Monte Isom Uses Nikon D3s For Stop Motion Video In NYC

Monte Isom had one of the most populars videos on Fstoppers back in February. Well he is back with a fun stop motion video for NYC comedian Colin Kane. Monte filmed this entire video on the Nikon D3s with just a few Litepanel 1x1 bicolor constant lights. The final video was made with 14,000 still images to create the final 90 second promo. Check out the behind the scenes video and the final promo below. You can also read Monte's own words on how he approached this shoot below both videos.

Behind The Scenes:

Final Video:

Monte Isom on Colin Kane's 90 second stop motion promo:

When comedian Colin Kane said he wanted to do a promo video Moose Herd Creatives Jim Kamoosi and Laura Wing-Kamoosi stepped up with an idea to create a rolling environment that features Kane walking through a night in his life. The technique that was chosen was an editing heavy stop motion animation. I used the Nikon d3 as it is a full frame chip but still has an 11 fps motor drive. I mounted it in stereo with a Canon 5d markII that was filming video in case the technique we were attempting didn't work out. Due to the fantastic editing of Jim Kamoosi we didn't use a single second of video footage in the final piece. 14,000 stills later we have a 90 second spot.

To achieve consistent lighting for Colin's walk through the frames we had an assistant tracking the subject for each dolly shot at a fixed distance with a Litepanel 1x1 bi color. On camera right we used a Lowel DP unfiltered to match the tungsten light of the existing street lights. A few shots were supplemented with a Litepanel micro to open up the shadows a bit. The changing color balance of each location adds to the effect of the changing backgrounds. Hope it is as fun to watch as it was to make.

Check out Colin's website: http://www.colinkane.com and hit him up on http://twitter.com/#/colinkane

Patrick Hall's picture

Patrick Hall is a founder of Fstoppers.com and a photographer based out of Charleston, South Carolina.

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25 Comments

dope! nikon is sick and I shoot canon.

That was awesome! Stunning work!

i don't know the comedians work, is he men't to be portrayed as being nasty, is that part of his act?

yeah, I'm thinking a bit like Denis Leary....but maybe even more vulgar :)

Excellent!

Very cool, loved the track.

Freaking awesome. Also how was the post handle.? 

Painstakingly frame by frame in Final Cut Pro.  Jim Kamoosi did a phenomenal job.  Thanks for the kind words and if you like it, share with a friend.

Monte did you guys have to get a crap ton of permits? I was doing a shoot in NY 2 weeks ago and it was swarming with police. Especially at night in the Meat Packing District. 

The Permit Queen: Producer Alanda Spence rocked it.  We had to secure only one permit (and one fee) but with all locations outlined with location, date and time determined before she rolled into the the NYC film office.

Party and Bullshit........Tizzighht!

Thats probably the most enjoyable BTS and final product I've seen in a couple of months.

Pretty cool but can you create the same effect with a 5D mark II? What are the key differences?

Sure, why could you not?  I'm not sure if it fires 11 fps but you could always just have your subjects move less so you are filming slower.  

where trouble comes into paradise is a single frame of 24 fps of video is not nearly as clear and sharp as a single frame from a still camera.  If it were, we as photographers would only shoot video and pull stills for publication.  So achieving the sliding environment with video stills would be a little like the beavis and butthead resolution/refinement of stop motion animation...but it did work for Mike Judge

Having lots of problems viewing this video. My internet speed is OK, but video keeps stalling.
Anybody else with issues ?

Gus, you can go to youtube and view the same video at a reduced resolution and quality (360).  It has the same video title as on the higher resolution Vimeo.

Way cool technique, amazing final results, and Monte, dude, I know how long that must have taken in post. Amazing work man. Would love to see some of your other edits. 

Peace. 

Nicely done! Poor shutter=)

I don't see what the stop frame animation brings to this that straight video wouldn't do better. Its a great tool for the right subject but it doesn't  ring anything to this IMHO.

what was the track used under the dolly ?

Shadi, it is a DIY dolly home depot special.  30ft of 2" pvc rails. Put together in 6 sections (10 ft-3 on each side) with wooden dowel rod inside the pvc to prevent sagging and 36"metal rods establishing the width.  Easy to setup and break down for 8 location changes in 2 night.  Be sure to label each section of PVC so all your holes you drill for the metal rods line up.  Bring lots of rubber door wedges and adhesive felt feet to stabilize.

Monte, I am curious if there was a specific reason the D3 was used vs the 1D. I mean a reason other than being a Nikon or Canon fanboy; Is there anything about the D3 that make it a better camera for shooting stop motion?

The specific reason to use the Nikon D3 was the full chip and 11 fps.  I own and shoot Canon but their 1Ds cameras with a full chip all have slower motor drives.  I wanted a full chip so my lenses would match between the 5d markII I was shooting video on and the camera shooting stills. 

Monty.. Just saw your reply. Respect.

:)