Stop motion (also known as stop action) is an animation technique to make any object you choose to appear to move on its own. If you’re familiar with movies like Wallace and Gromit or those groovy Lego shorts on YouTube, then you’re probably already familiar with stop motion.
Now, you're ready to start shooting your animation and launch Dragonframe Stop Motion.Stop Motion Studio for Windows Let’s Make a Movie. This will save you immense time and energy trying to line up your drawings.ģ. In this case, I have set up a ruler and a block of wood to create a corner all sheets that I place here will register the same now since there will be a corner for them all to sit in.
The point of having hole punched paper is to use as a registration system, which is a method of keeping all your drawings in the exact same position as when you drew them. Normally, you would ideally want to be using an animation punch and a peg bar but one of those animation hole punch machines costs an astronomical amount of money so there are workarounds. Once you have your space setup the way you like, you'll additionally need to create a system for you to register your animation. Mount your DSLR camera to the downshooter, plug in the AC Adapter to an outlet and insert the USB cable into your computer.Ģ. Setup your lights in a way that will evenly light your animation (traditionally 1 light on the left and 1 light on the right). This could be replaced with a tripod but that setup will be a bit tricky and you'll want a tripod that i capable of pointing your camera straight down at a 90 degree angle.ġ. This will be a bit of an investment but it will make life quite a bit easier if you animate a lot.Extension Cord: This may be unnecessary but you'll need at least 3 different outlet ports for the 2 lights & AC adapter so this may be worth having on hand.When dismounting the camera later from the downshooter, you may also run the risk of having the camera be in a slightly different location than you had it before. This may seem unnecessary but it will interrupt the workflow if you need to dismount the camera to replace batteries. AC Adapter for DSLR: This is a battery for the DSLR that is compatible with plugging into an outlet so you'll be able to animate for as long as you need without changing the battery.USB Cable: You'll need a cable that can connect to your DSLR to your laptop/computer.You'll want a minimum of 2 lights just for ever coverage.
2 Light Stands & 2 Lights: This combination can replaced by table lamps - IKEA has a couple of reasonably priced ones that may be a cheaper option than having light stands.DSLR Camera: If your budget limits the use of a DSLR, any camera with a mount & controls over the exposure can be used, however if using Dragonframe requires the use of a DSLR with the live view function.