posted 12-19-2000 04:46 PM
Action figures most certainly can be animated with stop motion techniques, just not terribly well. You'll have to modify most of them to get the degree of gradual posing and ease of repositioning limbs that most animators desire.You will have to figure out a way to tie down the figure's feet. Many animators use machine bolts run into the feet of their figures throught the table surface, which is made with pre-drilled hardboard (peg board.) You tie down one foot while the other one is in motion. If you do this, you will want to mount a nut in each foot for the bolt to screw into.
Obviously, you have to be able to temporarily reveal the holes and recover them when th foot is no longer anchored.
Some animators have used poster putty (blue-tack, etc) to tie down the feet of their figures, but many figures are too heavy for this.
In any case, stop motion animation requires a great deal of planning and patience.
Rookie mistake to avoid: As a kid I frequently turned off my hot, bright filming lights while repositioning figures and would sometimes forget to turn them back on, resulting in dark frames flickering throughout my footage!
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Jeff F - Moderator
Magic and FX
Amazing the Masses
posted 12-19-2000 04:06 PM
