This was my first time lapse video.  Sorry if some of the messages go by too fast.  Annotations have been added to clarify certain sections.

This time lapse only covers the post-processing work (aka motion tracking, adding shadows, motion blur, etc).  To make one of these videos you first need to do the initial work, which in my case involved keyframing a mask around the outline of Twilight (classic rotobrushing).  Total work for the first portion was ~5hrs, with another 3hrs spent in post-processing showcased in this video.

Pulling off a realistic photomanipulation or video such as this involves a lot of very small details, most of which a viewer won't even pick up on (like the slight motion blur as the camera's moving).  It is these fine details that pull off a sense of realism, as the human mind is an expert at picking up something that's off.  The trick to doing this well is figuring out what it is that your mind tells you is off, then going in and fixing it.  A PIRL is tricky in this regard, as you're essentially trying to build a 3D scene around a 2D character projected onto a 2D back drop.

This video wasn't meant as a tutorial, but instead a way of showing exactly how much work goes into one of these 10-15sec. videos.  Total time spent on this project, from finding clips that work, shooting the right shot, and editing the video is ~10-15hrs.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of The Hub channel and its affiliating company Hasbro, Inc.