UNBOXING & TIPS ON FILMING A WONDER MACHINE

Slow Dance is a blank canvas for you to compose. Each object will reveal a new slow motion world - we are happy to see what wonders you can create.

Slow Dance works by rapidly vibrating whatever you put in the clips at 80Hz (feathers and flowers work best), and the LEDs inside the frame strobe at slight varying offsets (76-84Hz). It utilizes high-speed strobe lights, flashing roughly 80 times every second. These flashes happen so rapidly that the naked eye cannot register or notice them, and the light looks continuous; however, any camera that shoots frames in sequence will experience some amount of flashing or streaks in the footage, since every single frame will expose a different number of strobes during that 1/30 or 1/60 of a second. 

Filming Slow Dance 

Using a mobile phone camera
When using a cellphone or point-and-shoot video camera, try manually changing the exposure up or down; most processors will change the shutter and frame settings, and you can often find one that greatly minimizes the flashing effect. The longer the shutter speed, the brighter the photo will be.”

For Professionals / TTL input:
If you use a camera that has an adjustable framerate, all of the modes besides the doubler mode run on a fixed frequency. They are all very close to 80fps (eg 79.8fps, etc) but not exact, so scan in that range and you should find one where the artifacts disappear. If you have access to a camera that has a frame trigger (such as a TTL input), solder a wire to the digital strobe output signal and that can trigger individual frame shots. This will work even for the doubler mode.

For Professionals / Syncro scan / Clear scan:
With some cameras such as Panasonic Lumix and Sony A7, you have access to a function called Syncro scan (Panasonic Lumix cameras) & Clear scan (Sony cameras). With this function, you can fine-adjusting the shutter speed, reducing flickering and horizontal stripes that appear on the camera’s image when recording.

Tag your shots using #slowdanceframe and share the wonders you create for a chance to be featured on our page!