Stop-motion

What is stop-motion?
Stop-motion animation (also can be called Stop-frame animation) is multiple
photos chained together to create moving image, multiple photos are taken
each frame moving an object a little each time and when played back at a high
speed creates an illusion of movement. Early stop motion was captured with film
cameras. Animators could not see how their work looked until they got their film
processed. But very early stop motion was done with toys and mechanical
inventions, the very beginning of stop-motion started in 1832 with Joseph
Plataeu.
Joseph Plataeu was one of the first people to introduce moving image, using a
device that used counter rotating disks to create the illusion of a moving image.

The Phenakistoscope works by moving fast, when the correct speed is reached
the eye is tricked into seeing a moving image rather than still images, in 1832
Plateua created the Phenakistoscope, two disks spin at a fast speed in opposite
directions and uses persistence of vision to create the illusion of motion. The use
of this lead to more inventions that used persistence of vison like the Zoetrope.

Another man who helped lead the industry was Emile Reynaud, he was
responsible for the first projected animation, by creating the Praxinoscope in
1877. It worked by having a strip of images placed around a mirror in a spinning
circle, so when spun an animation would appear on the mirror. This was a
successor to the Zoetrope, the zoetrope came after the thaumatrope and
phenakistoscope, it also uses the persistence of motion method to create an
illusion of motion.

British mathematician William Horner put forward his own variation of the
Zoetrope in 1834, having it in a cylinder. Horner's zoetrope had viewing slits
between the pictures instead of above them as much later zoetrope variations
would have. So when moving at a high enough speed the human eye cannot see
the breaks in the picture, therefore you can only see the image constantly
changing due to the persistence of vision this was a very early version of stopframe. The frame rate for something like this would have been quite low, since
there would have only been about 15 pictures the motion of the image would be
repeated until the speed lowers.

Moving on through time animation developed, when the film industry started to
take shape stop-frame came back and people used it to make productions.
Movement of model came in around in the 1920s, with one of the first people to
do this was Willis H. O'Brien with the creation of the stop-frame film The lost
world in 1925. The movie based on a novel followed different models of
dinosaurs, this was his first stop-motion film and would have had quite a low
frame rate due to the technology at the time. The models OBrien used were
made out of clay and were moved inch by inch picture after picture, then once
played back it would create the illusion of movement. To keep the models still he
used metal armatures, these are small metal skeletons that can be used to
make moving the models easier and keep shape. The models contained a
bladder inside the skeleton model that could be inflated and deflated to give the
illusion of breathing. His techniques lead to the inspiration for those such as
Aardman Animations which used similar skeletons to move their models, this
invention was one of the first of its kind and helped build stop-frame animation
for the 1920s.

Another man who built his own stop-motion method was Ray Harryhausen, in the
1940s, Harryhausen created his own method for stop motion called
dynamation. This method allowed Harryhausen to use less mini-sets, this was
a cheaper and faster option to creating whole small sets which would cost a lot
and take time to make. This method also allowed for close interaction between
the actors and figures, this was because the model is later added into the scene
compared to just being there to start with. For example, this allowed for actors to
sword fight with characters such as skeletons, as the actor would perform his
action and the models can be matched to it later. It did have a downside
however like it was often extremely difficult to match parts of the miniature set
with the previously filmed-material for brightness and color.

The 1920s also gave birth to another pioneer of animation Lotte Reiniger, she
created animations with cut out card and wire and managed to create classic
animations that helped path the way for many others. Lotte used frame rate to
her advantage and created her own models, with other models at the time
(armatures) being created her method was totally different. Cutting out
characters and holding them together with wire, Reiniger managed to create
animations by slowly moving her models but in 2D. This sort of style would have
been easier to do but the model would potentially take longer to make. Her

animations would be fluent and her work is one of the most recognized of the
time.

Coming towards more present day, animation and stop motion has come a long
way with people like Joseph Plateau, Willis OBrien and Lotte Reiniger starting it
off. The movement of models was probably built on the most with new
companies and productions using their own methods to create them. Aardman
Animations is nearly a household name because of their stop-frame work,
starting with basic models like Morph a plasticine model that starred in short
skits they moved to bigger and better things like Chicken Run. Using their own
design and frames, Aardman Animations have advanced the movement of
models by creating almost a full skeleton. This type of model allowed the
animation easier, slowly moving the characters inch by inch to do an action then
when played by at a higher speed creates the movement. Other stop-frame
movies they made such as Wallace and Gromit have similar techniques used to
create it, these movies also have a frame rate of around 24 frames per second.
This is an important step forward for animation, making for an easier and
cheaper way to create stop-motion films, Aardman helped build on this with their
models based off the early design made by Willis H. O'Brien.

Another man to help further the popularity of stop-motion movies with his own
techniques is Tim Burton, bringing out A nightmare before Christmas in 1993
he helped show an old style can still be done. Possibly inspired by the quite
interesting work of Lotte Reiniger Tim Burton created an earie Christmas story all
in stop-motion. Like Chicken Run Burton directed the movement of his models
and sets, the models were made from clay/plasticine with wire frames to keep
them still and straight. This stopped the models from moving and allowed for

correct movement, since his models were quite slim or mis-shaped a full skeleton
wouldnt been needed. The film was a success and soon got stop-frame movies
back onto the big screen picture, Tim Burtons own style was what won it over
using a movie style seen as old and adding his own dark creative input created a
classic film.

Two men that also helped create classics are the Quay brothers, Stephen and
Timothy Quay studied illustration and then attended the Royal College of Art in
London, where they started to make animated shorts in the 1970s. These two
brothers had a shared interest in the small details, they created their own mini
sets making sure they add in every color and texture, the technique being
immense detail. Their models also had the same treatment having been built
exactly how the brothers wanted, then moving the models and the set together
to create their animation. Most of their animation films feature puppets made of
doll parts and other materials, often partially disassembled set in a dark, moody
atmosphere. This style much like Tim Burtons was new to stop-motion and
helped drum up interest, having a big impact on stop-frame history.

If you havent noticed animation can come in many forms, it isnt just friendly
cartoons and Morph. People can add their own spin to it and create quite dark
and gritty movies. This content can end up anywhere, many people use stop
motion in music videos due to its interesting and impressive look same going for
people using it in adverts. Many TV shows still use stop motion mostly being kids
shows like Shawn the Sheep created by Aardman Animations and especially in
film like The Corpse Bride made by Tim Burton. Animation isnt just set to one
genre; many people enjoy stop-frame animation but its downsides are mostly
time based. Broadcasters have even gone as far as to have some channel
indents include animation, so its easy to see how animation is spread across a
lot of media.