Time-Lapse Tagging: Short Film Reveals Secrets of Graffiti

time graffiti artist ladder

You see the finished pieces all over – ornate, curved and layered – but rarely get such a vivid and complete all-angle, real-time view of how their tags come together. If you are even remotely interested in graffiti, this behind-the-scenes video with its shifting point of view is well worth a few minutes of your time.

time lapse graffiti mural

Featuring Melbourne street artist Sofles and directed, filmed and edited by Celina Mills of Unity Sound & Visual, this video provides a whirlwind four-minute window into the creative process behind tagging. Instead of a static shot of a single tag, though, the camera follows the artist from wall to wall, into an abandoned building and more.

time lapse tagging video

What makes it really remarkable, though, is that it gives you a tour of different scenarios and contexts for various styles and types of graffiti creation. It features interior and exterior settings as well as canvasses ranging from blank to brick to already-painted – so you can see what happens from start to finish in all kinds of urban situations.