Stop-motion animation movies are a familiar sight in movie history. According to Rotten Tomatoes, some of the movies it reviewed and found to be masterpieces, such as 1933's "King Kong," 2000's "Chicken Run," and 2009's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" were made with stop-motion animation.
Although these films look like only those with the appropriate funding can make one, they can be done with simple, everyday objects.
So how does one make a stop-motion animation movie in the comfort of their own home?
What Is Stop-Motion Animation?
Before we tackle how to make a stop-motion animation movie, let us first define what is stop-motion.
According to Master Class, stop-motion is an animation technique where you manipulate objects and figures frame by frame and take pictures of them, creating the illusion of fluid movement.
Although taking pictures of each frame is time-consuming, the end result is an animation similar to the one you may find in a digital flipbook, bringing inanimate objects to life.
It is this simplicity that allows moviemakers to use simple, mundane objects like clay molded into the shape of a character or the use of a puppet to create a movie based on them.
Believe it or not, Nick Park used clay to create one of animation's most iconic man-and-canine duos, Wallace and Gromit, from the "Wallace and Gromit" film series.
Meanwhile, Tim Burton, Charlie Kaufman, and Wes Anderson used puppets for their stop-motion animation movies, such as "The Nightmare before Christmas," "Anomalisa," and "Fantastic Mr. Fox," respectively.
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Try to watch these films if you have the time to get your creative juices going in your head, as we will be discussing what you'll need and what to do to make you an amateur stop-motion animator
How To Become A Stop-Motion Animator
Characters out of the Wallace & Gromit "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" are seen during the Wallace & Gromit Go To Cannes Luncheon at the American Pavillion during the 58th International Cannes Film Festival May 12, 2005 in Cannes, France.
To make a stop-motion animation video or movie, you'll first need a lot of time, since you'll be taking pictures of objects moving in small increments to create the illusion of motion - a time-consuming process.
Other than that, you'll need the following items:
- Camera - to take pictures with. A smartphone will do if you don't have a digital camera with you.
- Tripod - to keep the pictures' angle and framing consistent.
- Materials/objects - any inanimate object is acceptable, but you may want to use clay, LEGO bricks, or puppets for your characters.
- Editing software - you'll need to stitch the picture you took together to make the moves the objects are making smoother to the eyes. According to Filmora, the best editing software to get for stop-motion animation are Filmora, Dragonframe, and Stop Motion Studio.
Once the items you need and the idea you have in mind for the video/movie are ready, start taking photos of the scene you have in mind and slowly move the objects to create the next frame. The ideal framerate to aim for is 12 frames for one second of video for optimal results.
Remember to alternate between moving the objects in small increments and taking photos of them to get your frames.
Once that's done, take the pictures to your computer and start stitching them together with your editing software of choice.
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