Stop motion animation explained: definition, types and techniques.

History of stop motion animation.

The proliferation of ‘snap-it-and-forget-it’ via digital cameras and smartphones has brought the potential for stop motion into households across the world, but as the 20th century dawned the art form was reserved for those with the budget and time to painstakingly produce it.

Beginning with what’s thought to be the very first entry in the genre, The Humpty Dumpty Circus was released in 1898. Creators J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith used a variety of children’s toys - long before Woody and Buzz arrived on the animated scene - to depict the hidden lives of circus performers.

Wladyslaw Starewicz was another pioneer of the form, producing a series of works throughout the 1910s and 1920s, most notably Lucanas Cervus. The title, from the Latin for ‘stag beetle’, used a variety of wee beasties which Starewicz had taxidermised into an all-star cast. The results shocked audiences into thinking the animator had trained them to wander about on hind legs, carrying household objects around as these characters do.

Willis O’Brien was the mastermind behind the animation for the cinematic icon King Kong in his 1933 big screen adventure - but O’Brien mastered the trade for a film released in 1925 called The Lost World. Based on the Arthur Conan Doyle novel of the same name, the film depicts a cast of explorers in search of a band of dinosaurs which still roam the earth, mixing mind-blowing effects and some clever film editing.

O’Brien mentored a man whose work would go on to define this era of special effects in cinema. Ray Harryhausen was a one-man machine whose work on the likes of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and 20 Million Miles to Earth propelled 1950s cinema into a pulpy golden age. Later work on The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Clash of the Titans (1981) is absolutely essential viewing.

As the medium evolved it spread further into the mainstream, including TV and music videos. Aardman Animations was responsible for globe-gripping examples of both. They created the claymation character Morph, first seen interacting with British broadcasting legend Tony Hart on our screens each week before getting his own series. Aardman was also the effects team behind Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer - a whirlwind of stop motion effects encapsulated into the video for one pop song and a touchstone of 1980s nostalgia.

How to make a stop motion animation.

Unlike the pioneers of the form, you won’t need access to expensive equipment to mount your own stop motion video production.

What you’ll need for stop motion animation.

To get started on creating your own mini masterpieces you’ll need:

• Digital camera. Even a smartphone camera will do - obviously the higher in quality, the better.
• Stand/mount. An essential part of the operation, you’ll need to mount the camera so it remains perfectly still throughout the production process. Luckily these aren’t expensive.
• Editing software. Again, your phone will do in a pinch - but you’ll need video editing software that can sequence your images and transfer the results as a whole file.
• Objects to film. Whether you’re crafting intricate backdrops a la Reiniger or simply making household objects come to life, grab a few props and start shooting.

How to shoot in stop-motion.

Although the process is pretty simple, there are several things to watch out for so you can shoot comfortably and be assured of the best results possible.

1. Firmly frame your subject. Make sure you’re shooting at an angle that fits your subjects without letting in anything you don’t want to include. Objects wandering in or around the edge of a shot will affect the final product.
2. Adjust the lighting. Shoot where the light is completely under your control - for example, under a desk light if you’re shooting two-dimensional objects. Changes to lighting over time will create an inconsistency to your levels as the shoot goes on on on.
3. Steady your shots. Once your camera is set up, if at all possible, don’t touch it again until your sequence is finished. Use a remote or a timer to snap each frame of the sequence, before resetting for a new angle or scene.
4. Decide on your frame rate. How long do you want to keep a single image in shot? At 24 frames per second, you’ll need 24 images - whether that’s fewer different images during slow moments or up to 24 different frames to illustrate faster movements.
5. Edit. Move images into a sequencer and edit on the fly or dump the whole lot at the end of the shoot. Then you can go to town on things like fast vs slow motion and any accompanying sound or music.

Stop motion animation techniques.

Given the relatively simple way that stop motion animation is created, it’s the animators’ own ways of working with their chosen subjects that spark joy on the screen. The emergence of different styles of stop motion breathes new life into the technique as a whole throughout cinematic history.

• Object motion breathes life into everyday objects - that is, nothing that the artist needs to create from scratch themselves. The Humpty Dumpty Circus is thought to be the first living example of object motion, although the stars of the show were animal toys - they weren’t specifically created for the project.

Silhouette Animation combines the use of cutout-motion and clever shadow play to produce fascinating frames of action. Pioneered by European studios during the 1920s, it’s perhaps most famously used in the work of Lotte Reiniger, whose prolific career included more than 70 silhouette animation films retelling old folk tales.

Stop motion animation FAQs.