Stop-motion wiki

A source-cited, academic reference for how stop motion is made — techniques, materials, fabrication, camera, animation craft and workflow.

Concepts21

Categories9

Sourcingsource-backed

foundations

CT Capture technique foundations

How frame-by-frame movement is recorded and controlled, including replacement cycles, pixilation,…

SM Stop motion foundations

A filmmaking technique in which a physical subject is positioned in front of a camera, photographed one frame…

subject

S Subject subject

The animated object in front of the camera: puppet, clay figure, object, paper cutout, food, fabric,…

P Puppet subject / subject

A poseable figure built for incremental movement, often with an armature, body padding, costume, surface…

C Clay subject / subject

A malleable animated figure or object, associated with clay animation and claymation workflows where sculpted…

MP Mechanical puppet subject / puppet

A puppet with internal mechanisms, linkages, paddles or controls that let animators adjust eyes, brows,…

fabrication

B Background fabrication / subject

Sets, plates, props, matte elements and environments that sit behind or around the animated subject.

MS Miniature set fabrication / background

A scaled-down physical environment built for stop-motion or special-effects photography. Miniature sets…

material

M Materials material

Physical substances used in puppets, clay figures, replacement faces, sets, hair, skin, props and rigs.

SM Skin materials material / materials

Surface materials used for puppet skin or outer body texture, including silicone, latex, foam latex, fabric…

HM Hair materials material / materials

Materials and construction methods for hair, fur, fibers, brows and textured surfaces on puppets or miniature…

A Armature material / puppet

The internal structure that holds poses between frames, from wire builds to ball-and-socket metal skeletons…

technique

RA Replacement animation technique / capture-technique

A technique where expression, mouth shape or body parts are swapped between frames instead of deforming a…

OA Object animation technique / capture-technique; subject

A sub-type of stop motion in which everyday or found objects serve as the animated subject rather than a…

P Pixilation technique / capture-technique

A stop-motion technique in which live human actors are used as frame-by-frame subjects instead of…

CA Clay animation technique / stop-motion

A sub-type of stop motion in which animated subjects are built from malleable materials — typically…

lighting

L Lighting lighting / capture-technique

Controlled light for miniature sets and animated objects, including consistency, flicker control, practical…

LC Lighting continuity lighting / lighting; capture-technique

Lighting continuity is the discipline of keeping exposure, colour, direction, shadow quality and…

camera

D Dragonframe camera / capture-technique

Industry-standard stop-motion animation software for Mac, Windows and Linux, widely used by major studios…

rigging

T Tie-down rigging / puppet; armature

A system for anchoring a stop-motion puppet to the animation set between frames, preventing the figure from…

post

AE After Effects compositing post / capture-technique

Adobe After Effects used as the primary compositing and post-production environment for stop-motion…