How to create stop motion. Installing the camera in the desired position

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Stop-motion animation and our time

Stop-motion animation and our time.

While someone is buying The Foundry, and Autodesk is buying up everything that is more or less born in the vastness of CG graphics, and in cinemas people no longer understand where 3D is and where location shooting is, a crisis is flourishing in our country. The advertising market fell by 30% over the last reporting year, many companies laid off up to half of their employees, and some CG studios closed altogether. The time has come for advertising agencies to dump, optimize personnel and search for new cheap means of producing video advertising, since advertising is still the engine of sales.

Today I would like to remind my dear reader about something new. And the new, as we know, is the well-forgotten old.

Today I will talk about the oldest effects technique in cinema and TV, a technique that does not require a render farm, a technique that requires almost no computer calculations, but only a little patience and direct hands.

This technique is called stop-motion or frame-by-frame animation.

History for the last 35 years where we were not.

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I won’t go into the whole history of stop motion animation. One has only to say that the very first film where the time-lapse technique was used was used back in 1897 (!) in movie The Humpty Dumpty Circus, where a puppet theater with acrobats was built for one stage. So one hundred stop motion can be considered one hundred percent the first effects technique in cinema. Then there was a lot more, from “Flight to the Moon” to “Cheburazhka” and “Mitten” and other wonderful Soviet cartoons, collecting prizes and attention at international festivals.

But since 1970, technology in Hollywood cinema began to develop more rapidly. The pioneers of the “new” stop motion were ILM, which made Lucas’ first films in the “Star Wars” series.

Since 1986, the famous British studio Aardman made the first series of its famous plasticine miniatures, and in the 90s it already switched to full-fledged ones full-length cartoons with its main studio characters - Walliss and Grommit. Tim Burton made “Corpse Bride” and Frankinville with the Disney studio, and the LAIKA studio also did not lag behind with its first puppet films.

All of them were united by one two-sided feature, because of which we did not have anything similar. On the one side - old technology animation with a hundred-year history, but on the other hand, a rapidly developing television advertising market, thanks to which studios appeared and grew, which proved to Hollywood that they could film big projects for both TV and cinema. Here, in the 90s, everything was just getting started, and the semi-closed post-Soviet studios, even with wonderful animators, barely made a living.

Now.

Now we are going through strange times. The advertising market is well developed. TV and Internet advertising works well. Technology is also quite accessible. A dozen Russian CGI studios have already entered international level. Everyone began to master 3D. An incredible number of studios and freelancers have appeared. Orders came from large Russian and foreign companies. With the availability of more powerful computers and more information, as well as more user-friendly software, any fifth grade student can now make a bouncing hairy ball in half an hour and count it with ambient occlusion.

However, along with this the quality went away. Not all companies, due to the struggle for time and cost of production, produce a picture of a competitive level. A creative struggle ensued. War of the brains. If earlier every art director in any five-person technical department dreamed of making as many highlights as possible on an HDR glass, so that 2-3 hours per frame, no less, now, in 2015, with budget cuts for advertising agencies, many people switched to motion design partially or completely. Motion is now a trend not only because in most cases it is cheaper than 3D, but also because the customer realized that what he wants can be shown cheaper and at the same time more

in stylistically precise, memorable ways, rather than hitting the audience with tride technology right in the forehead.

Motion design has grown at an even faster pace over the past two years, and the struggle for orders is no joke either.

And now the main thing.

I want to say that this article is not against 3d and not for 3d, moreover, it was written by a third-party specialist with seven years of experience. And not about motion. This article is about the fact that you and I should not forget that everything described above is just an artist’s tool. Pencil, wacom or render engine are all tools for implementing visuals, the purpose of which is to sell a product or service to the viewer. It doesn’t matter to the viewer how much time and money you spent on the shot, it is important to the viewer that it is beautiful and interesting. But why have we forgotten about such a tool as stop motion?! The cheapest and most “soulful” tool for an animator! It is not right. Therefore, I propose to plunge into Magic world modern stop motion and consider it in parts.

Types of “frame-by-frame” animation.

Oil animation.

