Month: October 2019

One Frame at a Time

Stop motion animation is a frame-by-frame animation technique – that means that the animation is done in sequential order, one frame at a time.

We’ll be using a phone app called Stop Motion Studio. It has a very full-featured free version and is available for both iPhone and Android.

To get started, open the app and click on New Movie. You may need to give the app permission to use your camera or microphone (as well as access to photo storage) while using it.

The next screen is an overview of your new project. To begin animating, click on the camera icon in the upper right corner.

The next screen allows you to actually capture the images that will become the frames of your stop-motion segment. The large red button snaps the image. The slider on the left side of the screen allows you to show an overlay of the previous frame on top of your current frame. In animation, this feature is called “onion skinning” and it’s very useful. If you want a small or slow movement, the two frames should overlap a great deal. If you want a large or fast movement, you should see a bigger difference between the two frames.

Getting a feel for how much to move your character is the most challenging part of stop-motion and can really only be learned through experience. You can also change the overall speed of your animation later in the process by adjusting the frame rate. Just experiment and have fun with it. You can preview your animation using the play icon in the bottom right corner

When you are happy with your animation, press the back arrow to return to the previous screen. If you press the gear icon in the lower left corner, you will see options for changing the frame rate, aspect ratio, resolution, and other parameters. Resolutions above HD are a paid upgrade, so stick to HD.

Adjusting the movie speed, or frames per second, will make a dramatic change to the way your animation looks. Choosing a low frame rate – say, 8 or below – will make the overall length of your animation longer, but the movement will be choppy. Choosing a higher frame rate will make the overall length shorter, but the animation itself will be smoother and more fluid. Play with the slider and see what gives you the results you like best. I personally like to animate at around 12 to 15 frames per second.

With your settings dialed in, press the back arrow again to return to the screen with all of the projects. Press and hold on your movie to select it. here is a button in the top left corner that will let you export the video; press it, then choose Save Video to store it on your phone’s camera roll.

Stop Motion Animation Tips

• Plan, plan, plan – Planning is important for all kinds of filmmaking, but even more so for animation. Because stop motion is so time consuming, you absolutely do not want to film shots you don’t need… or to get to the editing stage and realize you don’t have shots you want. Do some storyboards and plan things out.
• Keep it steady – One of the most important aspects of filming stop motion is keeping you camera steady. If you have access to a phone tripod, use it. Otherwise, come up with some way or rigging your phone so that it stays in the same place from frame to frame – tape, clay, a stack of books, whatever.
• Get low – Try to place your camera where it would be if you were a tiny camera operator on set with your stop motion figures. Think about things like the rule of thirds and which camera angles work well with the scene you are filming.
• Film multiple shots – This is related to the previous point; it’s an easy mistake to keep your camera far away and film in a single unbroken take. That’s not how live action movies are filmed, so it doesn’t make sense to film stop motion that way. Grab multiple camera angles or film a shot/reverse shot.
• Light it – The basic rules and principles of lighting still apply to animation. Think about color, placement, and contrast ratio.
• Let things breathe – Another easy mistake is to start moving your puppet from the first frame or to stop filming after the last frame of movement. Take a few extra frames with little or no movement at the beginning and end of your shot, so that you have some extra footage to work with.
• Have fun – Stop motion has a reputation for being tedious and time consuming. It is. It’s also fun, rewarding, and often hilarious. Have a good time with it and don’t be afraid to experiment.

Character & Backstory

According to Scott McCloud, there are three qualities that a successful character must possess: inner life, visual distinction, and expressive traits. Without these qualities, a character might be confusing, flat, or – worst of all – forgettable.

• Inner life – relates to their “unique history, worldview and desires.”  This includes a character’s backstory, personality, archetype, and more.
• Visual distinction – a character should have “a distinct and memorable body, face, and wardrobe.”  This has to do with a character’s physical characteristics.
• Expressive traits – “traits of speech and behavior associated with that character.”  A character’s expressive traits are what make them move and speak in a unique and interesting way – this could include posture, body language, facial expressions, and more.

In order to be successful, even a very simple character should have a backstory.  While you certainly don’t need to know every detail of a character’s life history – McCloud writes that “obsessing too much over such details is a classic beginner’s mistake” – you should certainly have a sense of a character’s personal identity.

• Some characters are defined by specific moments in their history.  Superhero stories often utilize moments like this – think about the origin stories of Spiderman and Batman.  
• Other characters are defined by their desires – something that motivates them and causes narrative conflict.  Every character in The Wizard of Oz has a clear desire that motivates their actions.  Still other characters fit into certain archetypes.  
• Star Wars makes great use of archetypal characters: the naive hero beginning a quest, the lovable rogue, the sharp-tongued princess, the wise old man, etc.  
• Your characters can be defined by their history, their desires, their archetype, or some combination thereof – the important thing is that you know and understand them.

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Shape & Silhouette

“The secret of designing cartoon characters — and I’m giving away this secret now to all of you out there — is: you make a character that you can tell who it is in silhouette. I learned this from watching Mickey Mouse as a kid. You can tell Mickey Mouse from a mile away…those two big ears. Same thing with Popeye, same thing with Batman. And so, if you look at the Simpsons, they’re all identifiable in silhouette. Bart with the picket fence hair, Marge with the beehive, and Homer with the two little hairs, and all the rest. So…I think about hair quite a lot.”

Matt Groening

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One way to give a character a distinctive silhouette is by using basic shapes as a starting point.  By using a square, circle, or triangle as a starting point, you can give your character a unique look that is easily recognizable.  Of course, you can – and should – elaborate on these basic shapes, but they can be a great starting point.

