How to Make a Stop Motion Animation with a Diorama

This tutorial shows you some basic tricks and techniques for making a stop motion animation by using a diorama. This is a World War 2 diorama that I made and it is part of a series of tutorials on how to make a WW2 diorama. If you are interested in making a diorama like this the tutorial begins here: How to Make a WW2 diorama

This video is also on youtube here

Here are some of the important point I cover in the video

1. Lighting: It is very important that you have very bright lighting. You should take a few pictures first and then look at them on the computer to see if the pictures look good. You will lose some of the light when the animation is put together. Add extra lights if needed. I use a fluorescent light that is only about three feet above the diorama.

2. Keep the Camera within the world of the diorama: This will maintain the reality of the scene.

3. Changing the Camera angle: This is a little bit advanced. If you are an absolute beginner you might want to just lock the camera in one place and take all the pictures that way. But if you want an animation that is more interesting, and more professional, you should try changing the camera angle. And if you have the ability, like I have with the tripod, you can try slowly moving the camera.

4. Be creative: I use a very thin and clear colored thread to slide the anti tank projectile so it flies through the air. I also use the same thread to move the tank as it explodes. Be creative and try using different things to achieve some great special effects.

5. Write a story: This is very important because when it comes down to it the story is the most important thing. It doesn't have to be a complex story but it has to be interesting. In the case of this tutorial we find out that the Tiger Tank is in for an ambush.

RESOURCES TO MAKING STOP MOTION ANIMATION

Beginner's Guide to Animation: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

To beginners, making an animated movie can seem like voodoo magic. And in fact, until recently, animation was expensive and time-consuming. But now with the help of Beginner's Guide to Animation, anyone can make animated movies, using a digital camera, basic software, and a computer. The book begins with an illustrated guide to setting up a simple animation studio at home, including a list of essential items. Then, new animators hit the ground running with six innovative, instructive projects designed to develop technical skills and explore the potential of animation. A full collection of scannable templates makes it even easier to get started and to finish up. Tips, tricks, and clear instructions on editing, scoring, even making your own show reels and shorts make this the complete one-volume guide to amazing friends and family-and everyone on YouTube!-with great I-made-it-myself animation.

The Klutz Book of Animation: Make Your Own Stop Motion Movies

Welcome to the wide-open world of animation. It used to take an empire the size of the Magic Kingdom to make an animated film. And to get viewers, you'd need access to cineplexes or television networks. In other words, you were either in the industry or in the audience. That was then. Today, creating animation for a potential audience of 600 million requires a laptop, a camera, and an internet connection. That's it. The barriers have come down, the people have taken over, and the results are amazing. The Klutz Book of Animation is a complete how-to treatment of this newly accessible art form. It combines practical instruction and ready-to-shoot scripts. Real-life samples of all the projects are viewable online - the perfect marriage of book and web. Speaking of web, the software you'll need is available as a free download. It's plug and play on any computer (PC or Mac). Attached to the book is a piece of low-tech, non-toxic clay, ready to be molded into a million different heroes starring in a million different films - all of them animatedly yours.

Secrets Of Clay Animation Revealed 3!

Secrets of Clay Animation Revealed 3 is a book teaching all methods the experts use to make stop motion films from start to finish. After reading Secrets you will know how to create several types of armatures, learn how puppets are sculpted, make a motion control rig, light your sets, make your own surface gages, use video reference, chroma key, capture programs and more.

Stop Motion: Craft Skills for Model Animation, Second Edition (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation)

This authoritative primer of the craft skills required in model animation teaches the basic building blocks of the creation of character driven animation.