How to Animate

Steps to animate :

Steps to Animate Stop motion animation:

To create a stop motion animation, you need a webcam or a basic digital camera (preferably mounted on a tripod for stability) and any video editing software (like Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple iMovie, etc)

Step 1: Fix your camera in front of the subjects (Mickey Mouse & Co. in my case). You can also your webcam mounted on the computer screen and capture still photographs using the keyboard.

Step 2: Visualize the movements and action of the characters in the movie (like what path they would follow, whether they would jump, etc). You may want to write this down as a rough movie script.

Step 3: Once your initial setting is in place, click the first picture. Now move the object(s) by a very small distance (few centimeters) and shoot the next picture. Make sure you don't change the position of your camera.

Repeat the step until all your characters reach the final frame.

Here's are some sample photographs shot for the movie embedded above - Notice how the elephant, dog and Mickey have moved in each of the frames while the bear is sitting still.



Step 4: Open Windows Movie Maker and goto Tools, Options and click the Advanced tab. Change the "Picture Duration" to 0.125 seconds and Transition Duration to 0.25 seconds (both are minimum values).

Now import all your digital photographs into Movie Maker and drag-n-drop them onto the Video Timeline. That's it. Export the video in AVI or WMV format and upload it to YouTube for sharing with your friends.

Bonus Tip: If you like your characters to jump in the stop-motion animation video, attach them to a thin wire and lift the wire a few centimeters in each frame. If the wire is of the same color as the background, it won't be visible in the final movie.

If you have professional video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Pro, you can further reduce the time duration between still photographs to create smooth animation video without flickers or jerks.

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THE STORY

I began wanting a story that was fun to watch, but I also wanted it to educate the viewer on the possibilities of clay animation.

The story is the most important part of a movie. This is the basis for everything you do. You can have the best character ever, but without a good story and theme, a movie isn't entertaining. Let's be honest, no one wants to watch a boring movie.

I started by thinking of ways to teach clay animation while keeping the movie entertaining. This was the main purpose of the site. First, I drafted a brief outline of what I wanted to happen during the movie. Having the basic ideas down, I used my own ideas and input from others to further develop the storyline and script a dialogue.

Once the actual filming of the movie began, it naturally sparked bigger and better ideas. From the humble, simple movie planned from the start, there suddenly were tons of ideas that I could use. I just continued to add to the movie during the filming.

Characters

To make any movie successful, the story and the characters have to work together. The stars of most clay animation pieces tend to be vibrant and full of life. I had many ideas, and using imput from my team members I finally chose the main character. These pictures show how the character came to life from a drawing and was assembled. 

Equipment 

If you are using a computer, you should use a digital camera. Regardless of the camera used, in order to keep the shots consistent you should mount the camera on a tripod. Make sure that you have plenty of light. If you don't have extra lights around, make sure that you shoot in sunlight with as much light as possible.

The Set (Background/Props)

I wanted a simple background and setup so that my character would stand out. A bright, colorful background would detract from the character. I stuck with a solid black backround, although sometimes it looks gray in the lighting. I created and used the props that the storyline called for, and added some more props as I filmed it. These pictures show the props in the movie.

Lighting 

      When it comes to filming your movie, lighting is one of the most vital factors. You can never use enough light. Bad lighting creates unnecessary shadows. The charcter's appearance should be even without shadows across the body. The color should flow together and look smooth. If the lighting setup is too bright, then the character may not be visible and there may be a glare in the picture.

Movement

     Adding movement to the characters of the movie is very tedious. This is the point where you will need the most patience to complete the finished product. Movements have to be slight and in very small incriments. Even though large actions require many frames, be aware that the smaller actions don't need to take up as many frames or as much time in the movie. For example, when a character walks across the room, it may take 15+ frames. BUT, when a character blinks its eyes, it only needs to take 2 to 3 frames at most.

Dialogue

     There are numerous ways to do dialogue with a character. In the beginning, I planned on moving the mouth around, but this resulted in the character's head changing shape. I then tried using different heads, but this was more trouble than it was worth. Having any consistency with the heads was also very difficult. Finally, I decided to use a method where different mouths are created and replaced during each frame. Below is a shot of the mouths for the character.

Editing 

    After the filming process was completed and all of the shots were stored into the computer, I imported the movie into a program that allowed me to adjust the duration of each shot. This is also where I added sound and effects to the movie. Many of the effects I made myself using common items.

     For many of the shots done in the movie, I used wires to support the characters. Most of these wires were quite visible. In order to edit these out of my shots, I took each frame and imported to a different program that allowed me to manipulate the pictures. Then, I imported each converted frame back into the movie.This way, the movie looks very realistic, which is the point of clay animation.

Viewing

For the optimum viewing experience and your pleasure, we suggest viewing this movie in a big, comfortable easy chair. We strongly advise that a bowl of popcorn and a glass of soda be within your arms reach. Now, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the movie. Thanks!!!