At the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), videographer and creative Faisal Al-Qedrah
presented a workshop demonstrating the joys and challenges of image sequencing videos, a
form of animation popularised by stop-motion techniques.
While the process can be time-consuming, Al-Qedrah emphasised the immense gratification
that comes with creating engaging and dynamic content using nothing but still images. “These
videos are nothing but images stacked one after another, and we play it at a certain speed, say
15 frames per second. So that is 12-15 photos per second of video,” he explained. “The longer
the video, a larger amount of pictures, and effort, is required with each image captured in a
forward progression movement.”
At the Social Media Cafe station, a student attending the festival demonstrated an impressive
level of imagination by having a friend take multiple pictures of a chair while he kept moving it a
few centimetres at a time. “That was a great way to demonstrate the artform and a pleasure to
see,” Al-Qedrah commented.
The videographer’s own interest in the form of content was sparked by a video in which a man
carved a plastic tomato into a ball, a project that took a month to complete. “Such videos can be
used to make people appear flying, or a home relocation company, for example, advertising
their services, as a special effect for a time lapse kind of treatment or a jump scene,” he said.
Al-Qedrah’s comments provide an insight into the possibilities and challenges of image
sequencing videos, a popular technique that is both fun and accessible for creators of all skill
levels.
The Social Media Cafe is just one of the many interesting and informative spaces that were
developed for SCRF, a festival that aims to inspire a love of reading and learning in young
people. As Al-Qedrah reflected, “It’s always inspiring to see young people exploring new
creative techniques, and I hope that everyone who attends the festival comes away feeling
inspired and excited to try something new.”