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Loosely defined, stop-motion animation refers to the process of posing articulated puppets in incremental movements, and photographing these poses to produce the illusion of motion.
One second of film consists of twenty-four individual pictures. Normally, film is run through a movie camera at this rate to capture an actor's motion. In the case of stop-motion animation, however, the "actor" is an inanimate, articulated puppet, and motion is achieved by carefully moving the puppet in 1/24th of a second increments. Between poses, a single frame of film photographs the result. When the film is run through a movie projector, the stop-motion puppets appear to be endowed with life. For animations requiring the realism of Ray Harryhausen's projects, the construction of the stop-motion puppets is very exacting. After designing and sketching the puppet, a precision-engineered metal jointed armature is built. The joints of this armature must be tight enough to hold a pose, yet loose enough for the animator to easily move it in small increments. Next, a detailed clay sculpture is created, carefully sized to accommodate the armature. A cast is made of this sculpture, and the armature placed inside. Finally, the cast is injected with liquid latex, which forms a pliable "skin" around the armature in the shape of the original sculpture. After painting and detailing, the puppet is ready to film. Naturally, there are many ways to produce stop-motion animations. Wire and wood armatures are often suitable for smaller projects, and complex latex puppets aren't always required. Anything can be animated. Like any other form of animation, the technical aspects of stop-motion are only part of the skills required to create convincing motion. The difference between a mediocre stop-motion animation and one of Ray Harryhausen's caliber is an intimate knowledge of timing, gravity, anatomy, and behavior. |
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