Stop motion animation (thing)

Stop-motion animation is the art of creating an animated sequence by arranging objects in front of a camera and taking pictures frame by frame.

In more simple terms:

1. Set up your scene, with clay or something.
2. Point your camera in an appropriate direction. (use a tripod to avoid ontinuity problems)
3. Take a photo, or frame, or whatever you like to call it.
4. Move your cast ever-so-slightly to their next positions.
5. Go to step three.

Essentially, these are real-world things brought to life through painstaking effort. If you own a webcam, you should try doing this as it's remarkably easy to get impressive results.

Some examples of popular stop-motion animation:

• Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• Wallace and Gromit
• Gumby ("he was once a little green slab of clay...")
• Sesame Street has featured many, many stop-motion animation delights.