Enhancing Skills: Basics of Stop Motion Animation

Hello, hope everyone had a good easter weekend in lockdown ! This is the first of my isolation diaries in lockdown due to COVID-19. During my time in lockdown i want to expand on my creative knowledge for alternative ways to creating new engaging media.

Since a youngster I loved the Toy Story movies as it gives objects and toys a chance to come to life. I wanted to explore how i can create the illusion of objects moving on a moving image. Before starting this task i realised i had done something similar in primary school where we created characters with play-doh and created a little sequence – so this just shows anyone is capable to try out at home (isolation is your chance to get creative).

I came across “Stop Motion Animation” through courses online where i learnt the basic foundations. These sequences can be shot on phones, softwares or cameras. To start off i wanted to learn on my I phone 8. I downloaded an app called “Stop Motion Animation Studio”.

Step by Step Guide to create Stop Motion Animation on Phones

1. Choose your objects you want to see come to life

2. Set up your surroundings (The phone must stay in the same position throughout to keep on the same frame position throughout). For example, i learnt my phone on a chair leg and placed books behind the phone to make sure it doesn’t move position.

3. Choose what you want for your start frame.

4. Press the record button to add frame. (Keep pressing the record button once you have changed the objects movements)

5. Place you objects slightly in the direction you want it to move and press record again. It will create another key frame at the bottom of your screen.

6. Continuously keep doing this step. You will then see multiple frames which makes the objects move

7. Once created your sequence you can save your whole video.

Tips

1. if you make a mistake just tap on the frame to delete it.

2. Do not get ur hands in the frame when moving the objects round

3. Movements of the object can twirl, move forward, backward.

Here’s my example. Hope you like !!

As i am interesting in the marketing sector i wanted to see if stop motion animation has a place in advertising. Ive learnt its a great tool for creating content to advertise products, foods, objects. These are some adverts it’s used in.

After watching these adverts i next want to learn how to create the drawing animation you can see on the McDonald’s Advert!

Follow my journey in isolation for more creative content!