After two and a half years and over 225,000 photgraphs, Beno Saradzic has produced a stunning film celebrating the triumph of the UAE. TOAD spoke to him about his picture Beyond: Memoirs of a Time Lapse.
What was the inspiration behind the project?
I originally planned on producing a new showreel containing my client-commissioned time lapse photography, but instead of putting it together as a meaningless collage of visuals matched with a techno beat, I decided to take it one step further.
I carefully selected the best visuals from the vast library of my past projects. Then I structured them into a short film, using non-verbal language as the narrative in order to tell a story. My editing became deliberate as it followed an arc, with a smooth beginning and a powerful ending. I drew my inspiration from my love of architecture and the glory of human achievement. Collectively, we are capable of so much. All we need are the right people to lead us. Vision, curiosity and dreams are the primary propellant of humankind. Beyond is about that and our achievements.
How long did the film take to make?
My first scenes were filmed in October 2011 and the last ones were captured in 2013. Editing alone took nearly six months. It’s a time-consuming process. Extreme patience, passion and dedication played a key role in the making of Beyond. There were times when I got really frustrated with the results. I had to take some time off, rethink my strategy and centre my focus.
What was the process behind it?
Unlike conventional video filming, time lapse photography requires the artist to spend many hours, sometimes days, shooting to capture just a few seconds of footage. Instead of a video camera, a DSLR still camera is used for time lapse photography. The camera is set to shoot at intervals at a rate of one picture every few seconds or even every few hours. Twenty-five still frames are needed for just one second of real-time video.
For example, in the first four seconds of the film, you see shadows that are being cast by the skyscrapers under constructions and travelling across the mangroves of Reem Island. This sequence took close to 12 hours to shoot on location. I was next to the camera all this time, making sure the exposure was right and that nobody interfered with it.
All in all, hundreds of thousands of individual still frames were captured during this two-and-a-half-year adventure.
What reaction are you looking for from your audience?
I would love for the audience to look at the familiar world through different eyes. Getting stuck in traffic may not be a pleasant experience, but in a time-lapsed vision, a rush of cars looks like an organism with precise, beautifully choreographed motion. It’s art. Just look at Sheikh Zayed Road during rush hour, shot at night from a high vantage point. It’s a captivating, hypnotic sight. There’s so much beauty around us, disguised by mundane life. You don’t have to travel to faraway exotic locations to see it. We are all a part of the greater design, whether we are rushing to get to work in the morning or shopping for groceries. There’s nothing ‘usual’ about any of the things we do.
Is the film more for the people who live in the UAE, or for people from around the world to discover more about the UAE?
This film is for all of us because its message is universal. We are living in exponentially speeding times and it’s easy to get accustomed to that speed. My film holds a mirror to our collective achievements. It’s a reminder of what we are capable of in optimal circumstances. The UAE’s achievements are a shining example of humankind’s triumph.
The music in the film is also very powerful. How did you choose that piece?
The music was written expressly for my film by the Hollywood award-winning musical composer Vladimir Persan. I’ve worked with him in the past many times and he still manages to surprise me. Vlad knows just what I want. He spent a long time perfecting the Beyond suite, which went through many alterations before we were both happy with it. He created an incredibly rich, multi-layered and complex score that commands undivided attention. Vladimir has a unique gift: he understands the language of cinematography and knows what you were trying to convey with every scene. Few know how to do that so effectively.
Do you have a new project in mind now this has been completed?
Yes, but I will not talk about it in detail just yet. All I will say at this point is that I’m ready to take it to the next level, with a project on a bigger scale, with more complexity and scope. If everything comes together the way I envision it, it will be something special.
See Beno’s video ‘Beyond: Memoirs of a Time Lapse’ online at https://vimeo.com/91702619.
