Full Speed Ahead: Nine Creative Ways to Connect Using Hyperlapse Video
October 2014
By Kimberly Barnes
Cat lovers everywhere rejoice: Hyperlapse from Instagram is here! Now you, too, can create and share captivating high-speed videos of your cat’s most adorable tail-chasing sessions and other curious behaviors right from your smartphone.
Of course, the magic of Hyperlapse is not exclusive to crazy cat ladies. This powerful stand-alone app – currently available exclusively for iOS devices – puts high-tech built-in stabilization technology in the palm of your hand, allowing you to transform your shaky, amateur smartphone footage into an amazingly smooth finished product. Hyperlapse differs from traditional time-lapse in that the camera is also moving, opening endless possibilities for experimentation and creativity.
Within mere hours of the app’s release, brands of all sorts immediately began experimenting to see how they could pack the most meaningful marketing punch in a 15-second super-speed clip. Here are nine creative ways you can follow the lead of these early adopters to use Hyperlapse video to connect with your fans and followers:
1. Showcase your product.
Time-lapse video is a unique way to show off your products or services. After all, are there any number of flowery words and descriptive passages that could match the allure of watching the waves roll in at the Trump Miami?
2. Sell the experience.
There's good reason behind the familiar saying, “Show, don’t tell.” If you could give your customer the sensation of having a first-hand experience without having to put down their tablet or get up from their desk chair, wouldn’t you?
Mercedes-Benz created a Hyperlapse video that does just that, putting the viewer in the passenger’s seat on a closed-course test drive to let them feel how the car handles curves.
3. Create buzz.
Hyperlapse is a great way to generate excitement among your fans about your latest product. Footlocker used the app to create an unboxing video of the new Kobe 9 “Bright Mango” before it was released to the public, giving just enough of a sneak peek to whet the appetite of any sneakerhead.
4. Convey authenticity.
In today’s trust-driven marketplace, authenticity reigns supreme. And what better way to prove just how authentic your products are than by showing how they are meticulously crafted – sped up for the benefit of the viewer with a fleeting attention span, of course – as in this Hyperlapse clip from Mazama?
5. Appeal to the senses.
Video is a visual medium (obviously), but when done right, it can engage all of the senses to create an overwhelming appeal. Just take this example of a Hyperlapse video from Budweiser that will make any viewer want to drop whatever they’re doing to grab a beer, prop up their feet and fight off the onslaught of pumpkin-spice everything to squeeze just a few last drops out of summer.
6. Pull back the curtain.
Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s first foray into Hyperlapse came in the form of a video tour of their Chicago office, which was revealed to reflect the same sense of vibrant, in-your-face fun that the brand is known for.
Do the same for your fans: pull back the curtain and let them see that your brand values permeate your company’s culture through and through.
7. Get creative.
Sometimes you don’t need high-flying cinematic acrobatics. Sometimes all you need is a simple concept with a clever spin that creates a memorable tie-in to your brand, like this Hyperlapse video from Naked Juice that shows people rushing by a person standing on the sidewalk sans clothing accompanied by the caption, “Don’t let life pass you by. Get Naked.”
8. Add a sense of fun to the mundane.
For dog owners, a game of fetch is a commonplace daily activity. But Nature’s Recipe’s time-lapse video that literally captures the game from a dog’s-eye-view and conveys his unbridled enthusiasm is a fun, unexpected pick-me-up that’s almost too good not to share with friends.
How can you use Hyperlapse to create unique content that will surprise and delight your fans and get their sharing fingers clicking?
9. Co-create content with fans.
As part of its #MiniDelivery promotion, Oreo is sharing videos from fans who received their special packages, such as this one from fan @ashleighmn that lets viewers share in the experience of unwrapping her delicious delivery.
You can likewise use Hyperlapse to get your fans to do your marketing for you by challenging them to create their own time-lapse videos showing how they enjoy using your product or how your products play a role in their day-to-day life.
When planning and shooting your Hyperlapse videos, here are a few factors to keep in mind to ensure a high-quality end result that has the desired effect on your viewers:
1. Story
Consider how your brand’s story fits into the element of time-lapse and how that can best be used creatively to promote your brand. Just because Hyperlapse exists doesn’t make it the best medium for every message.
2. Context
Where you share your Hyperlapse video will have an impact on how it’s viewed and received by viewers. Keep in mind the expectations of users on different platforms and how your video will fit with a given platform’s interface.
The technical limitations of different social media platforms are another element to consider. Regardless of camera orientation, Instagram forces square formatting on Hyperlapse videos and will crop the areas that don’t fit within their frame. Facebook currently accepts videos from Hyperlapse in landscape format.
3. Filmography
Although Hyperlapse is designed to allow the camera to move while shooting, videos actually turn out better when the camera is held steady and even better still when the camera is stationary. Lighting greatly affects the quality of the end result as well, as videos that are too dark or have fast variations in lighting are difficult to watch. Close-up shots, especially when multiple large objects enter the frame, render blurry unprofessional-looking results because the camera can’t process a quick change of focus.
4. Capacity
Remember, Hyperlapse makes your smartphone work hard. Shooting a lengthy video will use up a lot of memory and quickly drain the battery, and sometimes large videos won’t be able render completely unless other items are deleted from the phone to free up memory.
Happy Hyperlapsing!
Kimberly Barnes is a digital marketing specialist turned freelance writer born back when Apple was called “Apple Macintosh,” floppy disks were actually floppy, and #2 pencils were the best way to rewind unraveled cassette tapes. Most days you'll find her summoning her muse while drinking a non-coffee beverage in Starbucks.