Perhaps the slowest animation technique of all to produce. The animator draws a frame using artistic oil on the glass of a special table called an “animation machine.” The machine usually has 2-3 glass layers. The background can be drawn on the bottom one, objects on the middle one, and characters on the top one. IN Lately They use only two layers, where the bottom one is just chromakey, and on the top one all the details are drawn separately, which are then assembled on the composite. The machine has segment lighting along the edges of each layer to control the lighting in the scene. The camera is mounted on a tripod from above.

Translation

The machine is also used. Flat puppets cut out of paper or cardboard are placed on the glass. Puppets of characters and objects can be drawn on the computer or, in the most old-school cases, directly on the puppets.

The name of the technique corresponds to the principle used: the puppets are moved frame by frame to the next place in the next frame.

Bulk technology

This technique uses bulk substances. They can be anything, as long as they can be used comfortably to draw on glass with a brush. A machine can also be used here, or everything happens on a sheet of plastic of the desired color. Substances can include, for example: ground coffee, sand, sugar, cereals, beads, etc.

Plasticine

A very versatile technique. Actually plasticine is used. It is divided into two types: volumetric and flat. In the flat version, a machine with a camera fixed on top is also used and all the footage is finished on the post. But a volumetric one can get by with just color correction; real decorations can be created, sliders and pavilion lighting can be used.

Example of flat plasticine animation:

An example of volumetric plasticine animation:

The great advantage of plasticine is that in many cases it looks like 3D, while providing unlimited possibilities and the cost is several times cheaper than a similar 3D video.

Puppet room

An expensive technique for which dolls are made in advance from various materials, scenery is built (sometimes in full human height). The animator must be very careful not to touch any objects on the diorama other than those being animated. Hard and painstaking work.

In this article I will pay more attention to the organization and features of working with Stop-motion. You can find out about the definition of what it is on the Internet; the same Wikipedia will help you with this. In short, stop motion is a video made from sequentially shot photographs. Since the article is mainly intended for potential clients, there will be more answers to questions about why this is so and not otherwise.

Let's talk about this in order. So, Stop motion is stop motion. That is, the most ancient technology, which was used in the early days of cinema. Now also used in plasticine animation and puppet animation, and also stood out as a separate genre.

There are two types of studios that work in stop motion: a man-studio or a studio in which a team works. A studio person is, as a rule, a specialist who works in a certain style, he has a narrow specialization. He either works in the genre of plasticine animation, or with object animation, or drawing (and he is a director, a cameraman, and an artist all rolled into one). The studio with its team has a wider range; it has specialists to work in most popular styles, if not on staff, then at least on an ongoing basis for certain projects. It is not uncommon for a client to impose his artist on such studios, which often leads to sad consequences (deadlines are violated, execution is lame due to an uncoordinated team).

Let's start with the process. Considering that Stop-motion allows you to make animation with a frame rate from two to three frames per second (if there are fewer frames, then this is a slide show) to twenty-four (We can often see very noticeable jumps in the movements of characters). Since motion animation involves making each frame a separate shot and often with real objects. The exception is sand animation, which goes straight to video (except for cases where combined shooting or the artist’s hands/fingers should not be visible). That is, plasticine dolls, real dolls, dolls cut out of cardboard, a drawing on a wall, asphalt, a board, or just objects are photographed.

Essentially Stop-motion has more attitude to the film industry than to animation itself. I’ll explain why (let’s omit such well-known requirements for both cinema and animation, such as a script and subsequent editing). To film stop motion animation, you need a site with preferably constant, artificial lighting, and a real stage on which the action will take place. Why artificial lighting, because (probably it would be worth stopping at this, since the answer is already there, but I will continue) because the sun tends to move. The shadows change their position and if this is not the case according to the plot, then this will increase the time it takes to work on the video. If we assume the position of the shadow is ideal only in the morning hours from nine to eleven, and you need to shoot for three hours, then we shoot for two days accordingly. No one has canceled the clouds, which at the most inopportune moment can hide the sun, and you will have to wait, wasting precious time. You need a camera and a tripod, which is not necessary at all for computer (the most common) animation. The only exception is in puppet and plasticine animation. They can also participate in stop motion real people actors.

For stop motion, the soundtrack is very important. The fewer frames per second you have in your video, the more emphasis is placed on the audio track. It often happens that sound is driving force roller And the plot, don’t forget that the video, even the shortest one, is first and foremost a film. Everything should be in it, the plot, the script. This is not just a set of photographs, it is a film that tells a story. Even if you make a clip using stop motion, it must also meet these requirements.

