Animation Set Up

The Process:

To begin with I downloaded DragonFrame and began to get some test images from the software. I had to alter the cameras settings to get a good white background. I also had to make sure that the 18-55 mm slr lens was set to manual mode. After 50 frames I exported the file to see what the stop motion looked like. 

To get the correct display settings for the screen that I wanted I had to tweak the display settings. 

Set Up:

Firstly I set up the Stop Motion equipment and set the camera to the correct height that i required. I then attached the cameras wires to the laptop and camera. Then i launched Dragonframe and the camera was recognised. The cameras settings needed to be tweaked slightly so i did that before animating. After the settings were all correct I laid out my stationary and began to animate frame by frame. Each image taken was one frame. I was working at 12.5 frames per seconds. Overall I have taken 12.5 x 125 = 1562 frames.  After exporting the shots I then imported the clips into Premier. Once in Premier I adjusted the colour and scale of the shots. 

Problems that Occurred:

Camera loosing connection and power: I lost the power of the battery in the SLR a few times and lost all previous shots. To solve this I had a back up battery on charge ready for when the other one was low. 

Moving objects in the wrong place: When I placed the stationary on the scene paper I had to then move them every so slightly to get it to look like they moving. On some occasions the movement wasn't in the right place. To solve this I used the Onionskin tool in DragonFrame. This tool shows where the stationary was placed in the last previous shot and shows where it can be moved for the next shot.