Unit 59: Stop Motion
Activity One: Group stop motion
As a Group/ Class create a stop motion whit most the class being the captured subjects
Activity Two: 10 second animation
on your own or in a group create a 10 second or longer stopmotion and apply sound
Activity Three: 60 second animation
 |
| stop motion, brick film subjects |
Research:
Stop Motion:
Stop-motion is the process of animating objects moving by photographing them one frame at a time and moving the object or subject slightly between frames, this process gives the object the illusion of movement.
 |
| A demonstration of frame by frame movements |
Early stop motion & the first stop motion Movies:
Fleischer's, The New Gulliver's Travels: This Film was a "communist" retelling of Gulliver's Travels from 1935 which was a adaptation of gulliver's travels with a soviet revolution twist, the move used a mix of live action and stop motion and was the first stop motion feature film released in cinemas.
Le roman de Renard (the Tale of the Fox): A 1931/37 stop motion animation project by Ladislav Starevich who made the first stop motion animation in 1910 called the beautiful lukanida, The Tale Of The Fox based off old a poem adaption of old french story from the middle ages.
Types of stop motion:
Basic stop motion/ Frame by frame motion
Cutout stop motion
Claymation
Brickmation
Brickmation
Sarination stopmotion
Stereoscopic stopmotion
Go motion
Dynamation
Stereoscopic stopmotion
Go motion
Dynamation
Stop motion cameras
Sony ESO-1D SLR
Mamiya RB 67
Canon TI5
Animation companies:
Aardman: A UK animation studio based in Bristol who specialise in high quality stop motion animation.
Laika: A US animation company based in Oregon who specialise in stop motion animation with their origin from Will Vinton studios.
Stop Motion Music Videos:
Kina Grannis - in your arms:
the Prodigy - Warriors Dance/ Wild frontier:
Wintergatan - Sommarfågel:
Stop-motion advertising:
change4life
Weeto's "mission impossible"
the California raisins
Stop Motion Industry legends of animation:
Tim Burton: Tim had a very influential animation career and helped produce, develop and direct a number of stop motion films some of which are considered some of the best animated films of all time all with Burton's signature style which is commenly referred to as Burtonesque. Tim grew up as a passionate film enthusiast, drawer and animator using both cell and stop motion animation. He attended California institute of the art (founded by walt disney) to study character animation and was that successful that he got an apprenticeship with many different roles. while at Disney he worked on projects like Fox & The Hound, Tron and The Black Cauldron but in exchange Disney helped a few of Tim's own short projects, one being 1982 Vincent based off one of Tim's own poems and another in 1984 called Frankenweenie which was a life action short omarsh to Frankenstein about a boy bringing his dog back from the dead, this film was later made into a stop motion feature film in 2012 which was filmed in London, the same location of another of Tim Burton's stop motion feature films Corpse Bride from 2005 which its production was helped by a budding film studio called Lika. During the 1980's Burton directed many influential films like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and his own Batman adaption but during this time he wrote, designed and produced a stop motion legend called Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The film itself was directed by Tim's friend Henry Selick who would also become synonymous with stop motion but he isn't heavily credited for the film and when released in 1993 it was a major motion picture with universal praise and critical acclaim with the film being nominated for a oscar and became beloved disney franchise. After 7 movies Tim looked back to stopmotion when creating 2005's Corpse Bride which moved his stopmotion into the digital age as they used the Sony SLR ESO-1D to capture the animation, the film was well received and was nominated for an oscar but lost to Aardman's Wallace & Gromit in Curse of the Ware Rabbit. Tim Burton's most recent stop motion was the 2012 remake of frankenweenie with the twist of the movie being a horror movie spoof paying tribute to early monster films, the film was very well received at the box office, getting an oscar nomination and cemented Burton's influence on stop motion in cinema.
