled to check out the High Line, a newly expanded elevated park that’s captivated city-dwellers. But there’s bigger and more meaningful construction happening downtown, at the site of the former World Trade Center-and the soon-to-be home of the new World Trade Center.

With my videographer, Stephen Greenwood, I booked a 17th-floor room at the Millenium Hilton hotel, directly across from and facing the site. With a couple of cameras, we set out to capture a day’s worth of work at the newly rising office complex and the memorial to the attacks of September 11, 2001, the latter of which is scheduled to open by the 10th anniversary of that day.

Here’s what we saw.

Traveling the American Road – A Day at Ground Zero


Time lapse video: Queen Mary 2 sails the Atlantic

Queen Mary 2: Atlantic Timelapse from Adonis Pulatus on Vimeo.

Adonis Pulatus took these time lapse shots while aboard the Queen Mary 2 as it sailed from New York to the Caribbean last December. The luxury ocean liner appears to stay perfectly static as waves crash all around, making the boat almost appear to be photoshopped over a video of the deep blue. But Cunard’s ship isn’t really just a giant speed boat racing through the water, a fact that becomes clear once some brave souls zip around the swimming pool in the chilly air.

Deemed the “most luxurious ocean liner ever built,” the ship has been privy to an unfortunate series of events lately. Last month five women and four men – believed to be illegal Chinese immigrants – were taken into custody just after landing in New York. Before that, a 40-year-old stage hand was sentenced on child porn charges last September. Perhaps this is why the ship appears mostly empty in the videos – or maybe it’s just the cold.

Video: South Dakota winter time-lapse

Sub Zero – winter night timelapse from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

I’ve been hypnotized by many a nature time-lapse video this year, but this film capturing South Dakota winter is one of my new favorites. Shot back in February, the artist behind the piece says that most nights were subzero with a -25F wind chill. Using the Dynamic Perception Stage Zero dolly and the Milapse mount on most shots, Randy Halverson pushed some limits on exactly what kind of weather conditions this type of equipment can’t withstand.

Check it out!