MARIA: Hey Emeric! I wanted to stop by and ask you some questions.
Do you have some time?
Sure! Thank you for having me!
And yes, this is my studio here in Los Angeles
where I edit all my time lapse, hyperlapse, YouTube video, online classes.
All this... Every... All the magic comes to life here in this, uh...
tiny square in my apartment.
MARIA: So tell us, what do you do?
Sure! Um, so, my name is Emeric.
I work at Emeric's Timelapse.
I'm a French timelapse, hyperlapse , photographer filmmaker,
and also teacher living in Los Angeles.
So what I do is I travel to different cities in the US
and a little bit in the world.
Right now it's a little hard, but if I can, I go out of the country and shoot timelapses too.
I sell the timelapse online.
I do behind the scenes video for youtube, vlogs.
And I, yeah, I license all my content online.
And I also teach timelapse photography to people from all around the world
in both English and French.
So, it's a lot of work to translate the classes from one language to another,
but, yeah, I think it's worth it because, uh, yeah.
Both of my parents are teachers, so.
MARIA: What got you started in photo and video?
So I started maybe between the age of 10 and 15 years old.
I was doing some fun videos, you know, with my cousin and some friends,
like action movies, like very cheap stuff, with one camera.
And that's, that's all. Just one camera.
So, I was doing like editing. I use...
I remember using, um, Sony Vegas at the time.
So it's--I think it's still a software here, but it's um...
I'm not using it anymore.
Anyway, yeah. This is how I started by doing some, um,
fun videos with my friends and family, just for fun, you know.
MARIA: And, what got you into time lapses and hyper lapses specifically?
So, I got into timelapse and hyperlapse I think around 2011. I got--
I actually had a camcorder. My parents gifted me a camcorder,
and there was actually a timlapse option in it, a feature to shoot a timelapse.
So, for fun, um, I shot a few timelapse videos around my hometown in France called Angers.
And the video actually got very popular on like--very popular at the time.
It was like probably no more than 4000 views,
but I was pretty excited by the the feedback that people, you know, shared with me.
So, that's why I really wanted to shoot more timelapses,
and a year later i actually got my first real DSLR camera,
and I was watching YouTube videos on how to create better timelapses, and um ...
Yeah, it was a process that took a few years to get to that point.
MARIA: What was your first camera?
What was your--what was my first camera?
My first camera, um. So I got like a camcorder Panasonic camcorder.
I don't remember the name.
But then my real first DSLR camera was, um, T3i.
which in Europe is called 600D, I believe.
It was like the basic lens kit, 18-55.
[laughs]
MARIA: And what's your go-to camera and lens now?
My go-to camera and lens now.
So I'm a big fan of the 5D Mark IV.
I've been Canon since day one.
Um, but big fan of the Canon 5D Mark IV and 24-105 as well.
It's--I'm a big, big fan of the 24-105.
I have the Mark II right now.
Um, and I also have 100 to 400 Mark II.
Those two lenses are amazing,
and really can create so much awesome content with just those two lenses.
I know they're kind of pricey, but... Um, yeah.
I just I cannot go out on the shoot without at least those two lenses in this camera.
[soft electronic music]
MARIA: You aren't from LA, right? Where are you from?
No, I am not an LA native. I was born in France
small, medium, not very small, medium town called Angers.
which is about three hours from Paris on the western part of France.
And I moved in California at age 21, and now I am 29,
so it's been almost eight years, almost nine.
Eight years, yeah, almost eight years.
Back in 2013, um, I was looking for an internship in LA.
Not in LA, actually. I was looking for kind of anywhere in the US, mostly in New York in LA.
And, back in 2013, this company near LA gave me a chance
to come here and try to work for them with a student visa.
So, I got my first J1 visa. It was a student visa.
And, that's how I started in the US, just as an intern in video editing,
And now I have an O1 visa, which is a visa for artists--
not just for artists but for artists and people working in the industry
who actually are talented in their field, that's how they call it.
So, I was actually lucky enough to get my O1 visa
for video editing and time lapse photography recently.
So yeah. I'm really happy with that.
MARIA: Did you think you'd gain such a following on YouTube like you have?
No not, at all. I think I started my YouTube channel back in 2015 or so.
At first I just, I had no idea what to do with it.
I didn't know what to share on it.
I just wanted to share like behind the scenes vlogs,
just random videos about my work.
because you know at first, I was a filmmaker and a video editor.
So I still love, uh, doing like some sort of video-related content
and not just timelapse photography because timelapse photography,
it's like you take the pictures, then you come back home,
and then you edit the pictures and then you get like a 10-20 second video.
But, then there's an entire world around timelapse photography,
like going on location, traveling, behind the scenes, all of this.
So yeah. I think that's kind of why I started my YouTube channel back in 2015.
And, um, I think the video...
Actually, Joe, video, the interview of New York City Timescape
kinda got me, like, 30,000 followers in a few days only, so.
