THIRD EDITION STOP MOTION CRAFT SKILLS FOR MODEL ANIMATION THIRD EDITION STOP MOTION CRAFT SKILLS FOR MODEL ANIMATION SUSANNAH SHAW Boca Raton London New York CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2017 by Susannah Shaw CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works Printed on acid-free paper Version Date: 20161201 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-138-77931-0 (Paperback) 978-1-138-62878-6 (Hardback) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. 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Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com Contents • Acknowledgments xi Author xiii 1 Introduction: Playing God 1 What is stop motion? 1 Nature and caricature 5 What this book is for? 8 2 Getting Equipped 9 What do you need? 9 Choosing a camera 10 Webcam 10 Smartphone or tablet 10 Digital single-lens reflex 11 Lenses 11 Focal length 11 Animation software/frame grabbers 11 Tripods 13 Lighting 14 The animator’s toolkit 15 Recording sound 15 Editing 16 Glossary 16 3 Getting Animated 17 Animating familiar objects as a first approach 17 Setting up for the first time 18 Color correction 18 File naming and storage 20 v vi CONTENTS Notes on movement 23 Timing: Single frame or double frame? 24 Squash and stretch 25 Air resistance 28 The X-sheet 28 Planning 30 The old ones are the best 31 Glossary 32 4 Keep it Simple: Developing Your Story 33 Idea–script–treatment 33 The script 34 Find a good editor 35 Treatment 35 Planning your shots: Basic film grammar/composition of shots 36 Aspect ratio 36 Plan 36 Film grammar 36 How to set up your shots and give them continuity? 36 Camera angle 37 Motivation 38 Continuity 38 Crossing the line 39 Reverse angle shots 39 Camera move in a shot (pan, tilt, zoom, track) 39 Focus 41 Sound 41 The storyboard 41 Visualization 45 Editing: Animatics and story reels 45 5 Coat Hangers for Armatures: Making Your Own Model 47 Character design 47 Staying upright 50 Working with modeling clays 51 Making your own puppet 54 Simple wire and Plasticine puppet 54 Durable clothed puppet 58 List of materials used to make this model 69 CONTENTS vii 6 Advanced Model Making 73 The maquette 75 Ball-and-socket armature 76 Making your own ball-and-socket armature 77 Humanoid joints 79 Rigging points 80 Replacements and 3D printing 83 Replacements 83 Rapid prototype or 3D printing 84 Mould making: Hard and soft moulds 88 The sculpt 88 Textures 89 Undercuts 89 Seams 89 Making a hard mould 90 Plaster moulds 92 Resin moulds 92 Making a soft mould 94 Silicone moulds 94 Plasticine press moulds 94 Casting 95 Model making masterclass: ScaryCat Studio and the Duracell bunny 101 Glossary of model making materials 107 7 Four Walls and a Sky: Sets and Props 109 Research the look 109 Design and building of sets 109 Scale 110 The base 110 Creating landscapes 113 Buildings 114 Interior sets 115 Practical lights 115 Exterior sets 116 Forced perspective 118 Making props 119 Rigging 119 Glossary of materials for sets 120 viii CONTENTS 8 Sound Advice: The Voice Track 123 Pre-production 124 Recording dialog 125 Voice techniques 126 Recording 126 Sound breakdown 126 Lip sync 127 A rough guide to mouth shapes: Look in the mirror 131 Music and effects copyright 133 9 The Mechanics of Movement 135 Studies from observation 135 Using live reference 135 The invaluable muybridge 135 Posing the model 138 Balance 138 Line of action 139 Timing 140 Weight 140 Lifting a heavy box 142 Creating a sense of weight 143 Anticipation, action, and reaction 144 Hands and feet 148 Follow-through 148 Snap 149 Breaking up the movement 149 Walking and running 149 Rigging 150 Relaxed walk: 16 Frames 151 Fast walk: 8–12 Frames (one full step) 151 Run: Six frames (four steps per second) 151 The illusion of speed 151 Animal and bird movement 154 Four-legged animals 154 Lizard 155 Birds’ walk 155 Birds’ flight 155 CONTENTS ix 10 The Performance 159 Character animation 159 Comedy and comic timing 162 Eyelines 163 Blinking 165 More than one character 165 Subtle character animation 167 11 Ready to Shoot 171 Lighting 171 Measuring light 171 Calibrate your monitor 172 Color temperature and lighting gels 172 Lighting the background 174 Health and safety issues 174 Setting up the shot 174 Camera position 174 Shutter speed 175 Depth of field 175 Camera moves 176 Motion control 177 Blocking out your shots 177 Your own welfare 177 Shooting 177 Shooting with a rig 178 Chroma key or green screen 182 Checkerboarding 182 Using glass 183 Special effects: Tips and hints 183 Fire and explosions 184 Camera shake 184 Rain 185 Footprints in the snow 185 Water 186 Smoke 186 Fog/mist 186 Wind 186