This blog will explore animation techniques and the contributing inventions that lead to stop motion and animation's development.
Techniques:
Stop motion animation can be developed using a variety of techniques.
Depending on the animation type, different techniques and equipment is used.
Stop Motion is also known as stop frame, this uses the technique of still shots - some can be done with a camera. This is where the creator takes shots of each frame, and then physically move the 'characters' or objects of focus by a little between each shot. Frame rates in each second can vary from 2 to 50 although the most common is 12 frames per second or 24 frames per second. When these frames (photo shots) are played back they show the movement of the object - so it looks like the object is moving by itself.
This technique is commonly used with clay, paper and objects.
In regards to the movement, each detail has to be changed within each shot when necessary, for example if there is a clay figure of a dog, and the creator wants to create the moving image of a dog cocking it's leg, the dog may stay still but the leg needs to move. So, between each shot, the creator must manipulate the objects movement by recreating the leg, moving it further up by a tiny bit and taking another shot and repeating this process. If done correctly - using tiny movements and a high number of frames per second, when played back this will look like a genuine, fluent movement with no 'jumping' - when the movement looks very sudden. The objective is to make the objects in focus look like they are 'alive' so they have to move realistically.
The same applies for a drawing animation, the artist must change the details by rubbing out and re-drawing between each frame, it's important that the artist has a point of reference for each movement - meaning they should have outlines of the previous sketch so they remember the correct shape, features and know where to draw next.
For example, if the creator wants a moving image of a drawn head looking to the side, the artist should keep some tracing paper and regular paper and draw the face, get another piece of paper and draw the face turing slightly, using the tracing paper with the original face as a point of reference so they know to 'shift' the details.
For animation of drawing or using paper, creators will have to have a camera tripod positioned so it can capture the whole image, being placed at a suitable angle so the picture does look stretched.
The creator will have to take lighting into consideration. If it is filmed in daylight, this can cause problems as day light changes, clouds get in the way of the sun and the earth spins, so lighting will change resulting in continuity problems as the paper sheet will eventually get darker, so it's best to do these in artificial light.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_motion