So, to create stop motion you need: a script, a good director, an artist, a good camera with a tripod, a film set, and a sound track.

Stop motion animation involves the movement of inanimate objects in the frame to create a certain story. So, for example, your cup and coffee beans can create something unusual, and most importantly unique for everyone in a short video. It is worth thinking through the details in advance, since the process differs from shooting conventional layouts (flatleys), but is not as labor-intensive as it might seem from the very beginning. It all depends on your imagination. Moreover, these small and short videos you can sell on stock , and some frames taken during the shooting process can be downloaded as photographs, so that’s two in one!

What is required for stop-motion photography?

To create a basic and high-quality stop-motion video, you don’t need a lot of equipment; you can get by with one simple camera with manual settings and, if possible, a computer to facilitate the filming process.

From experience, I can tell you that careful and timely preparation can not only save a lot of time, but also nerves in the future when processing animation.

Light

First of all, you need to remember that the light should remain the same throughout the entire shooting; you can use both daylight and softboxes. There are many opinions about light sets for photography, but in reality it all depends on the tasks and skills of the photographer. If you decide to shoot at home in daylight, you need to be careful and take into account that with a long period of shooting, the light outside the window may change with the usual appearance of clouds, rays of the sun, and new shadows or insufficiently lit areas will appear in the pictures.

Technique

The technical side of shooting is also quite simple. Mount the camera on a tripod or any flat surface so that it is firmly fixed throughout the entire shooting, without the slightest shift. Minor shifts of 5 millimeters to the right or left can change not only the light, but also the viewing angle in the picture, which will be noticeable when viewing finished work. The standard camera position is parallel to the composition.

Background

It is also important to fix the background on which you will shoot, since the shift of the background is equal to the shift of the camera equipment. During processing, your frames won't line up nicely and you can waste time aligning your shots to get the perfect result.

Decide in advance on the subject of the shoot, the objects that will be used in the frame, and think about the story you want to tell in your small animation.

Now how to remove everything?

The final stage is, of course, filming everything you have planned. As already mentioned, it consists of moving objects a short distance in each subsequent photograph to create the effect of an animated subject. The number of frames depends on the duration you want to get as a result. On drains You can upload videos of any length, but it’s much better if they are several segments of the same topic, which everyone can assemble as they wish after purchase.

Invent different scenarios shooting, add new objects to the frame, be patient and be inspired by the results. You can make small videos the first time, but then you will want more and more. Then this matter may completely drag you down. And believe me, you can achieve incredible success which we didn’t even know about until now!

Anna Georgievna (

I am glad to welcome you, dear readers!
Have you ever been on a shoot? These magic words on the set: “Light camera motor monster high.” Where do the monsters come from??? It's okay, because I'll tell you how to make stop motion monster high. It’s interesting to watch those who saw the dolls for the first time Monster High. They expected to see some scary and terrible zombies, orcs, trolls or other fantasy characters.

And they see cute dolls, slightly stylized and very convenient for filming, because all their body parts are on joints. They can be given any pose, changed outfit, jewelry, makeup, hairstyle. Moreover, frame-by-frame animation is accessible to everyone and does not require computer calculations or rendering, but only enough time, patience and imagination of the author. The technique of time-lapse photography began to be used at the end of the 19th century, when photography became widespread.

This is the oldest effects technique used in the film industry. But in our time, it has gained a second wind, animators looked at it from a different perspective and found a lot of new things in it and great potential for undiscovered properties. Combining it with various modern techniques, you can demonstrate excellent taste and great ingenuity, express yourself and show your inner world.

How to make stop motion animation

(The work experience of Lena Nikolaeva, who has shot more than one video using the stop motion technique.)
I made my first cartoon using this technique for the “Best STOP-MOTION Monster High” competition. There are two characters in this video: the daughter of werecats Toralei Stripe and the daughter of sea monsters Laguna Blue. They decorate the room with tinsel. Their cheerful New Year's mood is matched by a cheerful, energetic melody. This brings you to the first item on the list of necessary things that you should know about if you want to make a successful project.

Plot idea, character selection, costume making

You have creative idea, you think about how to bring it to life, what the characters will be like, how they will be dressed, what kind of relationships they have with each other. Clothing should correspond to the plot, emphasize the character's character, the cut should not interfere with movements, and the color should not blend into the background.

