CamDo customer Bobby Gibson shared a video of a recently completed construction time lapse for the Utah Department of Transportation, highlighting one of their latest projects: a tunnel being built and slide into place over a two week period using Blink, SolarX Enclosure, HERO4 and Swivel Arm mount.
During the two-and-a-half week closure, crews demolished part of 10600 South, an I-15 off-ramp in Salt Lake City, and removed nearly 1,000 truckloads of dirt and concrete to prepare the site. Then, workers slid a three-sided underpass into place that connects the northbound I-15 off-ramp with Monroe Street. The concrete underpass – 183 feet long, and weighing about 3 million pounds – is the first of its kind to be slid into place in Utah. The concrete tunnel was put on a slide system that is connected to the inside roof of the tunnel. They used pressure from behind to push it along the slide system.
Once the underpass was in place, crews packed in dirt around it; rebuilt 10600 South over it; and repaired pavement on the 10600 South bridge over I-15.
When asked why the team opted to time lapse the project, Gibson explains how the technique is perfectly communicates what UDOT is all about:
“The Utah Department of Transportation’s motto is to ‘Keep Utah Moving’. Time lapse is a perfect way to do this and to communicate speed and precision of getting the job done and getting Utah moving.”
This was the first time using CamDo’s long term time lapse solution, so Gibson spent quite a lot of time ensuring everything was set-up just right beforehand. We cannot stress the importance of testing beforehand and Gibson is a great example of how a little extra time can ensure success.
“[The time lapse setups] were on poles that were very high above the action so I only had one shot to get the settings and location right. I did a test long term time lapse at my house the week before and tested the settings and solar. Solar production angles are key for optimal power.”
Gibson even used RainX on the enclosure lens to keep the rain from sticking and leaving water spots. We think that’s a pretty great idea.
“This was a lot of fun and we really do love using time lapse to drive the story we are telling we believe it should be used in conjunction with other storytelling camera techniques such as drone or hyperlapse to progress the story.”
We love the end result. It’s fascinating to see what goes into building and maintaining our highway infrastructure. And hopefully this won’t be the last we’ll hear and see from Gibson. He has another project in the works, using four time lapse setups which will showcase an 18 month project of four major overpass bridges being built. They’re even using BlinkX and GoPro HERO5 cameras on a road construction project. We hope to feature this work once it’s completed. Stay tuned!
About Bobby Gibson:
Bobby Gibson owns and operates In Blue Productions; a full video production company that specializes in utilizing time lapse and aerial video techniques. Before this, Gibson worked as the Director of Marketing for Auric Solar. Here, he catapulted Auric Solar from a smaller, less well-known company to an industry leader. Major accomplishments during his three-year tenure at Auric include leading the company’s rebrand in 2015, launching Auric’s community relations program (Echo), and securing sponsorships with Major League Soccer teams in Oregon and Utah. He was named to Utah Business Magazine’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2017, which recognizes the state’s rising leaders. As a leader, he inspires creativity and motivates his team to work smart and work hard every day. Check out In Blue Productions on theirwebsite,Vimeo,Facebook orInstagram.
