Golden Boy in Motion: Capturing Winnipeg’s Icon in a Cinematic Time-Lapse with the DJI Pocket 3
- gear4greatness
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Last updated: July 22, 2025
Golden Boy in Motion: Capturing Winnipeg’s Icon in a Cinematic Time-Lapse with the DJI Pocket 3
Winnipeg’s skyline is home to many landmarks, but none shine quite like the Golden Boy. Perched atop the Manitoba Legislative Building, this gold-covered statue symbolizes growth, opportunity, and light — and on the right day, with the right gear, it also makes for the perfect time-lapse subject.
In this post, we’ll take you behind the scenes of a stunning time-lapse sequence filmed using the DJI Pocket 3 and an ND64 filter. The result? A flowing cinematic shot that brings Manitoba’s most iconic figure to life in a whole new way.
📍 Why the Golden Boy?
The Golden Boy isn’t just a statue — it’s a symbol of resilience. Standing over 17 feet tall and cast in bronze and gold leaf, he faces north, torch held high, ready to lead the way.
Capturing that energy in motion felt like the right challenge — and one that the DJI Pocket 3 was more than ready to handle.
🎥 The Setup: DJI Pocket 3 + ND64 Filter
📸 Camera: DJI Pocket 3
Small, stabilized, and incredibly sharp — the Pocket 3 is perfect for time-lapse work. Its 1-inch sensor and 10-bit D-Log M color profile gave the footage incredible depth and flexibility in post.
🕶️ ND Filter: ND64
With bright daylight overhead, we needed an ND64 filter to cut the exposure and allow for slower shutter speeds. This smoothed out the cloud movement and gave the final result that dreamy, cinematic flow.
🎛 Settings Used:
Resolution: 4K Time-Lapse Mode
Shutter: Manual – slowest possible for blur
Color Profile: D-Log M
White Balance: Locked to daylight
Stabilization: On (built-in gimbal)
⏱️ The Scene: Clouds, Light, and Legacy
As the clouds rolled across the sky, the Golden Boy stood motionless — but the city around him didn’t. The camera stayed locked on his golden figure while the background flowed by like time itself.
Shooting from a fixed tripod position with a stable base, we let the camera run for just over an hour to create the full time-lapse. The final result condenses it all into under a minute — but still captures the grandeur.
🎨 Editing: From Flat to Cinematic
We brought the footage into Filmora and applied:
A subtle cinematic LUT to grade the D-Log M footage
Slight motion smoothing for transitions
Sound design and ambient music to match the scene
The ND64 allowed us to retain highlight detail even under full sun, and the result was footage that felt cinematic, smooth, and elevated.
🛒 Buy on Amazon
Golden Boy in Motion: Capturing Winnipeg’s Icon in a Cinematic Time-Lapse with the DJI Pocket 3
✍️ Final Thoughts: A New Perspective on a Winnipeg Icon
Sometimes it only takes a few minutes of footage to tell a powerful story. The Golden Boy has stood still for more than 100 years — but through the lens of the Pocket 3, he feels alive, moving, and more inspiring than ever.
Whether you're filming time-lapses, slow motion, or vlogs, the DJI Pocket 3 continues to prove it’s more than just a “pocket camera.” It’s a full creative tool — even when shooting Manitoba legends.
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