Henry Selick: The American stop-motion director who directed stop-motion classics like Nightmare before christmas and James and the giant peach and on more recent works like Coraline. He started his animation career path after being inspired by the work of Ray Harryhausen & Lotte Reiniger.
Aardman Crew (Peter Lord, David Sproxton & Nick Park): Peter & David met while at school and got on well with lots in common including each having parents that worked at the BBC and a fascination for animation which together they experimented with cell animations with some early experiments can be dated back to 1965. In 1972 the got a deal in Bristol to make some animated shorts in a TV show, the shorts were of a incompetent superhero called "aardman". In 1975 the experimented with stop motion and made a short called Gleebees which depicted clay interacting with items on a desk, This later evolved into the show Morph 1980. Nick Park was one of a few animators hired to work at Aardman for his gifted animation skills & the animators at Aardman promised to help him finish school & his own projects. While at Aardman Nick worked on the 1985 Sledgehammer music video by sung Peter Gabriel and was put in charge of the project called Creature Comforts which won Aardman its first Oscar in 1989, but Nick's personal project known as "A Grand Day Out" starring Wallace and Gromit. After the success of A Grand Day Out Nick and crew went to work on the next adventures of Wallace & Gromit called The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave before Aardman moved onto its first feature film called Chicken Run. Since Chicken Run Aardman expanded quickly with TV series like Shaun the Sheep & creature comforts, Advertisements and new movies lie Wallace & Gromit Curse of the Ware Rabbit, Flushed Away, Arthur Christmas, the Pirates an Adventure with Scientists & the Shaun the Sheep. It has got to the point that Aardman is now revered for being a multi award winning and consistently praised for reliable Studio who became the icon of British animation.
Will Vinton: The American stop-motion animator and director started out in stop motion after sessions of playing around with clay with some friends while making buildings for architecture projects, this led him to start taking his little experiment with clay a little more serious which lead him and a friend of his to create a little experimental stop motion film called Culture Shock. After a few year apart Will and his friend got back together to create a revolutionary stop motion short in 1974 called Closed Mondays which was shown at film festivals and won a Oscar, leading Will to get lots of request work for ads and create some more shorts
he created the only pure clay film the "adventures of mark twain"
Stop motions of significance in Film & on TV & the internet:
King Kong (1933)
Robot Chicken
Creature comforts
Shaun the sheep
The Magic Portal (1989)
Battle of the brick: Built for combat (2011)
Jason & the argonauts
Coraline
Anomalisa
James & the giant peach
Morph
Useful stop motion techniques:
Framing shots:
Compositing:
Animatic referencing:
Lighting set ups and tricks:
Rules of animation & photography: eg. 180 degree rule/ rule of thirds
12 rules of animation:
Exposure sheets:
Story boards:
Lines of action:
 |
| A book which is very useful for artists and animators |
Professional Software:
Dragonframe: a widely used high end professional software
Monkeyjam: a free and useful software for animators who are starting out
Zu3d: a amateur onion skin software to overlay images
Stopmotion pro: a universal stopmotion software
Advice I had for another person interested in animation in a casual conversation:
I am part of an AFOL group and I had existing knowledge on animation which I did not write into the meat of the unit, this conversation took place on a post I made asking for community ideas & input on making an animation, I however ended up giving advise to someone interested in animation.
Facebook: (my name Allis is BattleRock)
Start of Post: For the first time in 5 years I have returned to making stop motion animations & the subject I have chosen is Star Wars Clone. I would very much appreciate Ideas & the input of the community, any & all ideas are welcome and I look forward to speaking with you! many thanks Battle :D
Luke Fearnley Wait in 5 years I must know of your older stuff I could use it as I guess research
I'm starting a series soon (filming yet to begin) and would love some advice from someone who has done animations before
Battle Rock well I started 2008 to 2012 I made a series of about 7 test stop motions using the software monkeyjam, I was about 10 when I started but it was more of an on and Off hobby... 12 FPS isn't very good, In 2012 my computer suffered a hard drive malfunction leaving only the animation I first made which was on a external drive... during this time I had a series of examinations so I dropped making animations but after joining a photography course I felt ready to start again this time with better knowledge of animation first...
