An interesting video popped up on the internet a week or two ago.  Surf cinematographer Chris Bryan released a 6 minute edit featuring some of his best 1000 frame per second Phantom camera shots of surfers and waves.

It’s funny how making something super clear and super slow somehow makes it so much more compelling to look at.

It’s almost like slo mo turns motion pictures (at the speed of life) into something closer to a still photo — by changing shape at a slower speed, it allows the viewer to inspect different areas of the image more closely. They are able to stare at, process and ponder the different parts of the image rather than having their attention focused narrowly on “the action” throughout the viewing time.  At the same time, the movement keeps things interesting as there are constantly new elements to examine.

In a surfer magazine interview, the man behind the camera explained that slo-mo is getting overused today and should probably be reserved for heavy situations — I’d argue that he is really urging of it to be used in situations where the action is so dynamic and “interesting” that continuing to stare at the image proves engaging rather than boring.  What are your thoughts?

[vimeo 108799588 w=500 h=281]

SURFING @ 1000 FRAMES PER SECOND from Chris Bryan on Vimeo.