CHICAGO — A suburban man spent eight months making a time lapse video showcasing the beauty of Chicago.
Chris Biela, who lives in the northwest suburbs, said making videos is a hobby he's worked on for years. But a few years months ago, he decided he wanted to "raise the bar a little bit higher" and shoot a video that would challenge him while also showing the beauty of Chicago.
"For me, every time I go there it's breathtaking," said Biela, who used to live in North Park.
Biela started filming in January. One of his favorite parts of the video shows the sunrise from beneath Cloud Gate ("the Bean" in Millennium Park), and he had to stand outside in 30-degree weather to get everything just right.
Other shots took patience: He had to wait until August to film the Air and Water Show, wanted video of the Chicago River being dyed green for St. Patrick's Day in March, and it took him multiple tries to get the perfect clip of the moon rising above the city.
"I wanted to include a lot of natural observations and events throughout the year in Chicago," Biela said. "All those events, they are big events but they are not in the same month or even close to each other, so that's why I had to be patient and wait so long and make this a pretty long-term project."
It wasn't until June that he was able to start editing everything, and he didn't put the video on YouTube until the end of September.
In the end, the video showed some of the city's largest events but also highlighted sculptures, construction, architecture, people frolicking on beaches, the city's skyline and more. Biela edited hours worth of video into quick, time lapse clips to show how Chicago has changed over time.
Every event and everyday happenings became "unforgettable" to Biela as he watched life in Chicago unfold through his lens.
"Every time I go into the city I discovered something new. The city is always changing, always building something new," Biela said. "I like all the surprises I get on the way.
"It's Chicago," Biela said. "It's a beautiful city."
Biela has more videos of the city on his YouTube page.
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