Continuing with cel animation and rotoscoping techniques of 2D Animation, next in line is stop motion. Initially, it was used to show objects moving as if by magic, stop motion continues to contribute to the long and significant history of animation.
To create stop-motion animation, objects are moved manually and captured frame-by-frame, much like in cel animation, and then played rapidly in order to create the illusion of movement. This method of 2D animation is used almost everywhere – from ad films to music videos – we see it around us all the time.
History of Stop Motion Animation
Stop motion was first used by Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton to depict the circus of toys in The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1897). Because of its ability to display moving objects on the screen, stop motion has been considered as one of the greatest techniques of 2D animation.
Now considered as one of the oldest techniques of 2D animation, it was once conceived as nothing less than magic by the regular television audience. This came at a time when animators created a few of the all-time classics like
- The Lost World (1925) by Willis O’Brien
- King Kong (1933) by Willis O’Brien
- Puppetoons (1932) by George Pal
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1959) by Jiri Trnka
Limitations
Earlier, animators and filmmakers would use film cameras to capture the frames. The old cameras didn’t allow them to see the frames as they captured, they could only be seen after processing. So, if a frame had bad lighting or the positions of the objects weren’t symmetrical, there was no way of knowing before processing. And if the processed frames were irregular, the animators had to start from square one. Modern software has helped animators to get over this limitation.
Types of Stop Motion
Stop Motion’s popularity could be associated with the wide range of styles of animation used in it. Styles like:
Clay Animation
Clay animation uses the same technique as stop motion, i.e., of moving objects frame by frame. The only difference is that clay animation (or claymation) backgrounds and characters made of plasticine clay. These clay figures can be shaped in desirable ways depending upon the need of the scene.
Puppet Animation
As the name suggests, puppet animation involves the use of puppets as characters instead of objects. Use of puppets made it easier for animators and film directors to work with, unlike the objects and clay figures. It also works on the basic stop motion technique of capturing individual frames.
Silhouette Animation
Believed to have been established by Lotte Reiniger, a German film director, silhouette animation involves creating animations through cutouts and shadows in which the cardboard cutouts are used as characters against a backlit screen.
In the 21st century, we have some forms of stop motion that involve a mix of media to create visually stunning videos and short films. Want to see stop-motion videos on IndieFolio? Ok, this will show you all our stop motion animation results. And here are a few from YouTube. You don’t have to go to YouTube but you can let us know what you think about their new logo.
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This article was written by Sienna Thibault. If you want to contact her for feedback, send her an email.