20 Years of Woodland Timelapse Stock Footage: The Story of a Monumental Project
Some of the best ideas are born in moments of quiet contemplation. Someone once told me that Michelangelo spent months going into work, sitting and staring at a large 18-foot piece of marble, and then going home. People used to ask him what he was doing, he would reply, “I’m working”, three years later, that block of marble was the statue of David.
Last year, my shower started leaking; it must have been weeping for a while because the timber stud wall was rotten behind it, the plasterboard destroyed, and the shower itself, a rather expensive old one, had deteriorated beyond repair, the parts were no longer available. So a small leak quickly turned into a huge problem, and I was mocked as I sat on the toilet (seat down) for a good few hours, doing nothing. Contemplating. A few days later, it was fixed.
Most recently, that moment arrived again during my year-long "Coffee in the Woods" series. All those hours spent sipping strong coffee, alone in Uffmoor Woods, had me observing the subtle, unhurried changes of the seasons. I began to see the deeper narrative, a story of life and decay, of struggle and revival, playing out over the course of a year. That quiet observation led to a monumental and painstaking project that took me years of planning and months of execution: Clip Pack #298 - 20 Years of Woodland Timelapse Stock Footage.
The Genesis of a Project
This project was a true labour of love, it shows what is possible with persistence and a bit of OCD. The idea was simple: capture 20 unique compositions of the same woodland once a month, for a full year. The reality, however, was far from it. It required a phenomenal amount of effort and was a study in obsession. What started as a simple idea became a deep-seated mission. It took me years of planning and preparation, meticulously scouting locations in my local woodland, knowing full well that many of the scenes I chose in June would be alive with bluebells and wild garlic by the following May.
The project sounds simple, it required 12 full days of filming, but that doesn't account for all the days I was grounded by bad weather, the prep, the charging, or when my equipment played up, forcing me to start over. This project also generated over a terabyte of ProRes 422 SLOG3 footage, a colossal amount of data that took months to store, edit, and grade. I genuinely dread to think how much time I spent creating this project in its entirety. The finished product is a unique and authentic record of the woods, and I’m very proud of it.
The Filming Process: A Study in Obsession
I don’t want to go too much into detail about how I captured this, but let’s just say it was very OCD. It took a lot of time to compose each shot, which was all shot fully manually. I carried with me a bunch of photographs of framing, video clips of the precise gimbal route, tripod measurements, height, levels, and a whole load of notes for every composition. This attention to detail meant that every leaf, stump, and piece of moss is now engraved in my brain. The 20 scenes were named on the first trip, without much thought, and put into a notebook. I later felt that to change them would remove some authenticity from the project, so you may think they’re unimaginative, but they are just what they are: a short description of the scene, or my way of getting back there as I went through the filming process.
Watch the YouTube preview…
A Year in Motion: Scene by Scene
This collection is a breathtaking cinematic anthology of the British woodland, each of the 20 scenes a self-contained, one-year journey. Here is a guide to the 20 scenes included in this monumental pack:
1 - Welcome to Uffmoor: The entrance to one of my favourite woodlands, showing the seasons around the Woodland Trust sign. You can clearly see the grass gets cut around this sign, and in particular, how after Halloween, a few pumpkins suddenly appear! Maybe for the squirrels? Over the winter, a tree falls on the right of the frame.
2 - First Bridge: The first bridge I came to. A stream winds through the shot below a wooden footbridge. I knew this woodland very well, and chose a lot of these locations in June, knowing full well that by the end of the project in the following May, that many of the scenes would be alive with bluebells and wild garlic, as is this scene here by May when bluebells can be seen in the distance.
3 - Path T Junction: A T junction in the path. A majestic giant oak overhanging the path, its big thick leaves soon turning to orange, falling, getting covered in snow, then standing naked before revitalising the following spring. Majestic.
4 - Fallen Foxglove: A fallen tree is surrounded with purple foxglove flowers. These soon die off and the scene changes remarkably. The tree doesn’t really move over the course of the year; it lays there, providing life to insects and undoubtedly nutrient to nearby plants and trees. This was a very hard composition to recreate every month, but it paid off. Lovely.
5 - Grass Path: A grass path through a bit of woodland that remains fairly quiet, frequented by badgers every night. As you'll see late in scene 17, where I use the gimbal here, there are lots of new badger holes later in the year.
6 - Bluebell Beginnings: This one got its name as it’s the location where my original "Coffee in the Woods" project started. A fallen tree lays decaying in the middle, as nature does its thing all around it.
