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Experimenting with Post Production Dolly Zoom

FlushVision

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Experimenting with Post Production Dolly Zoom.

I'm just learning this technique and don't have any footage shot with this technique in mind to use, but experimenting with some 4K footage that goes some way. What do you think?

Of course, when I get footage with this process in mind in Post Production, it'll look far better.
 
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Not sure what I was to observe in 3 seconds Flush? It just looks like you were doing a flyby.
is this a picture that you're able to zoom?
 
Not sure what I was to observe in 3 seconds Flush? It just looks like you were doing a flyby.
is this a picture that you're able to zoom?

Look at the perspective change between the concrete overpass and the background. Simulates the illusion of the background zooming, but not the subject. Also try viewing at 50% speed, since it's so short.
 
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The clip was short simply because I wanted to keep the rendering and uploading times to a minimum. During testing there's no point in making a longer clip only to ditch it because it isn't right. I'm still learning the technique so ditching clips is the order of the day at the moment. Once I get good at it I'll be incorporating the technique into my 'proper' videos where the scenes warrant it. Also important not to overdo it too often in an individual video since it will take the novelty away.

Once I'm confident in my technique I'll share it with you guys but I'm sure that some of you already know how to do it.

Edit. I hasten to add that this technique really only works well with 4K footage. With 1080 footage you lose too much resolution in the zoom for the finished product to look good (trust me, I've tried it).
 
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Interesting, Flush. Looking forward to viewing how you incorporate the technique into something to show us.

Jeff
I'm planning a flight over Penistone Hill near Haworth in West Yorkshire tomorrow (think 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë) where I'll be making a point of capturing some 4K footage specifically for applying this technique to obtain a Dolly Zoom and incorporating it to the video I'll produce.

Once I've produced the video I'll post a link here.

Martin.
 
I like the vid but just don't see the effect, sorry.
Look at the sequence from time 32 seconds in. You will see the foreground moving away from the camera but at the same time the background is zooming in. That is a dolly zoom effect.
 
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Now that you pointed it out, I do see the effect...Pretty cool, wish it was a bit longer though.
 
Now that you pointed it out, I do see the effect...Pretty cool, wish it was a bit longer though.
The effect only works if the aircraft is moving away from a foreground object with the background some distance away (you can get the same result if flying forward and reversing the footage in post) so the length of the effect is largely dictated by the loss of resolution in the background when applying zoom and the speed that the aircraft is moving away from the object.

Method:
Find a foreground object, a house or tree, say, where that object is framed by background much further away. The background can be trees or other houses or anything so long as it is a good further distance away from the foreground object. Move the aircraft away from that foreground object (you can shoot it moving foreword and revers it in post). simple as that. To apply the effect in post production you just apply a zoom on that foreground object such that the foreground object still appears to be receding or at most remaining the same apparent size...don't zoom such that the foreground object looks any closer. It is important not to overdo the zoom since you will loose resolution if you apply too much zoom...that is why it works better when shooting in 4K.
 
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