Time Remapping Lets You Speed Up, Slow Down Time

Time remapping is a tool that was recently invented that allows us to do more than simply speed up or slow down our videos. As the editor, it allows us to really bend and manipulate time to our will. We're able to do this in a lot of number of ways, we can slow it down, speed it up, use it in forward or reverse motion, or any combination of these, even in the same clip. On this special episode of Tips and Tricks, we'll be going over some simple ways to plan your shots out and using your editing software to perform these time manipulation type techniques.

To add a sense of busyness or chaos to a scene that's crowded, you speed up the shot of all the people moving through the frame. When your subject appears, you slow down the shot to emphasize your talent being on screen. As they pass by, you speed back up your clip and they blend back in to their chaotic environment.

A scene of someone driving from one point to another is usually not the most exciting scene unless maybe it's a chase scene. But if you really want to show an important action taking place once you arrive somewhere, speed up the scene of your drive then slow back down to a normal speed to show the important actions taking place at the destination.

If your aim is to deemphasize the passage of time there are a number of different ways you can do this. The most common way is to simply speed up the scene or clip that you are filming, this is called a time-lapse shot. Time-lapse shots are visually striking and could have a number of different types of impact on your audience, depending on your subject matter, of course. A common and practical use for time manipulation is using slow motion in the filming of sporting events. For golfers, a great way to practice your technique is to film yourself hitting golf shots and play back your shots in slow motion to make note of your swing fundamentals or flaws.

Now that we've learned why we'd want to use time remapping in our videos, I'm gonna show you how to do it using a couple different techniques in Final Cut Pro. If you want to create a time-lapse or slow motion effect, then into the viewer, under the Motion tab, select time remap, then go down to the 100 percent and adjust the speed to a number greater than or less than 100 percent to achieve an either time-lapse effect or a slow motion effect.

For a variable speed technique, open the Toggle Key Frames icon in the bottom left, next select the time remap tool located on the right side in the toolbar. Find the areas you want to key frame, and using the time remap tool, click the clip in the sequence viewer at the two areas you want to adjust the speed. Now, spread the key frames apart creating a slow zone. The farther apart that you move the key frames, the slower the film will play there, and vice versa, the close you move the key frames, the faster your playback will be.

Now that you're all time benders, using this technique in your videos can really enhance the look and the impact that it has on your audience.

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