Backpackers.com — Every so often a video appears online that’s unbelievable. Unequivocally amazing. Stunning, picturesque, breathtaking. You get the picture. But, you don’t really, because you still need to see it. Each of these is a lackluster synonym for “Patagonia 8K,” Timestorm Films‘ time lapse video project, and Calbuco, the volcanic eruption witnessed during the making of “Patagonia 8K.”
See the videos and our interview with the creator below.
Patagonia 8K Time Lapse
You’ll want to turn up the music, and put this on full screen. And maybe get a bigger screen, just because. Watch below.
PATAGONIA 8K from Martin Heck | Timestorm Films on Vimeo.
Yeah, it was that good. We told you it would be. But wait, there’s more!
We chatted with Martin Heck, the man behind Timestorm Films and the creator of “Patagonia 8K,” via email. As the video states in the beginning, the footage was filmed during a trip to Chile and Argentina over 44 days. Martin and his partner traveled over 7,500 kilometers (4,660 milies), took 100,000 photos, and watched one epic volcano eruption.
Here’s our short interview with Martin Heck:
Why did you decide to shoot in Chile and Argentina? Was there something specific you wanted to capture?
We travelled to Chile and Patagonia in order to shoot 8K time lapse as demo-footage for a TV manufacturer. We planned to shoot the epic national parks of Fitz Roy, Torres del Paine, and Mount Osorno and everything else on the way from Santiago to Punta Arenas.
Did you ever reach places you couldn’t drive to? If so, did you backpack to them? What gear did you use?
Most of the time we were luck[y] enough to be able to use backroads with our 4×4 to easily access remote places. But a couple of times we also hiked to some amazing places.
In regard[s] [to] camera gear we were using a Pentax 645Z medium format camera, a Sony A7s (with Atomos Shogun recorder) and a Canon EOS 6D, as well as a bunch of Pentax lenses and Canon L glass. For motion-control we used a customized Dynamic Perception Stage One Slider and an eMotimo TB3 Black.
Did you have an idea the volcano was going to erupt? What was that like?
The eruption of volcano Calbuco was completely unforeseeable. It was the first eruption for 42 years and even scientist[s] didn’t see it coming. It was great luck that we were at the right place at the right time.
We quickly understood that what was happening in front of our eyes was a sight of a lifetime. “Jaw dropping” might be [the] right word to describe it. It’s hard to find words to even roughly communicate that feeling to somebody who hasn’t seen it with his own eyes. I think our video does the best job for that.
Where do you plan to shoot next?
I don’t have specific plans for 2016 yet, but I will be several times in the Dolomites for sure. Apart from that, Iceland, Northwest US, British Columbia, and the Attacama Desert [and] Salar Uyuni [are] high on my bucket list.
Good stuff. The interview brings us to the second and third videos we wanted to share by Martin and Timestorm Films. The first is “Calbuco,” the time lapse film he created during the volcano eruption. The third is a making of video that Martin released to highlight his time during this shoot. See both below.
CALBUCO from Martin Heck | Timestorm Films on Vimeo.
And now the making of…
Patagonia 8K | Behind the Scenes from Martin Heck | Timestorm Films on Vimeo.
The work released by Timestorm Films is stunning. It inspires not just the outdoors and unreal beauty of nature, but our witnessing and ability to capture such moments. We’ll keep looking for Timestorm Films projects to share.
All images and videos courtesy Timestorm Films, All Rights Reserved
