Step Printing effect with DSLR

J

jghenderson

Well-known member
I love the films of Wong Kar-Wai, especially Chungking Express and Fallen Angels. Obviously one of the most memorable aspects of these films is Kar-Wai's brilliant use of step printing.

Now i've done a bit of researach and it seems that in order to get the effect you need to shoot at a framerate lower than 24fps, something around 6-8fps. However I have a DSLR and there's no option to shoot below 24fps.

The question is, is there a way to get someting close to the step printing effect even if you shoot at 24fps? Or am I out of luck?
 
It depends on the DSLR model if it's possible - I've shot a whole short with a 1/2 s shutter speed with my Panasonic GH1, you find it in my sig link 'A Kindling Light'.
 
the 7d shoots 8 stills a second...assembling the stills will be a tough workflow though, even if you only shoot using the smallest jpg setting.
 
Justin Kuhn said:
the 7d shoots 8 stills a second...assembling the stills will be a tough workflow though, even if you only shoot using the smallest jpg setting.
Click to expand...

The challenge with shooting stills would be controlling the framerate since in burst mode the camera will just shoot as fast as possible. The GH1 and GH2 do it, I think the AF100 and FS100 as well.
 
jghenderson said:
I love the films of Wong Kar-Wai, especially Chungking Express and Fallen Angels. Obviously one of the most memorable aspects of these films is Kar-Wai's brilliant use of step printing.

Now i've done a bit of researach and it seems that in order to get the effect you need to shoot at a framerate lower than 24fps, something around 6-8fps. However I have a DSLR and there's no option to shoot below 24fps.

The question is, is there a way to get someting close to the step printing effect even if you shoot at 24fps? Or am I out of luck?
Click to expand...

What DSLR do you have? When it comes to DLSRs, it's less about the frame rate and more about the shutter speed when it comes to replicating the Wong Kar-Wai step frame look. If you can set your shutter speed below 1/25th, to say 1/8 or 1/4, you will achieve it. The really cool thing is because the slower shutter speed is letting so much light hit the sensor, you can shoot in really low light at a respectable ISO. It looks amazing.
 
dvbrother said:
What DSLR do you have? When it comes to DLSRs, it's less about the frame rate and more about the shutter speed when it comes to replicating the Wong Kar-Wai step frame look. If you can set your shutter speed below 1/25th, to say 1/8 or 1/4, you will achieve it. The really cool thing is because the slower shutter speed is letting so much light hit the sensor, you can shoot in really low light at a respectable ISO. It looks amazing.
Click to expand...

If the effect.. I don't recall it at the moment... is in fact slow shutter speed at low frame rate... why not 'average' groups of frames that were shot at 24 fps? It may take a script in something like After Effects to do that...

For example, averaging 2 frames at 24 fps, yields 12 fps and a 'quasi' shutterspeed of 1/24(25). and averaging 3 frames yields 8 fps, etc.
 
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