How To Do Stop Motion Photography – Frame Rates

Jay P and Trisha demonstrate Stop Motion Photography and the different frame rates you can choose and how they compare. They show how the different frame rates influence the look of your stop motion video.

Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan and today I have Trisha back with us. Trisha has done great stop motion for The Slanted Lens. We have a great download about how to do Stop Motion. Today we’re going to take a look today at frame rate and what that means in stop motion.

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We’re going to start by taking our first frame. If I was doing 10 frames per second, we’d animate it in bigger chunks. Since we’re doing 24 frames per second, we’re going to actually move the car in tiny increments. We’re actually going to have the shadow of the car precede the car. I like to do this in all my videos. If an object is entering the scene, the shadow precedes the object. So the object doesn’t just appear, there is like a natural transition of one or two frames. And so you know, it’s coming.

So when people ask the question, “What software are you using?, what are you using?

Dragon frame is the software that we’re using to shoot this animation, it takes the image from the camera and moves it over to the computer so we can see really big what it is we’re filming. And it gives you a ghost of the last frame. See, I can see it on the computer right now.

So what I like to do when I am creating a scene, that is paper, I like to give it some depth. So I really like to use these wooden blocks. And with double stick tape, I will just tape them to the piece of paper.

And that way, this is kind of like a sturdy singular piece that I can move and I don’t have to worry about the blocks falling off or having to move the block and then move the car. But actually just moves this as one whole piece.

I actually like to shoot everything, whether I’m going to play it back at 24 or back at 10, I like to shoot everything at 10 frames per second. Just so that when I watch it back, I can see flaws and errors more easily. Because if there’s a change in lighting or something, sometimes it’s hard to tell at 24 frames per second. But if you have it playing it 10, you can really visually consider all your frames.

 

Let’s take a look at the frame rates here and just see how they compare and see what we think. So we shot this video intending to show it at 24 frames per second. We shot it in smaller increments than I would normally shoot for a video like this. So that this is what it looks like at 24 frames per second. It’s a little fast and it’s a little bit bumpy. Then when we move over here to 15 frames per second, you’ll see it slow down noticeably. It’s still a little bumpy and it just kind of moves through the frame. And then over here at 12 frames per second, the same piece of footage has a little bit more slow and relaxed of a pace. It just kind of moves through the frame. I really like the look of that. And then here at 10 frames per second it’s going to be even slower.

Keep in mind we intended for this one to be shown at 24 frames per second. But this is just the same piece of footage at these variable frame rates. In addition to shooting one at 24 frames per second, we shot one that we intended to show at 10 frames per second that is also three seconds long. So this is what that one looks like at 10 frames per second. So you can see how there is a difference of like with a ton of frames at 10 frames per second is going to take a long time to cross. With 30 frames it’s going to be faster.

There are some people doing 24 frames per second who do this incredible job of making these beautiful transitions and cinematic elements that really feel good and cohesive. But I think that one of the great things about shooting at a lower frame rate is that you get a really fun look with a good amount of effort. So it’s a stylistic look. It’s a little more jumpy, and yet has a little more of a fun personality.

I think the 10,12 or 15 frames per second looks fabulous. It just is really a current look right now for stop motion. And people like that kind of fun and bouncy look. And it just feels like stop motion. Yeah, we’re seeing right now. I really love the 12 frames per second. It’s just this really nice, kind of like look and feel that it gives the car and then here’s the our 10 frames per second sped up to 12. 10 is a little quick, the 12 is nice.

So what I’ve learned about frame rate from this is, 1. You kind of need to have a frame rate in mind as you animate. Because you’re going to move your vehicle or your objects differently depending on how quickly you want something to be accomplished. 2. A shorter frame rate seems a little more like a current look for stop motion. A little more bumpy is a word we keep using but it’s bouncy. It’s a little more fun and not trying to be cinematic. You know, less smooth but more jovial.

I think there is a lot of levity in the kind of media we consume right now. A lot of times when we go on different social media platforms, we’re just kind of looking for something that’s fun and brief. And that gives us information and then we move forward. And I think that this shorter frame rate really lends itself to that kind of look and feel, that kind of contemporary stop motion feel.

I really like the shorter frame rate. What I think is really important though is that if you’re going to do an animation, maybe take some time to overshoot what you need, and then you can take frames out. So if you’re thinking about creating a 10 second video, and you think you wanted to do that 10 frames per second, then maybe shoot it at 12 or 15, so that you have a little bit of wiggle room to take frames out and give it the look that you really want.

So Tricia has a great download over at TheSlantedLens.com. Click on online courses and you’ll see her complete stop motion download there. Trisha teaches you all the things you need to know to be able to do stop motion. The extended version talks about all the things that she does to cut paper, to animate and all those things. She has great tips that she has learned over years of animating that aren’t included in this YouTube video, are over on that lesson. So go to TheSlantedLens.com and click on online courses. GET 20% OFF OUR STOP MOTION BUNDLE THROUGH MARCH 15TH, 2021. USE THE CODE STOP20.

Keep those cameras rollin’ and keep on clickin’.