There have been huge developments in action sports videography since the introduction of sports cameras, drones and new technology. But while most film makers are set on capturing sports up close and personal, one has decided to put his own spin on it. Rather than capturing real people in the midst of the action, Dutch animator Karim Rejeb captures Playmobil characters. And as plastic figures go, it’s pretty realistic.
Stop motion animation
In order to create his videos, Rejeb uses a technique called stop motion animation. This involves repositioning the characters for each different shot. One second of a film can consist of at least fifteen different frames, meaning a two-minute video equals around 1,800 different shots. A process which takes months.
Speaking about his surf film Lino to Surfbang, he discussed the hardest part of the process. He said:
The hardest part was for my little family. My girlfriend has to endure that I’m a big kid and sneak my son’s toys. Other ways, climbing up the dune, giving the lego a five millimeters push, running down, taking a photo, climbing up again, giving it a five millimeter push, running down, shooting it, climb… To get my fifteen shots per second, it’s a lot of up-and-down and at the end of the day it’s a lot of work because I mostly work alone .
The other hard thing is to find the right speed for the image linking to get the movements as natural as possible. Details are always very important, like the positioning of the head and arms.
These factors are things he must consider in every video he creates. A process which takes a lot of dedication and craft.
Surf’s up
Dirt bikes
Wingsuit flying
See more of Rejeb’s videos on his YouTube channel.
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