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Last month we talked about how to flip a water bottle. This month we’re going to show you how to make it appear as if it is alive, with Stop Motion animation. That’s when you put something on a stage and photograph small movements.
Here are three common types of stop motion animation, and some tips for success.
1. Dry Erase Markers and a White Boards. Meet Jonny Lawrence, an artist who uses a white board and markers to huge money make commercials. Visit http://vimedy.com to see some of his work.
2. Clay or (or Play Doh). “Clay is the basic medium for creative conception of new forms. It’s malleable, and it changes every time you touch it. You push and mash it, and a lump turns into something, just like magic.” Art Clokey, creator of Gumby. Gumby was one of the first stars of Clay-mation. He paved the way for other stop motion classics, including Wallace and Gromit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_and_Gromit and Fantastic Mr. Fox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Mr._Fox_(film). We have samples of both in the YouTube playlist, below.
3. Paper cut outs. Some famous cartoons are made with little more than paper and scissors. Paper makes it easy to change expressions and lip syncing. See bitly.com/2unDWUe or — if your advanced, https://youtu.be/iVg8n7jmndQ
Three Tips For Beginning Stop Motion Artists
1. Make a plan. Figure out your story, and let it guide you as you make your shopping list of materials. Make a short storyboard by putting each narrative element on a small card, and putting the cards in order, with a list of the materials you’ll need. Collect the materials you’ll need. Read more at http://nofilmschool.com/2016/06/stop-motion-animation-tips.
2. Don’t bump the camera (or change the lights) between shots. It’s best to use some kind of remote to take the pictures.
3. Remember your sound! The right sound effects can make bad graphics look much better, according to designer Mark Schlichting. Visit http://magnemation.com/original/tools.php for a set of royalty free sounds.
APPLICATION: Create a Stop Motion Studio You’ll need a tripod, a single color backdrop some lights, markers, and materials like clay or a white board. Here’s a tutorial wi.st/2uGzrDB. We use iStopMotion running on an iPad bitly.com/2tHzh1R and also like Zing’s Stikbot bitly.com/2sBoSp8. Here’s how you set up a home made studio on a budget bitly.com/2tfjo1X.
Stop Motion on YouTube
Here’s a video playlist that go along with this column http://bitly.com/lcstopmotionvids
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