The Ken Burns effect is a type of panning and zooming effect used in video
production from still imagery. The name derives from extensive use of
the technique by American documentarian Ken Burns. The technique predates his
use of it, but his name has become associated with the effect in much the
same way as Alfred Hitchcock is associated with the dolly zoom.
The feature enables a widely used technique of embedding still photographs
in motion pictures, displayed with slow zooming and panning effects, and fading
transitions between frames. Usage
The technique is principally used in historical documentaries where film or
video material is not available. Action is given to still photographs by slowly
zooming in on subjects of interest and panning from one subject to another. For
example, in a photograph of a baseball team, one might slowly pan across the
faces of the players and come to a rest on the player the narrator is
discussing. By employing simulated parallax, a two-dimensional image can
appear as 3D, with the viewpoint seeming to enter the picture and move among the
figures. The effect can be used as a transition
between clips as well. For example, to segue from one person in the story to
another, a clip might open with a close-up of one person in a photo, then
zoom out so that another person in the photo becomes visible. The zooming and
panning across photographs gives the feeling of motion, and keeps the viewer
visually engaged. Origins of the technique
Burns has credited documentary filmmaker Jerome Liebling for teaching him how
still photographs could be incorporated into documentary films. He has also
cited the 1957 National Film Board of Canada documentary City of Gold,
co-directed by Colin Low and Wolf Koenig, as a source of inspiration for
this technique. Winner of the Palme d'or at the Cannes Film Festival and
nominated for an Academy Award, City of Gold used animation camera techniques to
slowly pan and zoom across archival still pictures of Canada's Klondike Gold
Rush. The British Broadcasting Corporation's
documentary series The Great War, first shown in 1964, used both extensively.
Zooming and panning of still images were used in the 1982 title sequence of the
sitcom Cheers. Implementation
In film editing, the technique may be achieved through the use of a rostrum
camera, although today it is more common to use software. Non-linear editing
systems such as iMovie and Openshot for Linux include an effect or transition
called Ken Burns Effect, with which a still image may be incorporated into a
film using this kind of slow pan and zoom. Final Cut Pro, Apple TV and
Apple's iMovie video editing program include a photo slideshow option labeled
"Ken Burns Effect". On the Windows platform, 4K Slideshow
Maker by 4KDownload, AVS Video Editor, Windows Movie Maker, Pinnacle Studio,
Serif MoviePlus, Sony Vegas Studio, Ulead VideoStudio, Adobe Premiere,
PicturesToExe also have pan and zoom features built in or available through
third party extensions which may be used to achieve the effect.
Microsoft Photo Story is a free application that creates videos with
both random and customiseable Ken Burns Effects automatically from selected
images. ProShow Gold/Producer from Photodex is a favorite application by
still photographers that uses this effect to great measure. Another free
multiplatform Ken Burns effect application is PhotoFilmStrip.
On the Mac platform, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, iMovie, Adobe
Premiere, and others also have the ability. Particularly, Adobe and Apple
products allow the user to set keyframes to further customize the process.
The effect is found in a great number of screensavers and slideshows. Apple uses
it in their screensavers. Windows PCs can use Greg Stitt's "MotionPicture" and
Gregg Tavares's "Nostalgic", among others. The effect can also be seen in
the N73 smartphone by Nokia, applied to the slideshows the phone creates from
the pictures stored in it. Many seventh-generation video game consoles
also feature versions of this effect, including Nintendo's Wii Photo Channel,
Sony's PlayStation 3 and within the Last.fm app for Xbox360.
Outside of screensavers and slide shows, the effect is also found in some video
games. Ken Burns on the "Ken Burns Effect"
Steve Jobs contacted Burns to obtain the filmmaker's permission to use the term
"Ken Burns Effect" for Apple's video production software. Burns initially
declined, saying that he didn't allow his name to be used for commercial
purposes. Instead, Burns had Jobs give him "some equipment which we give to
nonprofits" in exchange for permission to use the term in Apple products.
In February 2014, Burns stated in his AMA on Reddit that Steve Jobs "asked my
permission. I said yes. And six billion saved wedding, bar mitzvahs, vacation
slideshows later, it's still going. But our attempt to wake the dead relies on a
much more nuanced and complicated relationship to the photograph, as well
as the soundtrack." Burns says that on occasion, strangers
will stop him on the street to enthusiastically describe how they use
the Ken Burns Effect on their Apple software or ask him questions. Burns,
who writes his speeches longhand and calls himself a Luddite, claims he
doesn't really understand what these Apple users are telling him and tries
his best to make a quick escape. Examples
Georgie, 1956 Night of the Living Dead, 1968, Directed
by George Romero Comic Book Confidential, 1988, Directed
by Ron Mann The Civil War, 1990, Directed by Ken
Burns The Old Negro Space Program, 2005
See also Motion control photography
Pan and scan Photoanimation
Photo slideshow software References
External links The National Geographic
Using Stills in Motion Picture Media: Keep the Show Moving, or Bring it to a
Halt? MotionPicture Slideshow Screensaver for
Windows