How to Make a Stop Motion Film in Windows Movie Maker
Write a script or outline of your movie., Plan out your shot composition with a digital camera and tripod., Eliminate any shadows from outside light sources., Design, build, or "recruit" your characters., Take a few practice photos and view them on...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Write a script or outline of your movie.
Stop-motion is incredibly time-consuming
-- you need at least 10 photos per second of footage, so having a plan in place before you begin will save you a lot of headaches.
While there is no limit to what you can do with stop-motion, there are some practical concerns that you should be aware of before beginning your story.
It is very hard to zoom, pan, or move the camera smoothly in stop motion, so keeping everything in one frame/scene will be much easier to film professionally.
Unless you can safely leave your camera in position overnight you will need to be able to shoot all of your footage in one day.
The more characters and moving pieces you have, the longer everything will take. -
Step 2: Plan out your shot composition with a digital camera and tripod.
The tripod is essential to keep your camera in the same spot, otherwise your movie will look shaky and jumbled.
Set your scene in a place where it cannot be easily disturbed, as it will be nearly impossible to put everything in the right place if something gets knocked out of sorts.
A good memory card, one that can hold at least 4-500 photos, is essential unless you want to constantly remove the card and reset the camera in the same position.
You can set you picture quality to "Low" if you are worried about space and do not care about having a professional quality film.
If you don't have a tripod, tape your camera down so that it doesn't move when you take a picture., Making your movie will take a long time, meaning the shadow that starts at the edge of your scene might cover the entire shot by the time you're done.
Unless this is the effect you want (to show time passing, for example), you should close the shutters or curtains and light the scene with lamps and ceiling lights.
This will ensure even, consistent lighting throughout your movie. , You can animate almost anything using stop-motion, from people and action figures to drawings and old appliances.
You simply need something that you can move slowly and will hold it's shape while you take the pictures.
Some ideas for stop-motion subjects include:
Dolls, action figures, and toys are bendable, expressive, and easy to adjust.
You can use them to enact any scene you want, and they are easy to manipulate, stick, and move.
Drawings are time-consuming, as you need to draw every frame (10-12 a second) by hand.
However, this is how traditional cartoons were done before computers.
You can also do a stop motion movie as you draw something, taking a picture as you add the lines, shading, color, etc, to show the drawing as it is brought to life.
Household objects can be brought to life quickly and easily.
This is often the best place to start, as you have the materials on hand and can quickly get them moving.
Paper can toss itself in the trash, pencils can spontaneously dance, and bread can slide itself out of the bag and into the toaster. , Put your subjects into the frame or start a simple drawing using the lighting and camera position you want for your final movie.
Take 5-10 quick shots and then import them into the computer, making sure they are clear, well-lit, and show everything in your scene.
You do not want to edit 500 photos or re-shoot them later because you realized too late that the scene was lacking in light.
Your goal is to avoid editing any of your individual photos.
Take your time with the photography and you will save countless hours later. -
Step 3: Eliminate any shadows from outside light sources.
-
Step 4: Design
-
Step 5: or "recruit" your characters.
-
Step 6: Take a few practice photos and view them on the computer.
Detailed Guide
Stop-motion is incredibly time-consuming
-- you need at least 10 photos per second of footage, so having a plan in place before you begin will save you a lot of headaches.
While there is no limit to what you can do with stop-motion, there are some practical concerns that you should be aware of before beginning your story.
It is very hard to zoom, pan, or move the camera smoothly in stop motion, so keeping everything in one frame/scene will be much easier to film professionally.
Unless you can safely leave your camera in position overnight you will need to be able to shoot all of your footage in one day.
The more characters and moving pieces you have, the longer everything will take.
The tripod is essential to keep your camera in the same spot, otherwise your movie will look shaky and jumbled.
Set your scene in a place where it cannot be easily disturbed, as it will be nearly impossible to put everything in the right place if something gets knocked out of sorts.
A good memory card, one that can hold at least 4-500 photos, is essential unless you want to constantly remove the card and reset the camera in the same position.
You can set you picture quality to "Low" if you are worried about space and do not care about having a professional quality film.
If you don't have a tripod, tape your camera down so that it doesn't move when you take a picture., Making your movie will take a long time, meaning the shadow that starts at the edge of your scene might cover the entire shot by the time you're done.
Unless this is the effect you want (to show time passing, for example), you should close the shutters or curtains and light the scene with lamps and ceiling lights.
This will ensure even, consistent lighting throughout your movie. , You can animate almost anything using stop-motion, from people and action figures to drawings and old appliances.
You simply need something that you can move slowly and will hold it's shape while you take the pictures.
Some ideas for stop-motion subjects include:
Dolls, action figures, and toys are bendable, expressive, and easy to adjust.
You can use them to enact any scene you want, and they are easy to manipulate, stick, and move.
Drawings are time-consuming, as you need to draw every frame (10-12 a second) by hand.
However, this is how traditional cartoons were done before computers.
You can also do a stop motion movie as you draw something, taking a picture as you add the lines, shading, color, etc, to show the drawing as it is brought to life.
Household objects can be brought to life quickly and easily.
This is often the best place to start, as you have the materials on hand and can quickly get them moving.
Paper can toss itself in the trash, pencils can spontaneously dance, and bread can slide itself out of the bag and into the toaster. , Put your subjects into the frame or start a simple drawing using the lighting and camera position you want for your final movie.
Take 5-10 quick shots and then import them into the computer, making sure they are clear, well-lit, and show everything in your scene.
You do not want to edit 500 photos or re-shoot them later because you realized too late that the scene was lacking in light.
Your goal is to avoid editing any of your individual photos.
Take your time with the photography and you will save countless hours later.
About the Author
Elizabeth Graham
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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