The advice I give you is this is start simple...
practise getting realistic movement movement of minifigures.
Look online & on youtube at what other people do using the medium of stop motion, look at the advice of as many people as possible.
MAKE BACK UPS!!!
use what works, when starting web cams are useful when using web software and coming to terms with the techniques of animation.
it will be difficult and slow to start and when I started again I was very rusty, trying a new animation technique in animation, lighting or camera controls at least twice a week will keep you up to speed.
...there is much more advise I can give but its a wee long post right now
If there is anything specific you would like to know feel free to ask... ...best of luck
The advice I give you is this is start simple...
practise getting realistic movement movement of minifigures.
Look online & on youtube at what other people do using the medium of stop motion, look at the advice of as many people as possible.
MAKE BACK UPS!!!
use what works, when starting web cams are useful when using web software and coming to terms with the techniques of animation.
it will be difficult and slow to start and when I started again I was very rusty, trying a new animation technique in animation, lighting or camera controls at least twice a week will keep you up to speed.
...there is much more advise I can give but its a wee long post right now
If there is anything specific you would like to know feel free to ask... ...best of luck
Luke Fearnley Wow thanks this all really helps ummm one thing I am kind of confused on would be blaster effects and lightsabers I'm not to sure how to do them and when searching on YouTube I didn't really get much
Battle Rock well I would start without them... ...add something to the end of the blaster for a frame or two to simulate the blaster fire, then if you are able practice drawing on each photo one frame at a time, this will give you better flexibility and skill when creating an animation, there is software & after effects ca be used for other effects other than just blasters and light sabers: If you like to use pre-made effects, the squad 42 animations have links to useful resources, Pizza Productions is also a good place to look for blaster animation links, a good example of self made effects by an old youtube animator called Fliplit...
...Best of luck & if you need and more assistance Im happy to help
...Best of luck & if you need and more assistance Im happy to help
Luke Fearnley Ah fliplit amazing animator I guess for my first season I can use normal real effects I guess and maybe keep lightsabers out for the time being maybe
But thanks again glad there's another animator here
But thanks again glad there's another animator here
Battle Rock (to make good self drawn effects, draw them on paper then crop and scan them into the computer, remember one frame at a time, 15FPS is the best place to start)
(Missed 5 Part's of Chat due to Irrelevance to Subject)
...say Luke what sort of stop motion are you working on? I know its a series of videos on lego star war but have to got a storyboard or animatic?
Luke Fearnley Battle Rock story board hmmm no not really but it would be smart to get one down before I start wouldn't it
If you want the story I can give you a brief overview but it's gonna be a serious around 10 minute long 6-10 episode season
If you want the story I can give you a brief overview but it's gonna be a serious around 10 minute long 6-10 episode season
Battle Rock well you will very much need a detailed storyboard of every set of little events in the animation in each seen (It really helped me for my old projects & for tests) & a Animatic will also help keep track when you are moving your figures from frame to frame & from seen to seen!
Battle Rock Luke Fearnley (to create a simple and more effective storyboards and Animatics you should create mockups of each scene and take a photo of each and create a sequence of images, each with annotations, It really simplifies the process & I find it very helpful)
Luke Fearnley Battle Rock more advice the better
Is started work on the sets the first one is done and I guess a story board is to be made now
Also I was wondering do you know anything about voice recordings
Is started work on the sets the first one is done and I guess a story board is to be made now
Also I was wondering do you know anything about voice recordings
Battle Rock a little but I use my old samsung to record my voice, but if you mean sound then you need to create a sound timeline and coordinate you animation around it. It is a royal pain at first but if you practise timing a test animation to a short bit of music and syncing the sound and animation you will get the hang of it.
