If you were wondering how they create movies such as
Wallace and Gromit or those groovy
Lego shorts on
YouTube, your search is over! Although creating stop motion animation is not difficult, it is time-consuming, repetitive and requires
patience. As long as you're forewarned and keen, this makes a fantastic
hobby and sometimes even grows into a
career.
1
Get objects and figures to use in your movie. Some good choices include clay, wire, Lego or similar building block figures, Playmobil™ figures, small dolls with a lot of flexibility, or string and wooden bead characters.Some people even use Peeps! Be imaginative in the types of objects and figures that might work for your movie. For amateurs, it's best to use a toy rather then making a figure, as it is easier to animate.2
Set up the figures (characters) in a particular position and within their set. This photo shows a Lego set.3
Place your camera in front of the "set" that you are going to take photos of. Check that it can view the entire frame. It is very important to support the camera or place it so that it is sitting steadily and cannot shake as you take the photos. Otherwise, the end result will appear chaotic and lack continuity. Keep in mind that the more photos, the smoother the video results. If you do not have a tripod, good alternatives include balancing on solid books, poster tack on the surface of the set or a piece of solid furniture at the same height. In single frame, 24 pictures equals one second of film. It's best to take two pictures of the same shot, so you only require 12.4
Set up a good source of lighting. It might be a lamp or a flashlight. If your light is flickering, you need to shut off other sources of light. Close the blind, or curtains etc.5
Take a single photo of the figure in the selected position. This photo shows the Lego set being readied for photographing.6
Begin the movement sequence. Move the figure bit by bit - very small movements each time. It may be the entire body if the figure is walking, or it may just be an arm, head or leg. If you are moving only one body part and you find that the figure is tilting or threatening to fall over, make use of poster tack under the feet or other area touching part of the set.7
Repeat the movement sequence until your action step is completed, or your camera's memory is full.8
Save the pictures onto your computer in an easy to remember place.9
Use your movie-making software as instructed (or see two popular software methods below). The basics involve:
- Import the pictures into the desired program.
- Make sure the pictures are at a very small duration so they flow very fast. If you are disappointed by the speed at which your program can animate, try exporting the project as a video file (before adding audio), then importing it again, and using a speed effect on it, such as double speed (these effects only work on video clips). Then, if the resulting speed is sufficient, you may add your audio.
- Add titles and credits if you would like.
- Make sure you like the end result of your stop motion animation. Keep going if you need to complete more actions to create a story.
- Save the video. If you plan on having multiple stop motion segments, save each segment as a separate movie. Once the entire group of segments is completed, you can import all the segments into the final movie, and it will look much better and be a lot easier to finalize.
10
Add effects or transitions, or whatever else you feel makes it look good.11
Share your movie by burning it into a CD or place it into an iPod. Continue making other ones!
