1. Both Autofocus and Manual. For some shots with static subjects or for something that I wanted total control over focus, I used manual (such as the towel on the chair shot). For all others I used Continuous focus. So, between each shot, the camera would try to focus on whatever specific focus point I choose (and I moved that point, sometimes way off to the side, sometimes the center). Because of the settings, the camera allowed itself to take pictures even though it wasn't "correctly" focused. So that's why there's the focus shifts and not just a focus jump.

2. Viewfinder blackout, just kept looking. Once it's going, it's basically like viewing a really low framerate movie, so it's not too hard to follow along. Also, I tried to keep the shots short and not too busy. I was, however, able to maintain control over framing and focus (by making sure the autofocus point was on the subject I wanted).

3. Camera shot at 6fps. I tried playback at 6fps and it's just too choppy. In Quicktime, the next setting higher is 10fps. That's what I used, and I think it looks best. Yeah, it's a little quick, but I don't mind it. Especially for things like this, when the point is about capturing action. I would do something different for a sleeping baby.

4. Music. Once I had the video part done, I knew its length. Entered iTunes, sorted all songs by length, found a good song that was just long enough for the video part. Smashed them together, and ready-made video in no time!

Glad you liked it! I hope to do more for other events, I hope they turn out as well as this one did.

Oh Pete, you had to go and bring that up.

Yeah, I just grabbed an upbeat song that had the right length. So, no, I don't technically have rights to use the music, but I also am not using this video for any sort of promotional use or commercial product or service. And I don't expect it to get more than a few hundred views, so I decided it was worth the risk to use copyrighted material.

If I was going to use this video for wider distribution I would have found CC licensed music for it, but as I didn't want to spend much time, I just chose the quickest option, as have a lot of other people on this site.

The song is "E-Pro" by Beck. It's on a great summer-feeling album, and that's why I picked it.

Yeah, I realize what I did, and I understand the implications of it. And I can't even really use an "It's an art piece" excuse for it. I'll be honest, my use/justification usually comes from a position of frustration with the current copyright system. Their attitude towards use of any kind is outdated and doesn't take into account how the world has changed in the past 80/100 years.

As for my own work, yeah, I stick with the traditional copyright stuff, mainly because it's still the standard. I really really love the Creative Commons licensing, but I'm just not sold on it being accepted yet. It's out there, but I don't feel like it has enough legitimacy to stand on its own yet. I don't feel like it's actually respected yet, except by people who use it.

I have no problem putting things under CC licenses, and I'm sure I will in the future. As for my work (be it photo, video, or other), I don't have a problem giving permission for use for most things (with or without payment). But I have been burned before by people using my work without asking, and that sucks, mainly because if they had asked me, I would have been totally fine with it.

I'm worried that if people don't respect the normal copyright now, they'll view CC-licensed stuff as not only free, but public domain, available for whatever you want to do with it.

That's where I am right now. It might be naive or flawed, but it's what makes sense to me right now.

I look forward to any writings you do on this subject, I'm always up for learning.

I understand what you're saying, and it makes sense. I had no plans to make more videos and use more copyrighted material, but I'll make sure to keep this discussion in mind when I make/post another video or project.

I think there could have been a few sessions at BarCamp about this. An introductory session could talk about why the current system is broken, and how CC attempts to fix things. A session on practicality of CC licensing for business and/or artists/musicians. A session made of screening videos/interviews/talks by Larry Lessig, who tends to make these complex issues make sense.

Ideas for next year, or maybe a slow web414 month.

Hey Sebastian!

I just saw your comment, sorry for the delay.

Autofocus/Manual: The only thing I changed was the physical switch on the camera. I believe my menu settings were defaulted to "focus+release" which allows the camera to take a picture even if it isn't in focus. If you don't have a physical switch to allow Continuous Focus, I believe it's in the menus under something like "AF-C", where the default selection would be "AF-S" for single focus.

100 Shot Limit: That problem isn't really a problem, it's a limitation of the camera. The D300 (and I believe most other Nikon models) are limited to a continuous shutter release burst of 100 frames. After 100, it'll pause. It's not a buffer issue, my Extreme III cards work fine. When you reach the limit, just release the shutter release button fully for a split second, then press fully again. You should be able to feel it out and only miss a few frames. Not the perfect solution, but it shouldn't make a difference for most projects.

Good luck with the commute timelapse! Sounds cool. I haven't had an interesting subjects lately, so I'll probably have to go manufacture something fun to shoot. Everyone seems to like my photomotion projects, so I must keep them happy!

What size pictures are you taking? I changed my settings to be high-quality JPEGs at the smallest size (which was still larger than full-quality HD video). I didn't have any trouble with the buffer, maybe I just got lucky.

And yeah, shorter bursts tended to work better than super-long sections. Plus, I just got tired of hearing the shutter click continuously for too long.

Sure, here's the quick rundown.

I brought the images into Adobe Lightroom and cropped them all to the correct aspect ratio (so they'd fit a 1280x720 frame). Then I exported them in sequence with a size of 1280x720px.

That gave me all the frame files in order (with names like "brewers-001.jpg). I used Quicktime Pro (a $30 purchase, but I think worth it for this use alone), and "Open[ed] an Image Sequence." I point it to the folder and it's smart enough to find all the files. It then gives you a window to select some options. The main option is Frames Per Second. I choose 10fps (the pictures were shot at 6fps, so it's a little sped up). Once you select those, it automatically creates a QT video from the frames.

When it's done, a video pops up and you can watch it. If you want to change something, just close the video and make the changes. If the video looks good, then I choose Export and select all the settings I want.

The settings I use mainly mirror the Vimeo recommended settings for HD. Resolution, bit rate, H.264, all the basics. I usually keep the bitrate pretty high so there isn't much quality loss. You can do a few tests to see the difference.

Once it's exported, you have the finished file, which you can upload to Vimeo.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

You're welcome! I enjoy helping other create cool stuff.