Friday Fun Fact Feb 19

 

Stop Motion Animation

image from FunTech

Stop motion animation is a way of making still objects look like they are moving. Stop motion animation requires a camera that can take still photos.  The animator photographs the object, moves it a tiny bit, and then photographs it again. When the photos are run together, the still object seems to move by itself.

This process is very similar to the concept of flipbooks.  In a flipbook, the artist uses pieces of paper to draw an object over and over.  On each paper underneath the top sheet, the artist moves the object more and more.  Here is a video of flipbooks:

Flipbook examples 

How to make a flipbook

In 1898 the first stop motion animated film was created.  It was The Humpty Dumpty Circus, and it featured a toy circus set.

                                     image from Public Domain

The picture at the top of the page is a scene from Wallace and Gromit.  You can see the artist's hand setting up the characters for the next photo.  According to Kids Encyclopedia Facts,  Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park "made the decision to create the dog, Gromit, without a mouth when he realized he couldn't reach past the character's eyebrows to adjust the face.  Instead, Park felt even a small eyebrow movement would give the loveable dog a range of expressions."

Here is a clip from Wallace & Gromit:

Wallace & Gromit on the Moon

Here is another fun stop motion short video:

 

Lego Cake

Have a great weekend!  See you on Monday!