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STOP MOTION ANIMATION - Advanced Topics Part 2 Transition Shots

A transition shot is where the camera view jumps from one angle to another. It is something that happens a hundred times in a move and you don't even notice it. It is a very natural looking way to make the story move along and look naturally. It can be handled in a lot of different ways and transition shots can lend a lot to the story. For example, if you have a lot of very fast transition shots it can raise the tension in the story.

 

This can easily be explained by the following two pictures. In the first picture the figure walks over to the door and opens it. And just as he steps through the door I jump to a new camera angle that is outside the door. This makes perfect sense to the viewer and it keeps the story moving.

The last frame

So, we finish this short section of the animation by having the character walk over to the door and open it. And just as he steps out we jump (transition) to the new camera angle.

 

The first frame

This is the first frame from that new camera angle. When watching this in the animation it makes perfect sense and you don't even notice the transition. But it makes the animation a whole lot better!

Notice the red color of this outdoor scene. You can see hints of it from inside the room when the door is opened. This is because our figure is stepping into an alien world! I will talk a little about this in the lighting part of this tutorial. But first lets look at one more transition.

 

A miniature set

 

The figure leaves the open door and walks to the door on the left of the picture. And just as he passes through the threshold we will transition to a new camera angle that introduces the viewer to the next room.

 

The set

And there we go. Just as the figure passes through the threshold we move the camera to our new angle in the new room and continue on with the making of the animation. Now the figure walks around in this room.

So, in closing. Think about how your transition shots will help the viewer better understand the story and move around within your world easily. And think about how fast these types of shots happen. They should be at a leisurely pace unless you want to bump up the excitement and action -then you might want to do them faster. But, don't do transition shots just to do them! Do them in a way that makes sense and aids in your story telling.

 

NextOk, let's move on to the next lesson in this tutorial: The Establishing Shot- It is a good idea to start your animation out this way.

 

Ball and sockets

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


 

Make a Phenakistoscope!

A-Phena-what-a-scope? A Phenakistoscope is often referred to as a magic disk. The disk has a series of images on it and when you spin it an animation happens! Yup, I give you everything you need to make this early animation device. Just print up the template along with four different magic disks. Make a phenakistoscope.


 

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