{"id":1675,"date":"2021-04-29T13:53:04","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1675"},"modified":"2021-09-27T11:22:30","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T10:22:30","slug":"history-of-stop-motion-animation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/2021\/04\/29\/history-of-stop-motion-animation\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Stop Motion Animation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stop motion is a popular form of filmmaking involving\nmanipulating physical objects in tiny increments between individually\nphotographed frames to make it appear that they are moving by themselves when\nthe frames are played back. It allows any object to be animated, but the most\npopular forms use puppets or plasticine figures (known commonly as claymation).\nHowever, live actors can also be used in stop motion, known as pixilation, and\nmaterials like paper and fabrics can be used to make cut-out animation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

From the cultural phenomena Wallace and Gromit to the animation studio Laika, stop motion has continued to be a popular filmmaking medium even to this day, but it has origins that started even before the days of filmmaking. Here\u2019s a look at the history of stop motion animation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IStock-1297240228\"<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n

Before\nFilm<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even before the days of film, stop motion was utilised using\nphotographs. In 1849, Joseph Plateau published notes about the improvements to\nhis Fantascope (ph\u00e9nakisticope). This device is regarded as one of the first\nforms of moving media entertainment that paved the way for future motion\npictures. It used a spinning disc attached to a handle with a series of\ndrawings showing the phases of animation. The user would spin the disc, and the\nimages appeared to be moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of animation device went through various stages of\ndevelopment through the 1800s until eventually becoming the zoetrope, a device\nthat produces the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings or\nphotographs in progressive phases of movement. It was a cylindrical variation\nof the ph\u00e9nakisticope that became very successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prof._Stampfer's_Stroboscopische_Scheibe_No._X\"<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n

Silent\nStop Motion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Around 80% to 90% of all silent films are lost, and silent\nstop motion films that have been lost are considered even more difficult to\ntrace. The written documentation on missing films is often insufficient and\nincomplete. With stop motion, the special effects were kept secret to prevent\ncopycats and keep the audience interested in the mystery of how it was done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the silent film era, stop motion was known as stop\ntrick, as the camera was stopped during filming to change something before\nfilming continued. The oldest example is the beheading in the film The\nExecution of Mary Stuart<\/em> (1895). In 1917, claymation pioneer Helena\nSmith-Dayton referred to the principle as stop action, a synonym of stop\nmotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early shorts made use of stop motion, including the famous\nsci-fi short, A Trip to the Moon <\/em>(1902). One of the earliest claymation\nfilms was Modelling Extraordinary <\/em>(1912). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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