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Nine Creative Techniques for Stop Motion Animation

Often times when a person wants to do a stop motion anination the question comes up of what kind of things can I do if I want to draw an animation? Do I have to draw a picture of a person about a thousand times with each drawing being just a little bit different than every other drawing? Well, yes that is one way to do an animation but there are lots of other creative things you can do that are easier. Here is an overview of these techniques. And I have a youtube video to go along with it.

 

The youtube video also shows you the setup I made in order to make this video. I use a dry erase board which is a great way to start out with animation. It will cost you only a few dollars and the dry erase is really nice because you easily draw and erase as you animate.

Here are the 9 creative techniques:

  1. . Use Text - Write out words to explain or telll your story
  2. Draw a Background - It can be simple or complex and it doesn't have to move
  3. Use simple motion - You simply draw an object, take a picture, erase it and draw it in a new spot so motion is simulated.
  4. Add lines Sounds funny but just add more lines and things will grow
  5. Express like a human - Use human or animal like shapes to express emotions, actions, thoughts
  6. Vary the speed of what happens, Don't have everything move in the same exact pace
  7. Vary the camera angle. You can zoom in/out or pan around. - without ever moving your camera or your drawing board
  8. Multiple things happening - This can be real interesting to look at if more than 1 thing is happening at a time
  9. Tell a story! This is the real point of any animation. What is the story?

Extra: When doing your drawing you have to remember that erasing lines and things is animation too! And you can use sound effects or music very effectively. Time your animation properly so it is synchronized to the sound/music.

 

RESOURCES TO MAKING STOP MOTION ANIMATION


 

Beginners guide to 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.

Klutz book of 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.

Ball and Socket Armature

A look at Ball and Socket Armatures They are a fantastic way to build a character in a stop motion animation. I show you what they are and how they work. A look at Ball and Socket Armatures for Animation

The dragonslayer

Advanced Topics for Stop Motion Animation (And a Video) I created the DragonSlayer 7 Adventure Begins" video and have also creatred this tutorial using that video as an example. I show you some advanced techniques of stop motion. I don't mean these are techniques for pixar or disney. I mean they are just some good techniques you can use to make a better animation. I cover things like lighting, building a set and doing transition shots. Advanced topics for Stop Motion Animation


 

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