Animated discussions: That 3D Stop Motion Thing

You make a setup. You have your camera, lights, props, etc in place for the setup.

You put your objects in place: puppets, play-dough, playing cards, deckchairs, people, bananas, whatever.

Take a shot or two.

Move the subject slightly. (But don't move anything else - including the camera or lights, unless you mean to.)

Take another shot or two.

Move again.
Shot. Shot. Shot.
Again. Shot-shot.
And so on.

Play the film back and the objects appear to move by themselves - mysteriously.

This is such a simplistic explanation it does not do justice to the technique - but you get the drift. And you can read more by clicking here. Like I said before... think Wallace & Gromit, Tim Burton's "The Nightmare before Christmas", and The Magic Roundabout (Doo-doo-duh Doo-dooo Dudududu-doo-dooh...) All of them stop motion animation.

So that's what Mrs Doonuthin wants to make. But on a peanuts budget. Like... software... laptop... webcam.

Cheapskate! Ooh but a wannabe film star like I - has to start somewhere. So I will grit my teeth and suffer for my art.

She'd better not be goin' to use that plasticine stuff tho'. She'd better be goin' to use "Moi".