Time-lapse photography has been around for a long time. It’s always been a very manual, time consuming process. Timing systems and software have made the process easier and in recent years we’ve seen more an more moving time-lapse shots, where the camera is mobile. To get that to work, you need a rig to steady the camera while it moves. Not cheap and another layer of difficulty.

Instagram have just gone and launched a free iOS app called ‘Hyperlapse‘, making moving time-lapse photography easy and accessible to anybody who can hold an iPhone. You don’t even need a tripod to hold your phone steady, the app does this for you. 

It’s as simple as pressing a button to start filming and then pressing that same button to finish.

My very first attempt took about a minute to shoot, process and post. Ridiculously simple!

http://instagram.com/p/sNTmpynig9

The app saves the full frame film on your phone; when uploading it to Instagram, the films is cropped to the familiar square format. The stabilisation system does a decent job – I was trying to stay as still as possible – but a tripod would provide a better end product.

The chaps at Instagram are obviously quite pleased with themselves, posting a detailed explanation of how they went about developing Instagram’s stabilisation software. Good to read and also an interesting move given that no other app has been able to do what Instagram have done – you’d think they’d be a bit more guarded with how they did it.

Alongside many Instagram users, brands are already producing some nifty Hyperlapse films (and some less so, but you can’t fault them for trying!)

http://instagram.com/p/sLcxqGhQ4e

Instagram’s Hyperlapse app comes only a few days after Vine announced you’d now be able to upload footage shot from outside the app to Vine (even footage shot through Hyperlapse!) – the future looks to be all about mobile video.

Ice Bucket Challenge update

It’s just not going away. Especially on my Facebook feed it still keeps coming and coming and coming. Surely the entire world must soon have given it a go? Here’s where we are now:

  • It’s likely the most viral charity campaign ever: 4.48 million mentions on Twitter – 20 times more than the #NoMakeUpSelfie; 2 million films of people pouring ice over their heads have been posted to YouTube; $94 million raised for the ALS foundation
  • Half of Britons who take part in the Challenge and post video evidence do not donate
  • David Lynch pulls off the most surreal interpretation of the Challenge, playing Over The Rainbow on a trumpet while getting doused in iced-coffee
  • NBC News looked at what other charity campaigns have come from the Ice Bucket Challenge: Lather against Ebola, The Rice Bucket Challenge, The Rubble Bucket Challenge and, my favourite, the Bullet Bucket Challenge

Bits and bytes

  • Walkers pay per Tweet PR stunt shows that a gimmick will still go a ways to getting coverage – even if it’s entirely unoriginal
  • I admit that I’ve not read through this massive, 9-part, months-in-the-making feature on Apple’s PR strategy, but it promises to shed light on how Apple goes about carefully crafting, controlling and coordinate their image and reputation through the media. Definitely one for the ‘read later’ pile (HT @drewb)
  • Thus far only available to advertisers, Twitter Analytics are now available to all users
  • Moleskine and Livescribe have partnered to create possibly the slickest amalgamation of paper and digital since the document scanner and I MUST HAVE IT (HT @joannamont)
  • General Electric collaborated with musician @matthewdear to create a composition, #DropScience, using audio samples from the world’s most powerful machines. The result? Veeery trippy!

Videos of the week

Ricky Gervais spoofs and Orange is the New Black for the Emmies…

… only problem is that the outtakes clip they promote immediately after the clip is much funnier.

And finally

Movie characters in Lego

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