Distribution of roles if there are several characters.

We look at the assortment of “actors”, from what is already available and used in previous filming. We need to think about which ones are suitable, which ones need to be purchased, and what needs to be changed in them appearance so that they fit their role. How they will be positioned during shooting, at what time and in what place they will appear in the frame.

Choosing Voices for Characters

Ask someone to help voice or change your own voice for a certain character in special program. While working on the characters, you need to think about whether they will speak, sing, or simply remain silent. Who can voice them, do you know anyone whose voices are suitable or can be changed on the computer. Sometimes the soundtrack is written first, and then the movements during shooting are adjusted to the text.

Choosing the brightest and most comfortable place in the room.

Light, its quality and quantity, as well as direction greatly influence the choice of location “ film set" The light should not be too bright so that there are no very strong shadows. It is not advisable to shoot in yellow or any other colored lighting, unless the plot requires it, otherwise the color rendition will be greatly distorted and this will interfere with the correct perception of the cartoon by the audience.

Assembling the scenery for the video.

So, the plot is ready, the actors too, all that remains is to install the scenery in which the action of the film will unfold. They need to be well secured. Most importantly, the characters should look organic against their background. If chromakey is used when filming, then in principle there is no particular need for scenery, then you just need to mark where the actors appear from and in which direction they are moving.

Lighting settings

It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of human vision. An object is best perceived if it is well lit from the top left. It is advisable to have several light sources so that objects are perceived more voluminously, and also to avoid sharp contrasting shadows. Lighting sources must be safe and securely fastened to prevent them from falling onto the dolls while shooting.

Installing the camera in the desired position

You can use a tripod or make your own camera stand. For stop motion you can use the simplest camera or even a camera mobile phone. The main thing is that it cannot be moved during shooting, otherwise the characters’ movements will be jerky and the picture will be jumpy. Movement is achieved by changing the pose and position of the object being photographed.

Start of shooting

Start shooting according to your story, don't do too much sudden movements characters (small number of frames per movement), but also too smooth ( a large number of frames per 1 movement) should not be done either, because the movement will be too slow; in general, the speed can be edited in the program, but this is not always convenient.

Tag frames

In order not to get confused in the frames, mark the end of each character’s movement or moment with an inscription, that is, next to the character in the same position, make a frame with the name of what is happening or some kind of mark, so that later it will be convenient to edit the video. At the end of the work, these frames are deleted.

Light and Focus

To ensure that the image does not flicker and is pleasant to look at, follow the light. It should not change every frame, and, if possible, the source should remain static throughout the entire video, unless you intend to change the light in the story. The color scheme in the frame depends on the focus, shooting the same subject, but from different angles you will get different lighting, sometimes this is necessary to express some thought, to show the mood of the character, but it is better not to abuse it.

Installation and assembly of frames

It needs to be installed gradually. Having filmed some part, we immediately stitch together the frames in the program and look for errors and shortcomings. Of course, your arms, legs, and unnecessary objects can get into the frame. The movements are not correct, not exactly what you need. For example, the light didn’t fall correctly until you positioned yourself for the shoot. The result is a finished video sequence.

Voice acting and video creation

We add voices, music, titles, titles and everything that you consider necessary. The soundtrack should fit the main plot, rather complement it and create a mood for the audience. You can put a channel splash screen, opening credits, an announcement by the author with explanatory text or a voice about your goal and idea.

And finally, we preview what we got. If everything is satisfactory, then we post the video on some Internet resource and share it with friends and acquaintances on social networks.

Do your children like to watch? Looking for a project that will capture their vivid imagination and captivate them? interesting story? Create stop motion animation with your kids using their favorite .

Stop-motion is a filming technique in which objects (such as clay/plasticine figures) are photographed in several different positions, which creates the impression of movement. Stop motion - so-called frame-by-frame. Such entertainment is, in fact, also a learning activity that reinforces valuable life skills and creates long-lasting impressions.

Step 1: Write or choose a story

Gather all family members to brainstorm ideas. Tip: Start with a short film and save a more complex story idea for your second filmmaking effort. That's exactly how they work professional studios when films are made.

