Stop Motion Animation

Stop motion animation is a way of making a film by moving an object a tiny bit, taking a photo, then moving it again. When all the photos are played back quickly, one after another, the object seems to move by itself. It's the technique behind many well-loved films, and all you need to start is a camera or tablet, some models and a little patience.

Claymation, or clay animation, uses figures made from modelling clay that you can bend and reshape between shots.

Puppet animation uses posable models, often with a wire skeleton inside called an armature.

Cut-out animation uses flat paper shapes moved around on a background.

Brickfilms are made with toy building bricks and little plastic figures.

Pixilation uses real people as the models. Take a photo, shuffle a step, take another, and you can glide across the ground without walking.

Each photo is called a frame. Your brain blends frames shown in quick succession into smooth movement, the same way a flip book works. Films show many frames every second, so even a short clip needs a lot of photos. The smaller each move, the smoother the result. Most stop motion apps also show a faint copy of your last photo on screen, called onion skinning, so you can see exactly how far you've moved things.

Your Activity Leader starts with the basics, then you plan your film with a storyboard: a set of simple sketches showing what happens in each scene. Next, you make your characters from modelling clay and other materials and set the scene, either with a backdrop you've made or in front of a green screen. The green can be swapped for any background you like once the film is made. Then it's lights, camera and lots of tiny moves.

Yes, it's a wonderful one to do together. Children get to invent the story and make the characters, while everyone takes turns moving models and taking photos. It builds patience, planning and teamwork without anyone noticing. And there's nothing quite like watching your finished film for the first time and hearing the whole family laugh at the same moment.

You might also like LEGO Engineering, Woodland Theatre and Toy Making.

See all Camp Kindling activities