when starting out use a select screen for dialogue, still frames simplify the process but without movement the animation would seem odd... ...If you are just starting out animating or restarting like me use movement over dialogue and what is recorded would be best kept minimal, but this is more a matter of personal opinion, If I remember correctly Monkey-jam has an audio recording capabilities but I'm not sure but it is best to use what you can to get the quality you want... ...also get hold of the Animator's survival Kit as it will help you with improving your animation techniques!
my personal role was story board and animation director
Depth of field & motion:
*INFO*:
This is an Animation made to test my stop motion skills without the use of animation software, it is currently running at 15fps and was created with the use of photoshop. The animation itself was planned & made over the period of 8~ hours for the use of a 1 Min animation project for college.
*I would love to hear feedback from anyone who watches the video & any support would be very much appreciated! Many Thanks, BattleRock*
LINK TO VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1glj1we3aJk&feature=youtu.be
Viewer Feedback: feedback from viewer comments
Unfinished scene & set design:
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXlPjUoeRVI80liZv37vQSw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irOecGxh36g
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc0qRi1PaDWNQGxaVfW_UuA
Music:
Cold Rise - Gunnar olsen
Sophomore Makeout - Silent Partner
Lucky Duck - Silent Partner
Black Vulture - Silent Partner
Miami Nights 1984 - Accelerated
Miami Nights 1984 - Ocean Drive
Waterflame - Glorious morning
Waterflame -
-gold 3
Music Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hkUCgZ5ftU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3oItpVa9fs
http://www.youtube-mp3.org/
Instructions:
https://moodle.cityofbristol.ac.uk/moodle/course/view.php?id=3442
when starting out use a select screen for dialogue, still frames simplify the process but without movement the animation would seem odd... ...If you are just starting out animating or restarting like me use movement over dialogue and what is recorded would be best kept minimal, but this is more a matter of personal opinion, If I remember correctly Monkey-jam has an audio recording capabilities but I'm not sure but it is best to use what you can to get the quality you want... ...also get hold of the Animator's survival Kit as it will help you with improving your animation techniques!
Large Group Project:
Photoshop setup:
The group Animation:
12 Second animation made as a group
my role in this task was to take each frame of the animation, my shadow made it in to be bottom left
10+ second animation
Our team of three* worked together to create a stop motion animation which lasted over 10 seconds
my personal role was story board and animation director
Story Board & Ideas
when creating the animation it was necessary to create an animatic story board to display the ideas
when creating the animation it was necessary to create an animatic story board to display the ideas
Film (10sec+)
a little team of balls make a wee tower out of each other for one to be at the top but the plan go's wild & falls apart,
The test animation & 10 second shorts
Video description (YouTube):
Three short test stop motions from the first half of 2016, my return to stop motion after three years!
Three short test stop motions from the first half of 2016, my return to stop motion after three years!
These animations are being used in my project for a college photography course.
