You're obviously not going to do a feature length movie. 

What I'm looking for is for you to understand what animation is and how to achieve it. 

Begin with a narrative. What do you want your movie to accomplish or say?

Storyboard it.

Plan your shots. How are you going to shoot it? What specialized equipment will you need? (T-shirts, lighting, pins, or gum?)

I'm looking for just a short animation.

20 seconds 

Due January 17

To make a stop motion video, since you’re not actually filming a video, you need to take multiple still images that make up the frames of your video. 

Therefore, it’s always good to plan and prepare beforehand so that you don’t face any difficulties while editing. Besides, this planning will also help you streamline your vision so you can create a video that truly makes your product the hero.

The first step in making a stop motion video is to think about the story you want to tell through it. 

If you’re creating a stop motion video for a product, for instance, think about the function the product serves, the movement you want for it in the video, and the feeling you want to convey through it.

Setting up your shot is as important as planning for it. Unlike a regular video, your frame will remain the same in stop motion videos while the objects move around little by little. 

So, this step involves setting up your camera, deciding the background, and whether you’ll take flat-lay photos or click from the front. For instance, in the stop motion video we created, we decided to shoot from above to give the cans a floating effect. We also used blue paper to create bubbles—you too can use props to create visual interest and make your video look more real. 

You can click images on a professional camera or your phone. But no matter what you choose, it’s essential to fix your device so it stays at the same position throughout the shoot. You can’t have your camera moving between shots, or else your pictures will look inconsistent and your video unclean. 

Moreover, in a stop motion video, the focus should be on the object and its movement—rest, everything should remain still. Otherwise, the true effect of a stop motion video won’t come out as beautifully as you envisioned it to be. 

So, consider using a tripod, selfie stick, or placing your camera against a stable surface, so it remains put and doesn’t ruin your shots. 

Once your product and camera are set up, it’s time to start clicking pictures. Here’s a potential process of taking shots for a stop motion video:

• Take a photo

• Make a small change

• Introduce a part of another element

• Take another photo

• Make another small change

• Rinse and repeat till you’ve got all your shots

Feeding The Creative Spirit

Perspective artist and animator Pencilfury visuali

Videos generally have 24-30 frames per second. However, you don’t need to click as many pictures to create as top motion video because the choppy or jerky effect between shots is what makes them look appealing. 

Ideally you need anywhere between 7-10 frames per second, meaning you need to click those many pictures for every second of your stop motion video. 

CONSISTENCY is key: maintaining consistency in as many factors as possible makes the intentional differences between frames more obvious, drawing the viewer’s eye to the “motion.” If there are too many slight changes between frames, your scene will not come to life as smoothly.

Slight variances that might occur from manually holding your camera will be noticeable when stills are placed in succession. 

The best way to ensure a stable frame is to use a tripod. 

Make sure your tripod is placed on stable ground where you will not accidentally bump into it. To ensure even more consistency between frames, use a wireless remote control to release the camera’s shutter, in order to avoid direct physical contact with the camera that might slightly alter the frame.

Use fixed focus on the camera

Do not make the mistake of shooting in auto-focus mode because every time you move an object in the frame, the focus will shift and this will mess with the focus and lighting in your shots. Ideally you want to use wide focus so that the entire frame is in shot instead of focusing on a single object.

Big, dramatic movements can lead to jumps in your video and prevent it from looking seamless. You want to ensure that each movement is tiny and only slightly different from the previous one to give it a stop-motion look. Also, try to make the difference between shots (like the distance your object is covering) uniform to avoid abrupt jumps in your video.

Especially with stop-motion, you have to have PATIENCE—getting to your desired result can take time. 

The smaller your movements of objects between frames are, the smoother the animation will be. 

One standard for the number of frames needed to create one second of animation is 24 stills (fps, or frames per second, is the official term for this concept).