Learn to Recreate BACK TO THE FUTURE Time Slice Effect at Home

I don’t know if you guys are aware, but PBS Digital Studios is killing it with their various YouTube shows. They are a geek must-watch, trust me. Or if you don’t trust me, watch this episode of Shanks FX, a web series by Joey Shanks that “[creates] Hollywood effects with simple household products.” In this episode, Shanks recreates the time slice effect from Back to the Future using stop-motion animation and light painting techniques. It is cool and only the first of three episodes focusing on Back to the Future’s effects. Here’s a rundown of the rest:

"This is Part 1 of 3. The 2nd installment will deal with the editing process of putting all these frames and exposures together. The 3rd installment will deal with creating miniatures and using forced perspective for our clock tower sequence.

"...one of the last shots of the film was me trying to animate our mini-van doing the time slice technique. It took me 4 full days to get 27 frames with about 8-14 exposures for each frame. Not sure if I have the strength to finish it. It was a lot harder then I thought. No [sic] maybe if I was animating a real Delorean, my energy and interest would spark up again!!!"

Watch this episode, then go back and watch him recreate the Ghostbusters proton stream. Then do it yourself at home. Or watch all of his videos and eat ice cream. Either way.

Hat tip: Laughing Squid