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Stop Motion
- Stop-Motion Animation (also referred to as stop-action) is the art of creating a moving image of a three dimensional object that normally doesn't move or change by itself.
- What is generally considered stop-motion or stop-action is the painstaking task of creating and photographing models, or puppets one frame or picture at a time. Between each picture, you move, adjust or reposition the object a small and precise amount. When the sequence of pictures is played back at a high enough speed, the illusion of movement is produced.
- Stop-motion photography requires long hours of hard work to produce even a few seconds of film. A single error can cause many days worth of material to be lost. For this reason, the camera, set and models are carefully clamped down to eliminate unexpected movement between shooting each frame.
- Although computer animation has now replaced stop-motion in almost every application where the film maker is trying to create a realistic effect, stop-motion isn't completely gone. Sometimes film-makers prefer it because of the special style it gives the picture.
Types of Stop Motion
- claymation (2D and 3D)
- whiteboard animation
- pixilation
- object animation
- toy-mation (Ex. Brick or Lego Films)
- cut-out animation
- puppet animation
- silhouette animation
- sand animation (also being done with coffee)
- Others to consider if you have time
- painted on glass animation
- erasure animation
- pinscreen animation
So Why Learn Stop Motion
- When you think about it, all animation is stop-action. It is the capturing of individual moments that are joined together to give the impression of movement, whether through models or drawings.
- For beginners this can be one of the more accessible introductions to the art form, because something can be produced with even the most basic of drawing skills. Raiding a child's toy box, or getting your own old toys from the attic, is all you need to start with. In the hands of an artist, it is raised to a whole new level.
- Stop-motion requires animators to work with aspects of filmmaking very similar to those that live-action directors have to deal with: lighting, camera movement, depth of field and spatial relationships, sound, background and setting, character development, storyboarding, etc.
- For the next couple of weeks, we are going to explore basic techniques for creating our own 3D stop-motion animations. Given some simple equipment, and loads of creativity, almost anything should be possible.
Persistence of Vision applied to Stop Motion
- Movies, animation, and television work by displaying a series of pictures.
- Our brains have a certain threshold of how fast we can process visual information. If we are shown pictures that change at a certain rate, we may or may not be able to tell that they are a series of still images depending on how fast the images are coming in.
- Assuming that each picture is identical except for the action that is changing in the scene, if the images change once per second, it's easy to tell that they are still images. Twice, three times, or four times per second and it's still easy.
- But at ten - twelve frames per second the information is coming in too fast for our eyes and brains to figure out, and we see the changes as a smooth motion, a single picture with moving elements. This effect is known as persistence of vision.
- Motion pictures are usually projected at 24 frames a second and video at 30 frames a second (although this comes in the form of two interlaced half frames every 60th of a second). Motion picture cameras record by exposing frames (24 a second) one after another so that movement, like a person walking down a street, is captured.
- If the camera is pointed at an inanimate object, like a vase on a table, and the frames are exposed one at a time so that in between shots the vase can be moved a fraction of an inch, then film when projected back at normal speed, will show the vase apparently moving by itself.
- The same can be done with elaborate jointed models on miniature sets to give the impression that the models are alive and walking around by themselves. Typically, a miniature model of the creature constructed with posable limbs and body and was placed in a miniature set and photographed by a motion picture camera one frame at a time. Changing the pose between frames would cause the model to appear to be moving by itself in the final film.
- In addition to models, clay and drawings are often used with this technique. When drawings are used it is generally referred to as cartoon animation.
Historical Examples:
Willis O'Brien and and The Missing Link
One of the earliest shorts produced using stop-motion was The Missing Link (1916).
One of the earliest shorts produced using stop-motion was The Missing Link (1916).
His most well-known works were The Lost World (1925) and King Kong (1933)
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For interest: Ray Harryhausen
The Harryhausen Chronicles A six part documentary about Ray Harryhausen, a pioneer in stop-motion animation.
Other Interesting Example:
Sculpture A mesmerising stop motion of sculpture in Melbourne – click here
California A day in the life in California – click here
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