Little Angel |
07-30-2005 04:26 AM |
When if comes to stop-motion... You should give it a go your self. Stop motion animation is not as hard as it looks. It *is* tough, but most of that can be solved with good documentation. If you are Ray Haryhausen and can keep it all in your head, then you're a special person, but most animators simply have a sheet where they block out what they are trying to do, and then record how they are doing it and at what phase they are in. Literally - arm bends up 3 frames, leg moving forward 2. If you are interested we can go deeper into actions reports and 'x-sheets' if you try to get into the creatures making sound, especially dialogue.
You can use digital still cameras, and you can load the frames into a computer and see how you are doing.
I'd suggest shooting on blue or green and later compositing them into the scenes you are working on, rather than trying to do them in a miniature background or over projections of live footage. You have more control over it that way.
If you are worried about armatures - you can dissect and carve up existing toys for their joints.
A simple hint would be to take 2 of your fav figures and sculpt a nasty shell around it with plastacine, and make a mold of it. Then cast that mold in silicone over your second (or third or fourth). A good hobby store will give you the basics of what you need for molding. Expect to throw out your first 5 or so.
Give 'em a good shake in front of a still camera. Use locked off cameras, don't try to move the camera and the figurine. Wait a long time for that. James Cameron started doing miniatures. It's a great way to get experience with animation. And it will translate into 3D CG animation when you are ready for the leap!
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