- Light writing
Light Writing is an emerging form of
stop motion animation wherein still images captured using the technique known asLight painting or light drawing are put insequence thereby creating theoptical illusion of movement for the viewer. [cite web |url=http://www.milienzo.com/2007/07/04/cleaning-up-graffiti-with-time-lapsed-photography/ |title=cleaning up graffiti with time lapse photography | quote=Flickr user, lichtfaktor calls himself a Lightwriter and creates stunning photography by setting his camera to over-expose and ‘painting’ various lights into the shot. | first=Aaron |last=Russell |accessdate=2007-10-11]Technique
By sequencing stills taken with 4-30 second exposure as lights are moved in and through the frame this effect creates the
optical illusion that the light is moving. Zooms, pans, tilts, and most other motion camera techniques can be applied with standardstop motion approaches. The most common technique is to capture multiple second exposures of light moving from one point to another in the frame. As the sequence is built the beginning and ending points of the lights motion can be moved along a given path. When the pictures are put in sequence the light seems to move with classicstop motion jitter. Most commonly, all of the work is donein camera at practical (real world, not astudio ) locations.Light writing is most akin to another form of
stop motion animation known asdirect manipulation animation .The stills can be taken with a
digital camera orfilm camera .Recent history
Though the technique was employed almost one hundred years ago by
Pablo Picasso it has only recently been used for main stream advertisements. [cite web |url=http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/2d__and__photoshop/painting_with_light |title=Painting with Light | quote=inspiration...comes from a photograph taken of Picasso in 1924. | source=Computer Arts |accessdate=2007-10-14] Awareness of light writing was raised whenSprint Nextel unveiled an ad campaign featuring the effect in the summer of 2007. [cite web |url=http://www.dexigner.com/design_news/sprint-races-ahead-at-the-speed-of-light-with-brickyard-vfx.html |title=Sprint Races Ahead at the Speed of Light with Help from Brickyard VFX | quote=The spot, shot entirely in-camera, was created from a series of still images linked together to achieve a live action effect. | first=Levent |last=Ozler |accessdate=2007-10-13]Effect on the viewer
This form of
stop motion animation causes the modern viewer to be perplexed. [cite web |url=http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=102568 |title=the light writing effect | quote=So whats the deal with this effect? is it mostly done in production or in post. I would assume in post, likely in AE or Shake. | first=Nate |last=Benson |accessdate=2007-10-09] With the abundance of computer generatedspecial effects andmotion graphics this practical approach tostop motion using light sources moving in the frame delights and perhaps confounds the techno-savvy modern viewer. [cite web |url=http://www.davidairey.com/light-drawing-and-light-writing/ |title=Light drawing and light writing |quote=Light-drawing and light-writing is getting a fair bit of attention lately |first=David |last=Airey |accessdate=2007-10-08]ee also
*
Persistence of vision , a phenomenon which produces an effect in the brain that makes light writing "work".Notes
External links
* [http://www.dazecoop.co.uk/tag/light-writing Photography by David Cooper]
* [http://www.woostercollective.com/2007/06/lightwriting_with_lichtfaktor.html Wooster Collect9ve - a Celebration of Street Art]
* [http://www.lightwriting.de Photography by urban artist Tofa from Berlin]
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