3MS+ Contributors – Matt LaFontaine – A New Timelapse Technique

Matt LaFontaine

Commercial Director, Filmmaker

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Rates, Bio & Kit

About Matt LaFontaine

Matt LaFontaine is a commercial director working out of Toronto, Canada. Recent works include a Stereo-3D PSA campaign for the international organization WildAid.

He is currently the director of photography and writer on a documentary entitled “Elements”, which features Louis Psihoyos (director, The Cove), Rob Stewart (director, Sharkwater), and Emily Hunter (Author of The Next Eco-Warriors, MTV’s “Impact”).

Rates & Kit

For more information, please contact Matt LaFontaine.

Featured Video

Party Safari / Muskoka

About the Film

“Party Safari / Muskoka” was shot in one day and one night in Muskoka, Ontario (Canada).

The piece aimed to emphasize the memorable, exciting, and precious moments we spend with friends in our youth – capturing snippets of people’s personalities and the bonds resulting from long-time relationships. To achieve this – most of the footage was filmed on the GH2’s 80% speed mode to draw out great moments, without taking too much speed away from the fun and action.

Because I’ve brought a camera around for years now, my close friends hardly notice me filming anymore – which is why you see authentic relationships and reactions in the presence of a camera.

Equipment Used:

Panasonic Lumix GH2, Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 for night interiors, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 for day exteriors, Lumix 14-140mm f/4 for moving boat shots, Variable-ND Filters

Education: What I Learned

The time lapses were filmed by recording regularly on the GH2’s cinema mode (1080p/ 24p) over 30min to 1-hour periods. The footage was then pushed to play at around 8000% using a Final Cut timeline, and set to 40% opacity. A few notable moments were then crossfaded on a layer underneath set at 100% opacity – creating the fast/slow ghosting effect.

The footage was given a simple grade in Final Cut’s 3-way color corrector – and then transferred to After Effects, to be treated with a simple-mask – simulating a super-35mm film gate – and GenArts’ “Film Damage” plugin, among others.