Tokyo Bay Timelapse

I finally got my shutter release timer from Hong Kong. It works great! Here is the latest attempt:

The original source video (sequenced from the original photos) was stunning, but I find I'm having a lot of trouble getting good quality output from iMovie '09. There are a lot of people complaining about it, so I guess it's iMovie and not just me. In frustration, I bought Final Cut Express 4, but it won't arrive for a few days so I guess we'll see the improvement in the next video.

I've seen a lot of other great time lapse videos on YouTube lately. There are a lot of really talented people out there. It seems to me now that the true secret is to think of it as a photo with some life breathed into it. The best time lapse videos I've seen would be beautiful as still photos. Adding the time lapse component just gives the photo a bit extra. Adding music, pan and zoom adds mood. But it should start with a beautiful and interesting photo.