3 Mind-blowing Stop Motion Videos

What is Stop-Motion Animation? Can we create a Stop-motion video all by ourselves? This post answers your questions. In this blog post, you learn about stop motion animation and see some amazing videos created using this technique.  You also get behind the scenes clips showing you how stop-motion videos are made.

There are different types of animation. Traditional cell animation uses hand-drawn images, and computer animation uses images created with computer hardware and software. Stop-motion animation uses pictures created with objects such as paper cutouts, sand or clay models.

Stop-motion animation is a simple process. An artist places the objects to be animated in their initial positions. Then an image is taken/captured on film or media such as a memory card. The objects are then moved slightly towards the final goal. Eg, Say the hand of the character is moved by few centimeters upwards. Then another image is captured. Typically, this process is repeated several times. Each progressive image is captured one after the other till the final positions of the objects are reached.

After the photo session is over, transfer the images to the computer and create a video which displays the images rapidly one after the other in the order they were taken. When you watch the video, it will seem as if the objects are moving and progressing towards their final position. The more the frequency of photos the smoother the transition.

Watch these 3 videos on Stop-Motion and get inspired.

• In the video below, artists Blu and David Ellis create a stop-motion animation in an abandoned building in Italy by painting and modifying the building, while photographing each step. Huge amount of work has gone into this, as you watch them paint animation all over the building and photograph it step by step, and then even modify the building (knocking out walls and so on) to fit into their artistic vision.

• In this PBS Off Book video, stop motion animators explain the process of making stop motion animation, as well as why it matters.

• And finally here’s Peter Gabriel’s famous “Sledgehammer” music video done using stop-motion: