You will need help taking photos if you use string controlled puppets.
Stop motion animation is a traditional form of animation made by taking a picture of an object or character, then taking subsequent pictures after moving it a small amount. The result is a series of images you can run like a film. It is a basic animating technique that can be practiced by anyone with the correct tools. However, patience is necessary, as it will take a long time to film just a few seconds of footage. Animating with cardboard puppets is much the same as with any object with movable parts.
Instructions
1. Decide where you want to create your animation. For a simple series, put the cardboard puppets flat on a table. More complex animations can be made in small stage sets with the puppets positioned upright and controlled from above by strings.
2. Set up your camera and tripod to focus on the puppets on the table or set.
3. Focus a lamp directly onto the puppets for a well-lit animation. For shadows, focus the light on the puppets at an angle.
4. Take the first picture. Move the puppets about a millimeter, and take another picture. Move the puppets another millimeter and repeat the process. For example, move their arms upward a millimeter each time to animate a wave. Take between 10 and 25 pictures for each second of animation.
5. Open the movie editing software and import the photos. Drag and drop all the photos into the timeline. Adjust each photo until you can fit 10 to 25 into each second of film.
6. Press play to preview your animation. If it is too slow, add more pictures per second into the timeline. If it is too fast, reduce the number of pictures per second until you are happy with the results.
7. Save the completed animation.
