Long term Time-Lapse | Hobart College Theatre Refurbishment 2020

Client: HavenBuilt

The long term time-lapse Project

The Hobart College Theatre underwent a major renovation to it’s interior. This was completed in 2020. Two key businesses involved were, Cumulus Studio designed and managed the project, while HavenBuilt worked on the fit out. From the collaborative photographic briefing with Haven Built, we determined that a long term time-lapse capture of the scaffolding, ceiling remodelling, sound bar installation and theatre seating was required. It was agreed that shorter time-lapse scenes and stills of the finished project would create a interesting overview of the year-long renovation project. 

The Brief

The brief was simple. I was to take photographs before the strip-out commenced, then supply, set-up and manage long term time-lapse photographic equipment to capture the strip-out and construction process inside of the theatre. When the renovation was complete, there would be a series of photographs taken to showcase the end result. All of the imagery would then be edited in to a few short videos of different duration.

This plan soon changed. It became apparent that there were many more interesting angles of the build than we first anticipated. Some of the action was to take place in the roof space. This was due to unplanned, but necessary design modifications that related to the sound bar installation.  The long term time-lapse camera would have been been obscured from this and other visual opportunities. The decision to capture these other perspectives greatly improved the outcome of the final production. It allowed the overall story to be told in a more creative and definitive way.

The Challenges

The photography project had it’s challenges. The long term time-lapse camera struggled with internet connectivity. I suspect that the steel frame of the building structure acted as a giant Faraday Cage, blocking the cell network signal and interfering with the camera’s function. Keeping power up to the unit was also a struggle at times, specially when the power to the site was cut off due to electrical work and public holidays. The camera position was quite tricky as it was mounted on the wall at a dizzy height. It was quite an effort to install and maintain the camera. 

The construction environment is always tough on equipment. The camera needed to survive cement and asbestos dust that became airborne. It also had to handle being bumped by scaffold workers. 

The Result

In conclusion, the renovation of the Hobart College Theatre is a great example of a successful construction project that has been showcased through the use of a long-term time-lapse camera. This, combined with other creative angles, provided a comprehensive overview of the project and allowed viewers to see the transformation of the space over time. The challenges faced during the photographic project were overcome and the end result is a beautiful presentation of the renovated space. The HavenBuilt staff were great. (Couldn’t have done it without you.)

HavenBuilt was the winner of the Master Builders Tasmania award for excellence for the category of Commercial Renovation / Fit Out $1mil – $5mil, for the Hobart College Theatre renovation.

The imagery has helped portray the professional branding of HavenBuilt and Cumulus Studio.