Share ideas. Try to combine everyone's thoughts to come up with a rich short script a film that has a beginning, middle and denouement. It's great if you can add a moral or educational message to the film. You can also base your film on a recent family experience. Once you have an idea, write it down - briefly or in detail.

Another option: use a story your child has already written (for example, in school) as the basis for the film. If the story has pictures, use them as a storyboard to plan out the movie's scenes.

Once you have a story for a stop-motion film and know how to present it, you won't need anything extra for the film.

Step 2: Choose your props

Based on the plot of your future stop motion, make a list of the necessary characters and props for the film. The characters can be any toys, and you can also try to make something from cold porcelain, polymer clay or modeling dough. To use the constructor and its figures.

Don’t be afraid to improvise - your imagination won’t spoil the story in any way, but the audience is a small pebble with a painted smile on it. leading role will only enchant.

Step 3. Select a location and create a background

Once you have selected your characters and props, start planning your shooting locations. Take full advantage of every nook and cranny of your home or yard. Use a presentation board to create a backdrop for the shoot, as well as construction paper or construction paper.

Once you choose a location, remember that you will need a place to install the camera. Don’t try to squeeze into a corner along with the shooting area - choose a place where it will be convenient to place the equipment and shoot from different angles.

Step 4: Download the app by creating stop motion video

Choose the stop motion program that suits you - LEGO ® Movie Maker app or Clayframes. There are other apps for both iOS and Android to create similar animations. All programs work the same way: they help you take a photo frame, move the subject a little, take another frame to see the animation.

The LEGO ® Movie Maker app takes the hard work out of the equation because it doesn't require you to take a million photos of every position to create motion. The app cleverly repeats and blends photos to create the appearance of movement. It's a time-saving program that delivers instant gratification when you hit the save button.

Step 5: Take a Title Frame

LEGO ® app for creating Lego cartoon will ask you to make a title shot, which will include the title of the film and the name of the director.

If you use another program, make the title frame yourself using paper and markers and insert it into the film.

Step 6. Camera, motor, let's start!

Place your props in front of the background you've chosen for the first shot. With the LEGO ® app, you just need to follow the instructions below.

When the scene is ready and all the characters and props are in place, take the first shot.

There will be a lot of mistakes and rework, so take as many photos as you need for the perfect shot. This is forgivable for a novice director.

Step 7: Shoot the next frame of the stop motion film

Move the pieces and literally move the story forward. We moved the props and took a photo. We moved the props and took a photo. Repeat until all action is removed.

Improvise if necessary. In the story shown, the heroes were supposed to be swallowed. The child wanted something red in the frame (like the tongue that overwhelms the unfortunate heroes), and there was an umbrella nearby. And everything worked!

Make changes to the script if the props allow and encourage the flight of thought. Your stop motion animation will benefit from this.

Step 8: Editing

Follow the in-app prompts to edit your footage as you shoot. You can add sound, music, speed and other details.

Step 9: Add Dialogue and Sound Effects

Dialogues can be added to a bubble, like in comics, or an audio track can be recorded for each character. If appropriate, also add a couple of background sound effects when something happens in the story. The app contains a lot of fun templates.

You can also record a soundtrack for a movie in the same applications. If you don’t understand exactly how, they almost always come with comments and explanations.

Step 10. Edit the film

The LEGO ® app will prompt you to edit the film after filming is complete. It only takes a couple of seconds and the Lego movie will be ready for preview.

You can edit the necessary moments before saving and distributing your stop motion film on the Internet.

Step 11: Watch the premiere

In any case, the experience gained during filming is invaluable both in terms of skills and emotions. Once you have achieved perfection in the final version, taking into account all the recommendations from loved ones, feel free to share the film on your channel or in social network. You can have a whole one for this.

Of course, if you upload stop motion videos online, be prepared for comments from strangers, and not always positive ones. Remember that achieving popularity is a thorny and long path, so it may take more than one year and more than one film to become famous on the Internet. It is not the number of subscribers and viewers that is important, but the experience and impressions of the work done.

Watch online stop-motion movie in LEGO style

Shooting a stop motion video is a great way to enhance family connections and strengthen relationships. With time and practice, children may want to take these skills to the next level—a career as a filmmaker. For example, the first film famous director Robert Rodriguez (“Spy Kids”) was in a stop motion technique called Claymation. Who knows, maybe your child is a rising star.