Have you seen the new LEGO Movie yet?
If you have not seen it then I would highly recommend it to you. Even though the movie was made using CGI the promoters of the movie came out with a few stop-motion advertisements for the movie. It was debated whether or not they would create the entire movie using the stop motion technique but in the end CGI won over the much loved traditional art form. If however like me you prefer the look and feel of stop motion then I have outlined a few basic steps you need to watch for when creating your own LEGO movie using stop motion software.

• Get a Baseplate

The worst mistake you could possibly make with this form of animation is to not secure your set. A lego baseplate is essential to achieve the secure foundation for your set and characters. The mistake many newcomers to stop-motion make is to not secure their camera and set. One bump in error can waste hours of animating. Because stop motion relies heavily on small incremental movements between poses of your characters any unintentional movement of your set, camera or characters can really mess up your animation.

• Secure your Camera

Again just like your baseplate make very sure you secure your camera. If you are using a DSLR camera then you should use a heavy duty tripod and tape it to the floor. If you are using a webcam ( which are very easy to move accidentally ) then you should use duck tape and a clamp or something similar to lock it on to your table or animating platform.

• Get 3 Lamps/Lights

Another error that can be made is to not have enough reliable lighting on your set. Use three lamps or more to light up your set and characters. Don't however use direct light. Try to reflect it off a white sheet or cover it with grease proof paper. Direct light will result in reflections and bright spots on your characters. And also remember to close your blinds or curtains and sunlight will vary from moment to moment and thus give light flicker on playback of your animation.

• Write out a storyline on a storyboard

Unless your animation is very short then you should always create a draft storyline to use in order to plan your shots. This will give structure to your story but also to your approach to animating. Because stopmotion can take time it is possible to wander off in the wrong direction without noticing it.

• Focus your Camera

Make sure to focus your webcam or DSLR carefully. And try to keep the focus constant. Any change in focus between frames will give a very unpleasant result in your animation when viewed by your intended audience.

• Start Animating

Finally you can get animating. Remember to follow your storyboard and save your animation regularly with your animation software. Oh and as always Enjoy!