Ink diffusion videos
This post explains how to create your own ink diffusion* videos, using two regular cellphones, gouache color, and some creativity 😄 You can see the results in my video clip “Clouds”.
Take I: One cellphone, one square glass container, one eye dropper
My first try was with one cellphone, a large clear square vase, and soy sauce (yup, really). Fill the vase half way with water. Position the vase agains a white wall or other plain background. Position the cell phone against the vase by leaning it, no additional equipment needed 😉. Fill a dropper with soy sauce (or red wine, or other colored liquid). Start recording, and start dropping drops of soy sauce into the water. Stop when recording when done.
You’ll probably have to do this a few times, until the drops are actually in the field of view of the phone. You’ll need to change the water each time so it’s clear. Don’t worry if part of the view is the bottom of the vase or the top of the water, as long as there is one area that consistently looks good.
When done, perform magic using Lightworks or your favorite video editor (I use the free version). You can crop the video to your liking, change the color, and speed it up.
Take II: Two cellphones, one white shallow bowl, some scrap wood, gouache color, eye dropper/small glass
In this take I recorded the ink from above using a cellphone, so I needed a stand. My husband had some scrap wood around so it was a snap to create a simple stand, but you can also manage with a large upside down pot and a counterweight to prevent the phone from falling (this is where the creativity comes in). The second phone was used for lighting, a flashlight or sunshine would work as well.
The gouache was mixed with a bit of water in a small glass. Then drawn into an eye dropper or slowly poured from the side of the bowl. The phone was positioned so the sides of the bowl were out of view, by zooming in.
Basically position the phone, start recording and zoom in to the interesting area. Start dropping colors (my son and I did up to three colors) and watch the color spread. Here also you’ll need to change the water between attempts. Be careful not to pour too much, it muddies the water and ruins the video.
*As a physicist, I just have to point out that this isn’t really diffusion, as the color enters the water with starting velocity. So it’s more like ink turbulence videos. But it’s still pretty!