Movement

Does your character slouch or stand up straight?  Do they fidget?  Walk with a limp?  Speak with an accent or use particular idioms?  These are some of what McCloud calls “expressive traits.”  Whereas visual distinction has to do with physical appearance, expressive traits are related to what your character does.

McCloud suggests defining key poses or facial expressions for your characters.  These are physical cues unique to each character.  It could be the way someone cocks their head to the side, or leans against a doorframe, or looks over the tops of their glasses.  As the audience gets to know your character, these key actions will become associated with their respective characters and help make them seem more rounded and alive.

You can also use expressive traits to play against a character’s physical appearance.  A hulking, brutish looking character could tiptoe fearfully or a meek-looking character could pose heroically.  There are endless options.

The American animator Don Hertzfeldt is a master of using simple lines and expressive movement to infuse his characters with personality. Despite the fact that his drawings are little more than stick figures, every character seems to have a backstory. This is true of both Hertzfeldt’s human and non-human characters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMsyOowMaEY

Production Challenge – Get in Character

For this production challenge, divide into groups of three or four. You will be designing an alien character from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Please avoid creating a humanoid alien.

Here is some information about Enceladus:

• Average surface temperature is 75 K (33-145 K)
• It is the most reflective body in the solar system
• You would weigh 1% of what you do on Earth
• The (very thin) atmosphere is composed of 91% H2O, 4% N2, 3% CO2, 2% methane
• The surface is composed of ice
• Only 314 miles across – similar to the width of Pennsylvania
• Geologically active, with erupting geysers of ice and water vapor
• Tidally heated – there may be a sub-surface ocean

Your character should have:

• A name or title; you are not just creating an alien species, but a specific member of that species.
• A distinct visual design that makes sense for the environment of Enceladus. This may include clothing or equipment, if that is applicable for your alien.
• A history or backstory that motivates and defines them. Is your character old or young? Does it have a gender? Does it have a tragic past? Does it fit into a character archetype?
• Expressive traits, gestures, or ways of moving – whatever form that movement might take.

Imagining Aliens

• Humans naturally look for human-like features in the creatures they interact with
• Lindsay Ellis argues the more human an alien is in appearance, the less screen time needs to be spent for an audience to feel sympathy with it – and vice versa
• Large eyes (and only two of them) with distinct pupils are more relatable than solid eyes (and/or more or less than two of them)
• Relatable aliens also tend to be bipedal and have roughly human – often human child – proportions

The Evolution of E.T.

Effects artist Rick Baker created several designs for Spielberg’s E.T. – some of the early versions would have made the character much more difficult to sympathize with and relate to.

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Here are some other examples of alien character design from throughout the history of film:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_grRvl0030

How To Draw Someone

What do you see below?

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A face?  A human face tied to a specific emotion?  Why would something so simple call to mind something as complex as a human being experiencing the concept of happiness?  In his graphic novel Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud spends a lot of time talking about what he calls icons and how the level of visual realism they carry imbues them with different qualities.

McCloud argues that cartoon icons – simplified visual representations of real-world things – contain a unique power.  For one, the generalization present in cartoon representation allows the viewer to project themselves into the character.  McCloud ties this to the fascination that children have with animated characters.

Another power of cartoon representation lies in its ability to magnify certain qualities of the character or thing being shown.  Because cartoons use fewer elements (details, shading, realistic proportions, etc.), the elements that are present become incredibly potent.

Think about these things when you design your aliens. Consider both the scientific and aesthetic elements of the design. Do some problem solving. When you create your alien, don’t worry too much about the fine details; instead think about the essential elements of your creation.

As Lindsay Ellis pointed out, the less human your alien becomes, the harder it will be to empathize with. However, we humans have a tremendous ability to project ourselves onto non-human forms. We see faces everywhere. Play with this tendency as you design; exploit and subvert it.

Create Depth

• Filming right in front of a wall can create odd shadows from the subject and unflattering light spill from the background – avoid this
• Create some distance between the subject and background by moving the subject forward
• If possible, use focus to create separation between subject and background

Framing

• The subject should be prominent in the frame – don’t be afraid to move the camera close to the subject
• You don’t need to strictly adhere to the rule of thirds, but placing the subject slightly off-center generally creates a pleasing frame
• Centering the subject is fine, but it is a more “formal” look
• Watch out for background objects that line up with the subject in unflattering ways – the area around the head and face should be free of distractions

Eyeline

• Most interviews are not delivered directly to camera, but many “informational” videos are
• The subject’s eyes should fall near the upper third line, above the middle of the frame
• The subject should face into the open space of the frame
• Off-camera interviews should be delivered with the subject looking next to the camera – if you are filming yourself, it may be helpful to place an object there to look at

Stability

• These kinds of shots are usually done with a tripod
• If you are filming handheld, try to keep the camera as steady as possible and keep the subject in the same area of the frame

Multiple Subjects

• When cutting between multiple subjects, film so that they can be edited together smoothly – for example…
• You can film subjects on different sides of the frame
• You can film one subject in a medium shot and another in a close up
• You can film with different backgrounds
• You can cut between a one shot (single subject) and a two shot (two subject)
• It’s awkward to cut from one subject to another when their eyes are in the same spot – pay attention to this when filming, so that you have options in the edit

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Lighting

• Remember the basics of three point lighting – use appropriate colors and contrast ratios for your subject
• Using lighting of different color temperatures for the key and fill or the key/fill and back can create an interesting look
• The back light will help create separation from the background
• Watch for shadows on the background!

Textual Information

• Information like name and title are usually placed on the bottom of the screen, around the third line – these kinds of graphics are called “lower thirds”
• Don’t put text at the very edge of the frame or it might get cut off when screened
• Use fonts (and font colors) that are easily readable at a glance and at different sizes