stopmotion

Stop-motion is an animation technique in which physically manipulable objects are photographed one frame at a time to create the illusion of motion when the frames are played in sequence. Movements are produced by incremental changes in position between exposures, typically with a camera on a fixed frame or rig.

Its development began in the silent era with artists like J. Stuart Blackton and Emile Cohl, who used successive drawings and object positions. The method evolved through puppet and clay animation in the mid-20th century, with notable contributions by Ladislav Starevich and Willis O'Brien, culminating in King Kong (1933).

In practice, stop-motion projects combine model making, set construction, lighting and careful frame planning. Productions commonly shoot 24 frames per second, though different frame rates are used for time-lapse or stylistic purposes. Modern workflows often integrate digital compositing and post-production for color correction and effects while preserving optical frame-by-frame movement.

Techniques include puppet animation (armatures and articulated figures), clay or plasticine animation (claymation), object animation, and pixilation (live people as moving objects). Methods such as replacement animation involve swapping parts between frames; motion control rigs allow repeated trajectories. The medium favors tactile texture and physical interactions that are hard to reproduce with CGI alone.

Notable examples and studios include King Kong (1933), Wallace and Gromit (Aardman), The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline and ParaNorman by Laika. Stop-motion remains active in film, television and advertising, valued for its artisanal look and versatility across genres.