From bolder animations to independent or home productions, the stop motion technique has been used as a foolproof resource to give illustrations movement.
You’ve probably heard of this term at some point and may have even seen several movies that used this technique. Do you want to know more about this type of animation and how to use stop motion in your videos? So, keep reading this article!
What is stop motion?
In a literal translation into Spanish, the term stop motion means “paused movement”. In this type of animation, an object is photographed from the same angle several times, but with slight changes in its position.
Each of these photographs represents a frame of the plan and, by joining them in sequence, it is possible to animated with motion effect.
This phenomenon occurs due to an optical illusion, scientifically known as. In short, the human eye retains the images formed on the retina for a few tenths of a second, even after the flash that made them disappear.
In this way, when we see a sequence of images of an object projected at 12 frames per second, our brain is “fooled”.
As the image is recorded on the retina for a few seconds, the next frame is projected at the exact moment the previous frame begins to fade from our “visual memory.” It is this process that causes the sensation of movement in movies and animations.
In general, each second of a stop motion animation shot takes around 24 frames. Although it is a very slow and laborious process, the end result is very interesting. It’s like the lens has a life of its own!
Remember that the material used to compose the frames must be resistant and, at the same time, have enough mobility to move in small scales of time.
This technique may be old, but it is constantly being improved in various current audiovisual materials.
See the compilation produced by the artist on the 116-year history of stop motion in film:
The history of stop motion
This cinematographic resource was revealed by the French magician George Mélies. He saw the opportunity to introduce such a technique in his illusion tricks.
Mélies improved stop motion for cinema, making the film trip to the moon (1902) became a milestone in the history of world filmography. The film was known for the famous scene of a rocket manned by humans reaching the moon.
If you haven’t enjoyed this masterpiece yet, check it out:
Developed by various directors, stop motion was used in fictional films in the 20th century as a basis for visual effects, as the technologies used at the time were rudimentary compared to today’s.
Now follow the evolution of stop motion from the creation of nine filmmakers:
1. James Stuart Blackton
The filmmaker born in the United Kingdom, but eradicated in the United States, was the forerunner of animated cinema. In 1906, James Stuart launched what would become an animated film essay, The Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, three minutes long.
Although brief, this was the first attempt at making an animated film in history. The principle was simple: by moving the faces of men and women by hand, their facial expressions also changed.
Notice!
2. Second of Chomon
Segundo de Chomón was a Spanish film director and screenwriter, a pioneer in the art of stop motion at the beginning of the 20th century. His work was compared to the works of Mélies, such is the artifice in creating animated shorts abusing optical illusion.
Take a look at excerpts from electric hotel (1908), short produced by this artist:
3. Emile Cohl
The most interesting thing about Cohl’s work, apart from having created the cartoon phantasmagorie (1908), is the poetic sense of the works of the Parisian artist.
Mixing painting and animation, many of these works were named by critics as the “eighth art”, for combining animated cinema with the classic aesthetics of artistic schools, such as cubism, surrealism and Dadaism.
4. Arthur Melbourne Cooper
The British cinematographer is known for his pioneering work in stop motion techniques. His films, more than three hundred in total, date from 1896 to 1915, with 36 film animations.
Even after his death, the artist remained a controversial name among film critics. Especially because of his relationship with another important filmmaker: Birt Acres.
This fact, however, does not erase his contributions to animated cinema. Below you can see excerpts from Dreams Of Toyland (1908):
5. George Pal
This Hungarian-American artist marked the history of cinema, above all, for his contributions to the science fiction genre.
His work was so prestigious by specialized critics that the animator was nominated seven times in a row for the highest film award (in the category of animated short film) from 1942-1948. He also received an honorary Oscar in 1944.
6. Jiří Trnka
The Czech artist began his work with animation when he idealized a puppet theater during World War II. Despite failing in this initiative, Trnka did not give up working with children. He created a stage with picture books throughout the war.
Later, he established his own film studio in Prague, focused on animation. With his new works, he was awarded at various film festivals in Europe. Many called him the “Walt Disney of Eastern Europe”, mainly because of his work with Czech puppet animations.
Check out some of their accomplishments in the video below:
7. Jan Svankmajer
This other Czech artist won animation cinema thanks to his shocking and surreal drawings. Because of this, he serves as an inspiration for many contemporary filmmakers in the animation genre.
8. Brothers Quay and Terry Gilliam
These twins are one of the highlights of contemporary animated cinema, especially for their ability to combine puppets, marionettes and other figures with incredibly dark and impressionistic settings.
The duo’s work has great artistic value, with meticulous aesthetic care. In addition, they combine the movements of the camera with environments that emanate sensations to those who see them.
It’s no wonder they’ve made history by producing Peter Gabriel’s award-winning music video, Sledgehammer:
9.Tim Burton
Perhaps this is one of the most recognized animators of this generation. American filmmaker Tim Burton is greatly inspired by the work of the aforementioned artists, such as the Quay Brothers and Jan Svankmajer.
A lover of horror films, the director brings many of these references even to his animations and adventure films.
Because of this, children’s plays are always made up of charged and dense, almost gothic settings. In most of his creations, elements from the real world are mixed with personified objects and animals, in a surreal tone.
5 programs to make a stop motion video
Now that you have read a bit about the great precursors of Stop Motion, how about you try to make your own animation for your videos? We list five software that will make this process easier. Look at them!
1.iStopMotion
For USD 9.99 you can download which is developed for Apple devices.
The tool has commands like professional software, such as devices to view animation before capturing frames, features to view your video instantly, speed up slow frames, among countless other possibilities.
2.iKITmovie
is a stop motion animation creation software developed for Windows computers.
The show has a green screen and an overlay so you can add other scenarios. Also noteworthy is the possibility of in the program itself. Thus, it is not necessary to export the animation to another editor when the project is finished.
You can get the full program and its recent updates for USD 99.00.
3.Stop Motion Pro
Maybe the be the most current and complete program, with several advanced animation functions.
The highlight is the camera control, which can be changed in the interface after the shoot. Also, it has synchronized dubbing tools in different languages.
The software can be purchased in several versions, with a minimum price of USD 75.00. It is compatible with Windows computers and a version for MacOS is under development.
4.Frameographer
is an application developed for iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod) and allows you to capture and export stop motion montages.
In this program, it is possible to make videos with the rear or front cameras of the device, use any audio in the iTunes library, adjust the frame rate per second, among other functions.
The app is available on the AppStore and can be downloaded for USD 4.99.
5.Stop Motion Studio
The last show on our list is which has a great advantage over the other programs: it is compatible with Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android.
The full version starts at USD 4.99, but it is possible to download a trial version, with some limitations.
Despite this, it has advanced features such as manual image capture controls, support for DSLR cameras, adding sound effects, and creating 4K videos.
Have you learned what it takes to produce amazing stop motion videos for your business? So, let’s get to work!
But first, make sure to check out other amazing features for your video production like either . Time flies and digital technologies too!
Lastly, we’ve put together an article on Motion Graphics so you can see what’s promising in the creative industry. .
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