7 - Reversed Beginnings: A reverse shot looking back the other way at the scene from Bluebell Beginnings, showcasing old, rustic birch trees and thickets that separate this fantastic bit of British woodland.
8 - Garlic Stream: Possibly my favourite composition. A stream runs through a particularly boggy area of the woodland, giving life every year to a huge amount of wild garlic. You can watch here as it dies off, withers, rots, gets covered in leaves, snow, is then frozen and springs back to life in all its green and white stinky glory.
9 - Path Lookback: Looking back along the path from whence I came…
10 - The Hollow: A strange stump caught my eye. It had a large hole inside, a hollow, moss covered. Later in the year, a large branch fell from the tree above and came to rest upon it.
11 - The Stump: A stump and fallen tree lie in the woods, and then get covered with another fallen tree over winter. Interestingly, the tree stays alive and blooms again in spring. Life will find a way.
12 - Stumpside: A side view of scene 11, where you can again see the newly fallen tree, and the original stump gets engulfed by bluebells in the spring.
13 - Oak Path: A newly laid path between the oaks of the woods, which I affectionately nicknamed "the yellow brick road".
14 - Mighty Oaks: An ambitious look up at the canopy that ended up being one of my favourites, capturing a tangled and chaotic woodland scene.
15 - Gimbal Oak Walk: A walk away from the giant oaks along a straight path through the woods, creating an amazing timelapse journey through a woodland tunnel of time.
16 - Soggy Foxglove Hill: A walk up a notoriously wet and boggy hill towards where fallen foxglove was filmed. From September onwards it was a huge struggle in ankle-deep mud, carrying some very expensive gear.
17 - Grass Path: A lovely smooth scene along the grass path towards a badgers' set.
18 - Reverse Bluebell: Walking up the slope towards the area where the projects first started, with bluebells later engulfing the fallen tree I sat on when all this time-lapse project got started, damn tree!.
19 - Garlic Stream: My favourite composition again, capturing the smell of dying and new spring wild garlic, the leaves, mud, and wet air that is often in British woodland.
20 - The Path: And finally, the path, winding through the woodland. A nice, gentle way to finish the project as it moves through summer, autumn, winter, and spring.
A Look Inside the Pack: Deliverables and Organisation
The total pack is 190GB, containing 538 video clips and over 600 files in total. The total runtime of everything is 7 hours, 39 minutes. This may seem intimidating, but the collection is superbly organised and a testament to the OCD attention to detail that went into its creation. There is a folder for each scene, with subfolders containing the clearly marked and ordered source files and additional files.
Graded Source Files: The raw footage was shot in ProRes 422 SLOG3, and all source files have already been meticulously graded for you. The tripod sequences were filmed from June to May, resulting in 12 months of footage, while the gimbal sequences were filmed from August to May, for 10 months of footage but spanning pretty much a full year.
Pre-rendered Timelapse Transitions: A “10x3” edit for each scene, which is 10 seconds per month with a 3-second transition. These are ready for use in your edit.
Quick Edits: A “1 year in 24 seconds” edit or similar is included for each scene, perfect for fast-paced projects, previews, and promotional materials.
Calendar Media: 20 “Calendar style” videos and 20 still images are included for reference or promotion use.
The Final Take:
The culmination of this monumental project is a unique and authentic visual record of British woodland, captured with cinematic excellence. This pack is an exceptional resource for documentaries, feature films, television series, and advertisements, as it saves productions the immense time and effort of capturing it themselves, it would take years….
This project is now available in a few different ways. You can purchase Clip Pack #298 - 20 Years of Woodland Timelapse Stock Footage as a complete, comprehensive package for £9995. Alternatively, you can purchase individual scenes for £995 each.
For productions that demand a truly complete visual arsenal, my Ultimate library is the definitive answer. It’s a single investment that provides you with all of my footage, all of the new collections I’ve just released, and every new clip I release in the future—for life. Alternatively, if you just need that one perfect shot from this massive collection, my SELECT service allows you to choose any individual clip from my entire archive.
Visit www.chrishomer.uk to explore my full collection and find the perfect footage for your next project.
£995 (per individual scene, contact me to arrange)
£9995 (for the entire project)
Details (for the entire project):
Project Size: 20 unique timelapse sequences, each covering a full year, from summer to spring.
Clips: 538 source files, plus 20 pre-rendered timelapse clips and other promotional files. Over 600 files in total
Total File Size: 190GB
Total Duration: 7 hours 39 minutes
Resolution: 4K UHD
This is the culmination of a truly monumental and painstaking year-long project born from a deep love for the British woods. Aptly titled "20 Years," this pack is a definitive visual record of a full year of seasonal change, captured across 20 unique compositions. It documents a one-year visual journey in each scene, filmed monthly with expensive Sony cinema camera gear. The result is a stunning cinematic anthology of the British woodland, showcasing how summer can be surprisingly dark due to thick foliage, while winter brings a striking, unexpected brightness. You will see autumn's fantastic colours, December's snow, January's ice, and the phenomenal wild garlic and new spring growth in May.
The effort behind this collection was phenomenal. The project generated over a terabyte of raw ProRes 422 SLOG3 footage, which I meticulously edited, graded, and organised for your convenience. This pack is an exceptional resource, offering both ready-to-use and highly customisable content. It includes the pre-rendered timelapse transitions, calendar-style video previews, and quick edits like “1 year in 24 seconds,” alongside all the graded source files, allowing you to either use the pre-made content effortlessly or create your own magnificent edits. The entire collection is superbly organised and a testament to the dedication and meticulous care that went into its creation.
Please view the YouTube video preview “20 Years of Woodland Timelapse”
Project Deliverables:
Graded Source Files: ProRes 422 SLOG3 source files for 20 unique scenes. Tripod sequences have 12 individual months of footage, while gimbal sequences have 10 “months”, but still show the full year transition.
Pre-rendered Timelapse Stock Footage Transitions: A “10x3” edit for each scene (10 seconds per “month” with a 3-second transition).
Quick Edits: A “1 year in 24 seconds” edit or similar for each scene, perfect for fast-paced projects, previews and promotional materials.
Calendar Media: 20 “Calendar style” videos and 20 still images for promotion or creative use.
Meticulously Organised: All files are stored in clearly marked and ordered folders, designed for ease of use.
Scene Index:
1 - Welcome to Uffmoor: The entrance to one of my favourite woodlands, showing the seasons around the Woodland Trust sign and the appearance of pumpkins after Halloween.
2 - First Bridge: A stream winds below a wooden footbridge, with bluebells appearing in the distance by May.
3 - Path T Junction: A majestic giant oak overhangs a path, as its leaves fall, get covered in snow, and then return the following spring.
4 - Fallen Foxglove: A fallen tree is surrounded by foxglove flowers, a hard composition to recreate monthly, but one that paid off.
5 - Grass Path: A quiet path that is frequented by badgers every night.
6 - Bluebell Beginnings: The location where my original "Coffee in the Woods" project started, showing a fallen tree decaying amidst nature's cycle.
7 - Reversed Beginnings: A reverse shot of Scene 6, showcasing old rustic birch trees and thickets.
8 - Garlic Stream: My favourite composition, where a boggy stream gives life to a huge amount of wild garlic every year.
9 - Path Lookback: A view looking back along a path from whence I came.
10 - The Hollow: A moss-covered stump with a large hole, where a fallen branch came to rest over the winter.
11 - The Stump: Two fallen trees, where a seemingly dead tree blossoms again in spring.
12 - Stumpside: A side view of Scene 11, showing the tree getting engulfed by bluebells.
13 - Oak Path: A newly laid path between the oaks of the woods, affectionately nicknamed "the yellow brick road."
14 - Mighty Oaks: An ambitious look up at the canopy of a tangled, chaotic woodland scene.
15 - Gimbal Oak Walk: A walk away from the giant oaks along a straight path, creating a seamless timelapse journey.
16 - Soggy Foxglove Hill: A walk up a notoriously wet and boggy hill, a huge struggle in ankle-deep mud with expensive gear.
17 - Grass Path: A smooth scene along the grass path towards a badgers' set.
18 - Reverse Bluebell: Walking up a slope towards the area where the projects first started.
19 - Garlic Stream: Again, my favourite composition, capturing the smell of dying and new spring wild garlic, the leaves, mud, and wet air that is often in British woodland.
20 - The Path: A gentle path winding through the woodland, providing a peaceful finish to the project.
Ideal For: This unparalleled pack is ideal for documentaries, feature films, television series, and advertisements. It provides a unique and authentic visual representation of a full year of seasonal change in British woodland.
Licensing: All footage is provided in 4K UHD, with no extra fees for TV or film use, and no maximum circulation limits. Full terms apply.