Yeah, one video actually brought me most of my subscribers right now.
MARIA: How did it feel like going viral with that video with Joe?
Yeah, it was kind of, um...
It was surprising.
Like, the video got a hundred thousand views in an hour or so.
I was like what is going on?
Like, is this a glitch from YouTube?
And then, we reached a million views I think in less than a week.
And it actually slowed down at the end.
But yeah. Nice three million views after a year or so.
And, uh, it was crazy.
It was, uh, surprising. Very unexpected.
Um, but I was pretty happy because I got actually some money.
It was the YouTube ads, which kind of really nice, actually.
It was really, really interesting to see a video go viral like this.
[music]
MARIA: You teach your own courses too. Tell me a little bit about it.
Sure, yes. So yes, I have my online classes
where, um, I teach timelapse, hyperlapse photography.
The reason why I do timelapse classes like this
is because I really want people to create quality over quantity.
It's, uh, it's my motto in a way.
And so, I really take the time to share how to create better content, better timelapse videos.
So it's like choosing the right settings, the right interval, the right composition
and how to clean your timelapses. Like, there's a bunch of videos.
Actually, I shot over 24 hours of video lessons.
So yeah, it's four years worth of video classes available on my website.
MARIA: Why do you think it's important to teach people how to create?
Um, why is it important...
[laughs] it's a question, actually.
I think it's because I'm a perfectionist,
and I feel like I got to the point I am today
because I know how to take the time to create like a good time lapse.
And I really want...
Because--and I know timelapse actually is a niche,
and it's still growing and growing year after year.
So, I really want to try to tell people how they can, yeah,
create better content and be proud of their own work.
And, I know it's hard because as artists, we usually have doubts.
You know, we're not sure about what we create sometimes.
We hate our work.
We hate what we're doing.
And I know it's, uh, it's not easy every day
to make a living from creating something from scratch like I do
and yeah, being an artist.
So, that's really what I'm trying to share with my students is like
come on, guys. Just take the time to clean your timelapse, select your interval.
Like, you need to ask yourself, are you gonna enjoy watching your own work?
If you don't, it's probably something you need to fix.
And then, so, just go for it. Like, work fix everything that needs to be fixed.
And it's not really hard when you think about it.
Like a timelapse, it's...
Cleaning a timelapse is just making sure there's no blurry frames.
removing a few planes or birds that kind of look like black dots on the timelapse.
That's...
It's a bunch of little things that can make--
a bunch of little details, I think that's the way to say it--
that's going to make a big, big difference.
[music]
MARIA: Do you have any projects you're working on or coming up?
Yeah, I'm actually working on a huge timelapse master class, 2021.
It was supposed to, you know, come out this year,
but with the virus, it's not happening.
And what's different with my other master class, it's
I'm traveling all around the country.
I'm going to different cities, and I'm showing people how to approach cityscape.
How to shoot timelapse of cities around America, around the US
because every city skyline is all different.
Like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami,
they're all different. So, I'm going there.
I'm filming myself, and I'm telling people how to, um,
how to approach a city like Chicago or New York or other major big cities in the US.
And the master class is also going to have motion control timelapse
using like a slider, a pan and tilt system.
Astro timelapse, you know with the sky and landscape.
Like a bunch of other topics I haven't really talked about in my current classes,
and it's all going to be one giant timelapse master class,
which is so far 40 plus videos.
I have only five done, so I have a lot of work ahead.
MARIA: How much gear do you carry when you shoot?
Yeah, I do have a lot of gear,
and it's sometimes a little challenging to decide what I want to bring
if I'm flying or if I have to hike for a while.
So, I have like two bags.
I have like a roller bag that I can take if i'm not hiking,
and then I have a backpack where I usually bring
like one camera, a couple lenses and yeah.
That's pretty much it.
MARIA: Would you rather one battery or no tripod on a shoot? [Emeric laughs]
Okay, I think I would say one battery.
You can go a long way with only one battery.
Batteries now are really, really powerful.
But I actually one day had two cameras for one tripod,
and the sunset was unbelievable.
So, I had my main camera and one tripod shooting,
but I really wanted to show you the second timelapse,
but didn't have the tripod.
So, I try to find a way with all my accessories.
Starting to find the perfect angle,
but it's really hard when you don't have a tripod.
And I know I could take like a gorillapod or something like this,
but I don't know why I didn't have it that day.
Uh, yes, I would definitely, definitely shoot with one battery and have a tripod.
MARIA: Longest timelapse you've ever shot.
The longest timelapse I've ever shot with my current gear, like a DSLR camera,
was about five hours.
It wasn't actually even for me. It was for a company.
It was a job I was doing,
and they wanted like a full day-to-night transition of the building I was shooting.
But they also wanted like the sunlight hitting the building,
and then going all the way to the night.
So, I had to be there at least three hours before the sunset,
two hours after the sunset.
And it was a crazy-long timelapse.
All the batteries. I had a grip.