Music: WaterFlame-Jumper
Screen grabs of the production & editing process of an Animation:
final rendered animation
Experimentation & Test Animations (included in animated shorts)
I made a test animation on my own after the group practice
At Home I Made a Few Test Animations which were running at 20fps and tested different lighting and cinematography techniques
using paper softens the harshness of the light
using paper softens the harshness of the light
 |
| due to poor lighting white colour looked yellow |
The re sized test animation
due to an issue with the software used at the time the images came out with a low resolution
Depth of field & motion:
Test: Lighting the details of the subject subject and using fill lighting
one thing to keep in mind when lighting the set is that the way harsh light effects the set is important, especially when using reflective surfaces
Depth of field, from Shadow to light
Animation set ups & scene's tests
 |
| Manual |
 |
| Digital assisted |
 |
| Animation scene in progress |
Test: Aperture & Depth of Field
at a close range the aperture setting must be at f/22 or larger to keep the subject in focused but a tripod is necessary as to counter the darkness of an image caused by the small aperture
Keeping the figures close together ensures all subjects are clear in the image
testing single light portrait of images: Shadows, Macro & Depth of field
Making Rails for Panning and Planning shooting each seen
Multi-light set up & scene images for story board
The animation studio setup and location
 |
| Location one, manual scene set in clear |
1+ Minute Stop-Motion
when developing ideas I thought of ways to create an interesting narrative in a short 60 second animation,
The Planning & Storyboard:
stop motion set, Part 1: Arrival
stop motion set Part 2: Ambush
stop motion set Part 3: Unlikely Help
stop motion set Part 4: The call to Aid
stop motion set Part 5: Pursuit
stop motion set Part 6: Title & Credit sequence
stop motion set Part +: Editing & Uploading
The Planning & Storyboard:
stop motion set, Part 1: Arrival
stop motion set Part 2: Ambush
stop motion set Part 3: Unlikely Help
stop motion set Part 4: The call to Aid
stop motion set Part 5: Pursuit
stop motion set Part 6: Title & Credit sequence
stop motion set Part +: Editing & Uploading
Film (1min+)
The final one Minute animation:
Lego Star Wars Clone Wars: The Case (Stop Motion/Brickfilm)
Lego Star Wars Clone Wars: The Case (Stop Motion/Brickfilm)
*INFO*:
This is an Animation made to test my stop motion skills without the use of animation software, it is currently running at 15fps and was created with the use of photoshop. The animation itself was planned & made over the period of 8~ hours for the use of a 1 Min animation project for college.
*I would love to hear feedback from anyone who watches the video & any support would be very much appreciated! Many Thanks, BattleRock*
LINK TO VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1glj1we3aJk&feature=youtu.be
Viewer Feedback: feedback from viewer comments
Unfinished scene & set design:
 |
| Initial set layout constructed |
Examples of lighting used and tested for a scene:
 |
| All lighting used |
< Tungsten spotlight : LED fill light >
Some Time Was Spent Over The Summer Of 2016 Creating Animation Tests Which Will Be On Youtube
Memos
ElectricDragon404: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGdF-chMggI
Cranbersher's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt36Mzs-aPY
Ffrangconator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPYkHRryxMA
NathanWells: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE4CB91296CE2CED5
Tippet studios: https://vimeo.com/149357656
BattleRock: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8mNAJrlFsVqStPl7DBBjPg
monkeyjam (animation software)
Dragonframe
garage band
AdobeTV
Youtube to mp3 converter
youtube audio library
Notes:
Quality in Frames Per Second: 15 low/medium-24 high-30 professional FPS
explain cinematography and capturing+ the framing of the photo
All Help Resources are on youtube
sync animation to music by using checkpointsCranbersher's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt36Mzs-aPY
Ffrangconator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPYkHRryxMA
NathanWells: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE4CB91296CE2CED5
Tippet studios: https://vimeo.com/149357656
BattleRock: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8mNAJrlFsVqStPl7DBBjPg
Memos
Software:
zu3d animation kitmonkeyjam (animation software)
Dragonframe
garage band
AdobeTV
Youtube to mp3 converter
youtube audio library
Notes:
Quality in Frames Per Second: 15 low/medium-24 high-30 professional FPS
explain cinematography and capturing+ the framing of the photo
All Help Resources are on youtube
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXlPjUoeRVI80liZv37vQSw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irOecGxh36g
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc0qRi1PaDWNQGxaVfW_UuA
Music:
Cold Rise - Gunnar olsen
Sophomore Makeout - Silent Partner
Lucky Duck - Silent Partner
Black Vulture - Silent Partner
Miami Nights 1984 - Accelerated
Miami Nights 1984 - Ocean Drive
Waterflame - Glorious morning
Waterflame -
-gold 3
Music Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hkUCgZ5ftU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3oItpVa9fs
http://www.youtube-mp3.org/
Instructions:
https://moodle.cityofbristol.ac.uk/moodle/course/view.php?id=3442
No comments:
Post a Comment