When you’re watching a movie, does a scene shot in slow motion capture your attention? A popular filmmaking technique, filming a video in slow motion sets the mood, creates a dramatic effect, enhances visual style, and increases tension in conflict and confrontation scenes.
Want to learn how to shoot videos in slow motion to produce the same impact on your audience? We’ve prepared answers to some of your most commonly asked questions about making slowmo effects in videos.
Best Gear for Slow Motion Video
Before you can even start shooting in slowmo, you need to have the right tools: a digital camera with a high-speed setting, lighting equipment, a tripod or a monopod, and a laptop for editing videos.
To get the perfect slow motion effect, we recommend the following shooting equipment:
Sony Alpha a7S III Mirrorless Camera
To produce a slow motion effect, you’ll need to shoot at a high frame rate. Only cameras with a high-speed setting like the Sony Alpha a7S III have that feature. This Sony mirrorless digital camera supports 120fps shooting for 5x slow motion in full HD, making it one of the best slow motion cameras in the market.
Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL Speedlight Flash for Sony Cameras
Because of the need to shoot at a higher frame rate, the amount of light that passes through the shutter is reduced. For producing vivid and crystal-clear footage, you’ll need a versatile and easy-to-operate speedlight such as the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL Speedlight.
3POD Wander Aluminum Travel Tripod w/3POD AB1 AB Series Aluminum Ball Head Kit
Just like in photography, you need stability for your camera when recording a slowmo video. Aside from preventing shakiness and unnecessary blur in your footage, 3POD Wander Aluminum Travel Tripod is portable and collapsible, so it’s easy to bring along with you wherever you go.
ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15
Post-processing is a crucial step in producing digital slow motion videos. Having an ultrabook as light and compact as an ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 allows you to edit your videos on the go. With an Intel Core i9-11900H Processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU dedicated graphics combined with a 15.6-inch 10-point touchscreen display, this powerful device will make slow motion video editing a breeze.
How to Shoot a Slow Motion Video
Here are the step-by-step instructions on shooting a slow motion video using a Sony digital camera such as the Sony Alpha a7S II and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV:
- Press the Menu button.
- Go to tab number 2.
- Choose file format XAVC S HD.
- Scroll down and go to Record Setting. Choose from either 120p 100M or 120p 60M.
- Press the function button.
- Go to the Movie/HFR menu at the bottom right corner.
- Choose HFR M for Manual so that you can have more control over your shots.
- Make it a point to check if your shutter speed is double whatever your frame rate is.
- If the value you need isn’t available (let’s say you’re shooting at 120fps and setting your shutter speed to 240 is not an option), then choose the closest value.
To know more about setting up your camera to shoot 120fps slow motion videos, watch this AdoramaTV episode hosted by Miguel Quiles:
How to Create a Slow Motion Effect
Creating beautiful slowmo videos is simple when you use a video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro. You have three methods to choose from: repeating, overcranking, and using a slow motion video app such as Adobe After Effects.
Below are the steps for each slowmo video editing method:
1st Option: Repeating
- Right click on the clip you want to edit.
- Modify the speed and duration.
2nd Option: Overcranking
- Instead of modifying the speed and duration, retain the existing setting.
- Right-click on the clip.
- Select Modify and then Interpret footage.
- Manually assign the frame rate of the footage. The resulting clip should come out three times longer.
- Establish the beginning and end point for the clip.
- Make the necessary editing.
3rd Option: Using a slow motion video app with Adobe After Effects
- Right-click on the clip and choose “Replace with After Effects Composition.”
- Wait for Adobe After Effects to launch. This should give you more options to modify the clip.
- Name the file as desired. This will produce a linked project.
- Interpret the footage.
- Modify the frame rate.
- Modify the composition settings.
- Find the portion of the clip that you want to focus on.
- Adjust the duration as you see fit (optional).
- Right-click on the column of duration or stretch.
- Use the current frame as an anchor.
- Click on the frame blending button at the bottom of the toolbar. This will combine frame 1 and frame 2 into a new frame. Despite employing the same principle as the first option, this will make for a more fluid video.
To know more about creating a slow motion effect by overcranking and using Adobe After Effects, watch this video tutorial by Rich Harrington of AdoramaTV:
Tips for a Smooth Slow Motion Video
To avoid choppy, amateurish slowmo effect, here are several slow motion shooting techniques to keep in mind:
Shoot at Least 120 Frames Per Second
Videos at regular speed are typically shot at 24 to 30 frames per second. If you want to achieve a noticeable yet natural-looking slowmo effect, you should get a slow motion camera that shoots at least 120 frames per second. That’s at least four times higher than the frame rate of a typical camera.
This concept was founded on the principle of overcranking used back in the days of traditional filmmaking when camera operators had to literally crank the film reel to produce a slow motion video.
Use Less Motion Blur
When shooting in slow motion, use less motion blur so that the images will stay noticeably longer on the screen. Make sure that the denominator of your shutter speed is double your frame rate. For example, if you’re trying to shoot at 60fps, get as close to 1/120th of a second if your camera permits it.
Use Adequate Lighting
Recording videos at high shutter speeds has its trade-off. With a higher shutter speed, less light can penetrate your lens. If there’s insufficient available light, your slow motion videos will come out dark and lackluster. Opening up the aperture of your camera or the increasing the ISO won’t work in this instance, as it can compromise the quality of the videos. Therefore, you’ll need artificial lighting to compensate for the lack of available natural light when you’re shooting in slow motion.
Incorporating a slow motion effect to your videos not only adds entertainment value to your project but also allows you to showcase the skills that you’ve been honing since the beginning of your journey as a videographer. So it’s important that you learn how to do it properly from the get-go.
