Portsmouth in high-speed

For Tom Clark, the bustling city of Portsmouth is seen best through the eyes of a camera lens.
Snapping frame after frame, the 29-year-old Portsmouth resident captures a variety of moments that become little more than the background noise of everyday life in the Seacoast.

The Route 1 bridge ascending and descending.
The hustle and bustle of passers-by in Market Square.
The destruction and resurrection of local businesses.
Through a process of piecing together hundreds of still-frames, Clark's documentary, "Drop-Frame," uses a time-lapse effect — making the world fly by at dizzying speeds.
Time-lapse photography involves capturing a scene by taking pictures at set intervals, and playing them together so that they give the scene a sense of accelerated motion. The technique is often used to show action in scenes that move imperceptibly slowly, such as the budding of a flower or a sunset.
Using only a digital camera, Clark would find areas of interest and wait for the opportune moment to click the shutter.
"In some cases, I would sit and wait for something interesting to happen," Clark said. "And other times, I would be taking pictures as fast as the camera could go."
For each scene, Clark estimates that he took between 100 and 300 frames.
"The total amount of time I actually spent on the documentary is incalculable," Clark said. "Even when I was on vacation, I'd be thinking and planning what I was going to do next."
After taking the photos, Clark would return to his studio and modify the flow of the frames. Depending on the mood and environment of the location, he would make the decision to slow down or speed up the scene.
While embedded in Portsmouth's hotspots, Clark would sometimes stumble across unexpected photo opportunities.
Clark recalls accidentally discovering a bicycle race, which he only became aware of by being in the right place at the right time.
"Sometimes just taking photos of scenery would lead to other unexpected events, which became completely new sequences in the film," Clark said.
For some scenes, such as the renovation of Portsmouth's North Church, the documentarian would force himself to visit the location every day in the interest of completeness.
In foul weather or fair, Clark would sit outside with his camera, waiting for an interesting shot.
"It takes a lot of discipline to go there every day," Clark said. "I would get up on weekends and just say, 'well, I have to do this again.'

Growing up in the Seacoast area, Clark began to notice that the town he loved was changing rapidly. Businesses he had grown up with, such as Eagle Photo and Yoken's, were being demolished.
Using the degree in film production he received at Keene State College, Clark set out with goal of capturing the town he remembered from his childhood before it changed completely.
Over the course of three years, Clark took thousands of pictures, using time after his day job and utilizing his own equipment.
"I am very pleased with the way it came out," Clark said. "It was always going to bother me if it didn't come out right, so I didn't set any due-date. I could really take my time with it."
Choosing to leave out any voice-over, the film is set entirely to music.
"I chose the absence of dialogue because I wanted to remain unbiased," Clark said. "I didn't accidentally want to include anything negative. The idea was to keep opinions out of it, and let the viewer decide how they felt about it."
Although he is not currently working on any other films, Clark is open to the idea of creating a similar documentary based on another city.
Clark has already received a variety of positive responses from local residents.
"Everyone that has seen it, loves it," Clark said. "People start wondering at the end of a sequence what could be coming next."

credits: Dan Lorenz
seacoastonline.com/

For more about Portsmouth visit

DROP-FRAME
"Drop-Frame: A Documentary of Life in Portsmouth" is available at the Water Monkey, 33 Vaughan Mall, Portsmouth. For information, visit http://www.drop-frame.net/.

ANOTHER DOC
The Portsmouth Historical Society has created a new 13-minute film, titled "Welcome to Historic Portsmouth." Tracing events from Colonial times to today, the film showcases many important historical highlights. The film can be viewed online at www.cityofportsmouth.com/economic/phs.htm

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