Making video look like a Stop Motion at DVinfo.net

Scott Nelson · October 12th, 2010, 08:08 PM

So I have an idea I am going to shoot soon but it's supposed to look like a stop motion video. now I have no problem at all shooting it with my camera and editing it all together in post. But out of curiosity, Is there a way to shoot video them break it up so it looks more jittery like a stop motion?

Not sure if I would go this route if I can, but it's just a curiosity thing..

Adam Gold · October 12th, 2010, 09:46 PM

What makes true stop motion look like stop motion is that there is no motion blur. At all. Nothing is moving at the time the frame is exposed so there's no blur and that's what gives it the jittery look.

You could try to simulate this by using a very short shutter speed, and perhaps a slow frame rate like 24p or 30p, while you are shooting, but it won't be quite the same. They'll both add to the stroby/jittery look.

You could also look into using a tilt/shift lens, which seem to be all the rage now. After 100 years of cinema history of trying to make miniatures look full-size, they can now make full size stuff look miniature. Using this equipment can give you a very shallow DoF even on hugely wide shots. There's a great example of this over at the Disney Parks channel on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyZfIlxwsfI

Here's an even better example on Vimeo:

Clearly there's been some more work in post... perhaps rendering as 15fps or using the time-lapse function on the cam if it has one or something like that?

Lloyd Coleman · October 13th, 2010, 08:29 AM

Premiere has an effect called 'Posterize Time'. You can set the frame rate for anything you want. If you take a standard video and set the frame rate to '2' for instance, it will display a single frame from the video every 1/2 second, just as if you shot two single frames per second. Play with it and see if it gives you what you are looking for.

October 12th, 2010, 08:08 PM	#1
Scott Nelson Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bloomington, MN Posts: 167	Making video look like a Stop Motion So I have an idea I am going to shoot soon but it's supposed to look like a stop motion video. now I have no problem at all shooting it with my camera and editing it all together in post. But out of curiosity, Is there a way to shoot video them break it up so it looks more jittery like a stop motion? Not sure if I would go this route if I can, but it's just a curiosity thing.. __________________ Canon XH-A1, Rode NTG-2 DIGITAL NOIR PRODUCTIONS

October 12th, 2010, 09:46 PM	#2
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	What makes true stop motion look like stop motion is that there is no motion blur. At all. Nothing is moving at the time the frame is exposed so there's no blur and that's what gives it the jittery look. You could try to simulate this by using a very short shutter speed, and perhaps a slow frame rate like 24p or 30p, while you are shooting, but it won't be quite the same. They'll both add to the stroby/jittery look. You could also look into using a tilt/shift lens, which seem to be all the rage now. After 100 years of cinema history of trying to make miniatures look full-size, they can now make full size stuff look miniature. Using this equipment can give you a very shallow DoF even on hugely wide shots. There's a great example of this over at the Disney Parks channel on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyZfIlxwsfI Here's an even better example on Vimeo: Tilt Shift on Vimeo Clearly there's been some more work in post... perhaps rendering as 15fps or using the time-lapse function on the cam if it has one or something like that? __________________ "It can only be attributable to human error... This sort of thing has cropped up before, and it has always been due to human error."

October 13th, 2010, 08:29 AM	#3
Lloyd Coleman Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 256	Premiere has an effect called 'Posterize Time'. You can set the frame rate for anything you want. If you take a standard video and set the frame rate to '2' for instance, it will display a single frame from the video every 1/2 second, just as if you shot two single frames per second. Play with it and see if it gives you what you are looking for.