So I have two batteries inside, and it was like really close from dying.
So I got lucky.
But I also started working with a long-term timelapse camera.
And actually one week long time lapse with it.
So, it's a different kind of camera. It was built for long term timelapses.
So you have a solar panel, a giant battery.
It's very different from a DSLR camera.
And I'm trying to find a spot in LA, um, to kind of set up this camera,
so I can, um, you know shoot LA over i don't know a month or years
to see the weather patterns, patterns, sorry.
Um, to see the the city evolving.
Maybe buildings being built like stuff like this. Could be very interesting.
But I'm still trying to find a location for that camera, yeah.
MARIA: Favorite place you've done a shoot.
Favorite place I've done a shoot...
Yeah, this this is actually, um, private property in downtown LA.
I contacted like the Homeowners Association to shoot from there,
and at first they didn't want me to shoot there.
And I tell, I told them "Yeah, what if I pay a little bit and you let me shoot for a few hours."
And they said yes, and uh...
It was probably the best timelapse location in LA I've ever shot from.
First of all, I was really happy because it's private property,
and I was able to shoot there.
but it's also an amazing view of Downtown LA
where you have kind of like all the buildings kind of next to each other.
We can see the entire building.
And it's, yeah. And that night, the sunset was amazing.
So I got super lucky.
So yeah. I got super excited to shoot from up there.
And yeah, it was really worth it paying for it.
[music]
MARIA: Most challenging shoot you've had.
The most challenging...
So the first thing that comes to my mind, I would say...
There's a couple actually. It's always from observation decks,
um like Top of the Rock in New York.
For different reasons. One, tripods are not allowed,
so you need to bring either a tiny tripod or a gorillapod.
Number two, it's full of tourists all the time, especially around sunsets,
so you need to get there early.
You need to find a spot where you can stay for like two or three hours.
You need to shoot for a long period of time with a small tripod.
It's usually windy because you're like super high up.
And there's a lot of people around we want to also shoot the sunsets.
You have to tell them, "hey guys just be careful a little bit, like, I'm shooting a time lapse."
Yeah it was, it happened in Top of the Rock in New York.
It was really challenging, but I got some amazing footage at the end.
And, um, that's what you know gives me the motivation
to keep shooting and to challenge myself a little more
because the final product is amazing.
MARIA: If you weren't a videographer, what would you be?
[sighs] I have no idea.
The first thing that comes to my mind, I would say would be a pilot.
Maybe? Or maybe build stuff. I like building stuff.
So, maybe some something like this. [laughs]
MARIA: What's the best piece of advice you've received?
The best piece of advice I've received...
So, I remember my parents, when I was a kid, telling me something like in French
[speaks French]
Which means in english:
"If you don't try anything, you won't get anything"
Like, "who tries nothing, gets nothing"
I don't know if it makes sense.
And I feel like this line got stuck in my head for the past 10, 15 years.
And it's kind of the reason why I'm in the US.
Because before moving to the US,
I was just telling myself, okay I'm just going to try this.
I'm going to send email to those companies to see if they want to work with me.
I'm just going to try it,
and my entire life is kind of built around trying new things
to see where it's going to take me.
MARIA: Aside from your camera, favorite piece of gear.
My favorite piece of gear I would say it's a drone.
Beside, I mean, it is kind of a camera you'll say,
but, I mean, it's, it's amazing.
I got a drone like less than two years ago now, and...
It's amazing what you can create with a drone.
like the new possibilities that it offers,
like new angles that are not possible unless you like rent a helicopter,
you know which is really expensive.
But for a price of a drone the amount of content you can create,
like hyperlapse. You can create a time-lapse from the sky. How cool is this?
Uh, with just a drone, so.
I know it's a camera, but it's...
it's not like a DSLR camera, you know what I mean.
MARIA: If there was a movie about your life, who would play you?
[Emeric laughs]
As a kid, I would say probably Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone
because we kind of look alike as a kid.
I should try to find the picture where I do look like Macaulay Culkin.
When he is a kid as well.
When we both kids, we kinda look alike.
And as adult, I don't know.
Maybe like Michael Cera?
I feel like Michael Cera doesn't really know what he's doing all the time,
but he's doing it really well,
and sometimes it's kind of how I feel in my life.
I really don't know...
what I'm doing, but I'm just doing things, and...
Yeah, Michael Cera definitely.
I know what Macaulay Culkin and Michael Cera don't look anything alike, but...
I guess that's you know who would play me the best.
MARIA: Who should we interview next?
I think you should interview Gunter Wegner.
Gunter is a good friend of mine.
He is the creator of LRTimelapse.
He has actually changed the time-lapse industry
with an LRTimelapse,
and everything he has done for the timelapse industry.
And I feel like he could be a very, very interesting interview for this channel.
MARIA: That's it! Thanks for answering all my questions.
Yeah, well, thanks for having me!
MARIA: Alright, see ya!
[music]