With the advent of Digital Technology, why not benefit from incorporating the traditional, Stop Motion, technique into your Movie Master piece.

To define Stop Motion, it is the practice of physically moving an object frame by frame to give the appearance of movement.

Stop Motion has a long and very complex road in history, and it seems it origins began back in 1902 , in which the film ‘Fun in a baker shop’ used the technique in a very successful sequence.  Since then, the demand for Stop Motion animation has rocketed through the roof, and today, some feature length films are created entirely using this technique. One notable film is Chicken Run, which was the first Stop Motion animation feature film in Europe to use Digital Intermediate processes.  As a result, Chicken run went on to win a a long list of Awards and Nominations, including best animated feature at the Annie Wards, and Best British Film and Best Visual Effect at the BAFTA awards.

If you are keen to introduce Stop Motion into your movies, the main challenge for you, the director, is in creating good scenery, characters and most importantly, combining everything together so that the whole sequence has meaning and tells a story.  That said, most points mentioned afore also relate to creating a short film, as you create props, costumes and decide upon a narrative, so don’t be too put of by the some of the tasks ahead – your only limitation is you imagination!

Get Started with Stop Motion

OK, the first thing I would say is to be realistic in your expectation.  Do not expect to create something like Chicken Run, as that would be far to difficult and takes many years of model making and stop motion experience.  That said however, you can use stop motion as a means to creating some spooky on screen scenes.  At a first attempt, don’t be disheartened if your subject appears to have a stunted movement, this is simply because you are moving the object to much in each frame and remember, Stop Motion is not a quick process!

To get started, there are a number of key techniques you must keep in mind:

Lighting – A good Stop Motion sequence needs a good consistent lighting set up.  If you are creating your sequence indoors, close the curtains, switch of your bedroom light, and use a lighting set up which can be replicated at any time.  Similarly, on you digital camera, ensure you set the exposure, shutter speed and white balance manually to gain a consistent feel to your images.  The aim is to avoid light flickering when you combine the images in the editing suite.

Set your Camera Properly -  As mentioned above,  ensure you set your camera up correctly.  Forget about the auto functions, as this will not cut it.  You need to ensure you have full control over the camera, including focus, exposure and white balance.  By doing so, your movie will look consistent throughout.

Right amount of Movement –  As the success of Stop Motion is dependent upon frame movement, ensure you move the object in small sections.  Don’t over do it, as you will get the stunted appearance we mentioned earlier.  Your animation needs to look realistic, and the only way to do that is to use small and steady movements.  Remember, forget about time, as stop motion is not quick!

Clay Models – After you master moving a simple object swiftly and smoothly across the screen, you may then want to look at implementing some clay models.  Perhaps look at initially buying some clay figures to get your started, or use your sons Action Man or your Daughters Barbie Doll.  You will then become more accustomed to stop motion,  and perhaps you can then start thinking about building your own figures.

Suggested  Gear

As stop motion is created on a frame by frame basis, the best tool to use is a Digital Camera.  That said, you can use your Digital Camcorder if you like, but you will see greater results if you use a Camera.

Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Your camcorder will probably have a built in digital camera, although, in my experience, for the best stop motion, I would recommend looking at a digital SLR camera.  The New Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera is great for stop motion animation, due to the unprecedented control offered over image quality. That said, if you are on a shoe sting budget, give your camcorder a go.

Tripod

A tripod is a must have accessory if you want to start with Stop Motion.  You need your camera to be positioned in one location throughout a scene, so ensure you have a decent tripod to hold your camera or camcorder. The Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod is ideal for light weight camcorders and digital cameras and provides some great results with the Manfrotto 496RC2 Ball Head with Friction Control

Stitching images together to create a sequence out of your images.

You can follow our tutorial here on how to compile images into a movie, and this is the same principle for creating your Stop Frame animation sequence.