Why Time-Lapse is So Important to the Construction Industry?

16 January , 2022 by Rashida Saeed
Why Time-Lapse is So Important to the Construction Industry

Construction is one of the largest sectors in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Capturing the progression on-site and marketing the project requires a robust and reliable timelapse video construction site monitoring system. Time-lapse has become a go-to tool for construction companies when it comes to documenting site activities for both long and short-term durations. 

There’s no doubt that it’s a treat to watch a good time-lapse video. But why has it become a standard feature on many construction and development projects? How does it benefit a construction business? How does the whole process work? Read on to find out answers to all these questions.

What is Time-lapse? 

Timelapse is a cinematographic technique that makes time appear to speed up, compressing hours, days, weeks, and years’ worth of footage into just a few minutes. 

For creating a time-lapse video, the camera captures many shots at fixed intervals, which are then stitched together at the regular 25 frame rate per second (fps) to form the final sped-up video.

Many construction companies and commercial buildings film time-lapse videos for their portfolio purposes. It is also used as a promo video to garner publicity before the building’s grand opening. 

How is Construction Time-lapse Captured?

For capturing construction projects, you need to install a multi-camera setup. This will allow you to include different angles in your time-lapse video. It also provides a variety of shots for your viewers which makes the video more interesting to watch. Additionally, a multi-camera setup also means that you will always have a second camera to film the time-lapse should any of the cameras be accidentally moved, blocked by the construction crew, or malfunctioned.

Time-lapse camera crew mounts the cameras on neighboring buildings, pillars, or other suitable vantage points to obtain the best aerial shot of a construction project. 

At the end of the project, the time-lapse video can be made based on the footage captured. Many cameras and smartphones have time-lapse camera capabilities, but they cannot record beyond a few hours. A construction time-lapse camera watches every step of the property development for a longer duration making it a more practical solution for making a time-lapse video.

Benefits of Time-lapse

Time-lapse is fast becoming a standard feature on many construction projects. But, you must be wondering why is it so and how does it actually benefits a construction business?

A clear, high-quality time-lapse benefits a construction project in a number of ways:

  1. It allows you to capture photos at preferred intervals so you can monitor progress over a set period of time or even across multiple projects.
  1. It’s an excellent archival and reviewing tool for settling dispute resolutions with contractors and variation claims.
  1. It’s an ideal technique to improve productivity and safety on construction sites. 
  1. The video can be viewed remotely from a smartphone, computer, or laptop.
  1. The captured construction footage can be made into a time-lapse video for advertising, promotional, and marketing purposes.
  1. It can be used to showcase your development project’s success with high-impact time-lapse videos by adding fully branded time-lapse videos logos, music, dynamic footage such as drone footage, and stakeholder interviews, with music or voiceovers. 
  1. It helps create a high-impact emotional connection with your key stakeholders and audience.
  1. It helps highlight your project’s success, deliver projects and project team capabilities to prospective clients, and maximize ROI and audience reach.

Using a time-lapse camera with innovative features and capabilities will help set you apart from other construction companies.

Expand your knowledge with- Best Timelapse Interval For Construction

How to Get the Best Out of Your Time-lapse Setup?

  1. Weatherproof Housing

For outdoor use, the time-lapse camera must have weatherproof housing so it can function in all climates. The housing is very important as the camera and the external components would be exposed to the elements anywhere between several months to several years. So, it needs to be sturdy enough to withstand the elements with minimal maintenance.

  1. Camera Placement

The placement of the camera plays a very important role in capturing great shots for the time-lapse video. For this, we recommend placing the camera in such a way that the footage doesn’t get affected by sunrise and sunset transitions. 

  1. Storage

As construction projects are usually long-term, it needs reliable and easily accessible storage without moving the camera. In any case, a situation come up, it is best to have remote access to the footage to get your time-lapse project back on track. Without remote access, it can be difficult to notice the problems that require maintenance on the spot.

Wrapping Up

Construction time-lapse videos capture many elements that come together on a construction site. The time-lapse videos add a dash of fervor and visual panache to the project. With such a wide range of benefits, it’s no wonder why timelapse camera usage in construction continue to grow in popularity year after year.

If you have yet to experience the benefits of time-lapse cameras firsthand, there’s no better time than now to get started! With over 40 years of experience in the photography and videography industry, we have a keen eye for detail and are well-known within the construction industry. 

We have created a legacy in excellent time-lapse production. In our 40 years of time-lapse production, we have provided our specialist time-lapse services to many small and leading companies from across the Middle East region.

To set up a time-lapse monitoring solution for your project, or find out more about our time-lapse solution, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

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Why Time-Lapse is So Important to the Construction Industry?

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