Stopmotion Creation

STOPMOTION ANIMATION- CLAYREO

We have all grown up on fairy tales, but do they continue to be relevant in the digital social media lead world of today?

The challenge given to my team of Five by our mentors was to launch a existing product with a new creation through Stop Motion. It was actually about harnessing our imagination and crating something that would hold appeal to the hearts and yet tickle the imagination and evoke curiosity and wonder in the minds of the viewers.

 I knew we had the technical skill set and knowledge about the tools and techniques like Maya, After Effects, Blender, Zbrush, Premiere Pro etc. In theory, we had learnt all that it would take to take figments of our imagination and use imagery and infuse it with the technical know how to bring it to life on the digital screen.

 But what is this Stop Motion Animation?

The concept  was completely alien to us. The idea of creating a product in Stop Motion really excited me, but they hows, and the wheres and the whens and the who were extremely tough to nail down, leading to many a sleepless night and restless days. How was our team going to swing the thing in reality and exhibit on the appointed day that was not far?

 The Creative Process

 In my team, every member had different stories and some unique ideas. The ideas were so different that we were going wildly off in all directions. It was vital that for the team to even begin to create, we first had to bring our imaginations and concepts on the same page.

 To make this process easier, we thought of creating fantasy ideas, so we could tart with a fresh plate and interesting premise. Everyone came out with fantastic ideas. The brainstorming sessions were so full of fun, energy and creative fulfillment that our team began to feel optimistic and filled with excitement finally, after days of being at a dead end before even starting.

 Finally we could cast an idea which was unique, creative and had an interesting story line. After endless cups of tea and fried snacks that accompanied the ‘creative’ brainstorming efforts, we were able to come up with the concept and story line that would be the heart and backbone of our stopmotion project. 

 The handiwork of our creative imagery and technical expertise as beginners of animation - The brief stop motion video is presented …Here it goes..

 

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                                                                      CLAYREO

Our Characters-

1) Princess Orea

2) Mr. Nut

3) Mr. Strawberry Stark

4) Mr. Berry Hop

5) Mrs. Berryberry Hop

 

The limitations of the project were many, starting with our limited experience and beginner knowledge.  The end product might not be perfect, as we were given this task for a limited time period and also this is my first try ever in stop motion. However, our efforts and the end result and reaction of our mentors and audience was encouraging enough. More importantly, the experience of working in a team and overcoming challenges to finally produce a creative output had been a memorable experience that has prepared each team member and given invaluable insight into team management, leadership and real time working.

What we lacked in skills and experience, we more than made up for with our enthusiasm and excited approach and inspite of the many difficulties, still we didn't give up and gave our 100% to this project. 

 It was a cakewalk… Said no one of us ever…

 Yes! the task was not easy at all. We faced too many problems and tough choices along the way…

I and a team member conceptualizing and shooting the actual video which was a lengthy and difficult process, which demanded meticulousness and unlimited patience…

So this is how we started by taking the first steps.

The initial conceptualization of the characters, where we are trying to give a definite shape to our vision, taking care that the personality and characteristics of  the characters and their place in the storyline also comes across clearly in the execution of our imaginative ideas…

Every detail, right down to the colour scheme of the props and set had to be minutely worked out so as to create the environment we needed for the audience to grasp the meaning and flow of the storyline, without any explanation or dialogue…

WE ARE PREPARING FOR OUR GIVEN TASK!!

It’s never the wrong time for a team selfie though! Cause all good projects also carry great memories within… and team work is all about capturing the good vibe while creating a masterpiece.

Now moving on to our next step!

Making the model characters with clay. Taking the ideas on paper and in our minds and actually giving them shape, colors, size and personality.

 

Now, it was time to move onto the next step…This was actually the toughest part!

Characters, Camera, Action, Shoot

I and my members faced the most difficulties in the step of shooting the video. I remember in one scene when Mr. Stark (strawberry flavored cream) was blowing a kiss (heart) to his princess, the heart was supposed to fly in a flowing floaty motion to Princess Orea. We took at least 40-50 shots for this small scene to get a better flow. In another scene, I remember that the next day of shooting, there was a major problem with continuity as all the color contrast settings got changed automatically, which we had never imagined or planned for. It was the saddest part for us that we had to shoot again from the beginning, but a lifelong lesson. The best part was that none of us was discouraged and our team cheerfully faced all the challenges.

All of us are crowding around but managing to do our bit on shoot day!

Complete focus on the scene that is being enacted…oodles of patience and extreme care for the continuity and characterization was the order of the day…

Was working together fun for us?

Yes, it was indeed!! It was great fun when we members fought with each other. Yes, we fought, we laughed, we cried, we were anxious, ad, disappointed, stressed and impatient, we debated and we had common point of view too. We reduced our stress by making memes and funny faces of our characters.

Want to have a look? Here it is...

Princess Orea had to have an Oreo as her beautiful faceJ and her beauty was enhanced by the little decorative touches and make up that was befitting. And her throne was a masterpiece of ‘icing on the cake’…The most endearing thing about her though-The cute way she sticks out her tongue…

The conceptualization of the stage for the court of Princess Orea who had to be woo’ed by the other characters was a challenge we enjoyed creating…

Funny faces of Princess Orea

The snake had to be lovable and non threatening, so his face and body had to be designed and made accordingly… I think we succeeded, don’t you? Snake turned out to be a sweet patottie

Snake

Snake and the Prince BerryBerry Nut who finally gets the Princess face off…

 

We made funny stories out of our characters, and gave them personalities which came out even during the few seconds that each got in the final cut.

 This scene shows that 'A snake has captured the Princess Orea and her Prince Berryberry Nut has come to rescue her. Now the question confuses the audience, whether the Prince will able to compete its rival snake for his love or not?'

BEHIND THE SCENES
So this was the BTS of the making of the stop Motion video, which is equal parts creativity and fun and imagination and the painful process of creation…

Just a day in the of an Animation student.

I hope you like our Clayreo video and do comment your thoughts in the section below...

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