automaton dance stop motion animation

an animation test i did with my new digital SLR. everything was shot with a still camera, even the dynamic lightning. the music is by john cage's prepared piano music. more than a little influenced by ladislaw starewicz, jan svankmajer, and the brothers quay

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• animation
• automaton
• expressionist
• expressionism
• doll
• dance
• john
• cage
• prepared
• piano
• robot
• mechanical
• music
• video
• toy

[lavilla91]

Very nice lighting work. Did you use a remote shutter release to take your pictures and did you find any camera shake or exposures that didn't match up with the last frame? (from the moving parts in an SLR--shutter, mirror, etc.). What program did you use to put this together?

I'm looking into a stopmotion setup and would appreciate any advice from an exerienced motioner.

[richragsdale]

I used a cable release and a tripod

i put it all together in final cut

after adjusting the pictures in photoshop

[lavilla91]

did you use a PS action? or manual adjustments?

[richragsdale]

manual adjustments

[damashiidono]

I love how smooth everything goes, but the loophole in this stopmotion animation is that there is no purpose in having it as a stopmo project. everything can actually be shot with a videocam instead. part of stopmo's magic is to be able to achieve what cannot be done with a videocam, and that has been completely neglected in this film. the automaton wasn't even shot full body length, so you could have used something to turn it below instead of filming it in stop mo.

[richragsdale]

well this was actually shot as a test for a fully stop motion music video i did right after

i was mostly interested in experimenting with animating the light, focus pulls and the like as well as developing a work flow with the d200

i cut it all together with some music and thought it was cool so i posted it - but it was created with things i found laying around my house and was never meant to be considered a fully realized film - just a test - but thanks for watching

[vividvectors]

cool animation

[canalgualdina]

Stunning. 

[MrViolentViolin]

cool :P, but why not rendered in HD:P

[williameallan]

i love the music!

[avisualjourney]

Like your use of blacks. Music was very nice.

[03crichardson]

I personally think it's illogical to use anything BUT a digital stills camera for stop-motion...