How to Use Claymation

Claymation may be considered an obsolete way to create animated movies, but the style and look are still preferred today by movies like "Coraline" and "9." While the effects and quality have improved for professional productions, independent productions can learn how to use Claymation to help expand animation technique and knowledge, filmmaking skills and create an epic movie without the use of actors, large scale sets or multi-million dollar budgets.

Things You'll Need

• Metal wire
• Pipe cleaners
• Tinfoil
• Styrofoam balls
• Plasticine clay
• Cotton balls
• Tissue paper
• Rubber gloves
• Felt
• Shoe box
• Spotlights
• Tripod
• Professional digital camera
• Miniature toys and props

Instructions

Setup

1. Plan out the movie. Design characters using graph paper to create exact measurements so that scale remains intact for each character. Aside from the character base, think of other elements it might include like a hat, necklace or jacket.

2. Storyboard the movie. Using a script or outline, storyboard different shots so you will know exactly what you are filming. Unlike a human production, Claymation requires a lot of pre-planning because of shot setups, characters and special effects.

3. Form the basic skeleton of the clay characters using metal wire or pipe cleaners. Add a small chunk of Styrofoam at the hands and feet of the character.

4. Wrap tinfoil around the character to add girth. Use a cotton ball or some tissue paper with foil wrapped around it to create the appearance of a large stomach.

5. Layer the clay onto the figure. Use Plasticine clay because this clay works the best with molding and does not dry, harden or crack. Wear rubber gloves while maneuvering the clay so that no fingerprints appear on the characters.

6. Keep the head separate from the character. Create multiple heads featuring multiple expressions so that it is easy to exchange between shots without manipulating the character too much. If needed, you can create multiple mouths and eyes and insert them using small pieces of wire instead.

7. Set up the scenes for the movie. Use shoe boxes, large boxes and printed pictures to create backdrops for the production. Gather miniature toys from things like doll houses to add small props for the movie. Visit yard sales and flea markets to find cheap items for the production.

Production

1. Set up the equipment. A professional digital camera like a Nikon D80 is best to use because it provides manual settings and will take higher-quality still shots than a camcorder. Set the camera up on a tripod, because any shakiness or change within shots will be clearly visible during the final product.

2. Use two small spotlights to light the scene. Be weary of shadows created from the equipment and your self. Use an overhead fill light to get rid of most of the shadows. Secure the lighting equipment so that it stays consistent between each shot.

3. Set up the characters on the starting point of the scene. Do a run-through of the scene to make sure all of the elements will animate properly and there is nothing that will go wrong. For example, a character may fall while walking, props can get in the way and camera angles may not quite fit.

4. Take the first picture for the scene. Use a classic film clapboard or dry erase board to indicate which scene and take it is. This makes organizing the photos a lot easier for the editing process.

5. Move the characters slightly in-between each picture. Typically it will take 27 to 30 pictures to create one second worth of animation. When conveying speed, just animate as normal and change film speeds within the editing program during post production.

6. Re-shoot certain portions of each scene using different angles. This will take away from the static shots and allow more editing room during post production. If a mistake occurs, the alternate angles will prevent re-shooting of the scene.

References

• Claymation Tutorials