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How to Make Claymation Videos With LEGOs

Stop-motion animation is the technique of making inanimate or stationary objects appear to move. Similar to traditional animation, it is done by compiling a sequence of still images into one continuous movie. Stop-motion animation is sometimes referred to as "Claymation," which is the trademarked name pioneer Will Vinton gave to his stop-motion animated clay figures in 1978. Ray Harryhausen is another notable artist in the field of stop motion animation. His work can be seen in the films "Jason and the Argonauts" and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad." More recent examples of stop-motion animation include "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Coraline." Use Legos to construct your animation subject, and concentrate on simply moving a Lego brick across the screen to practice stop-motion animation.

Things You'll Need

A camera, camcorder or webcam
A tripod (or similar way to anchor the camera)
Legos
A computer
iKITMovie software (see Resources)

Instructions

Collect the Footage
- 1
  Setup your scene. Find a clean, flat surface to setup your scene. Use a flat 16 by 16 Lego plate for the "floor." Place a 2 by 4 brick on either the left or right edge of the plate. (Measurements are in pegs, or the little dots on top of each brick.)
- 2
  Position your camera. Be sure to use a tripod or other method to firmly anchor the camera. Place the camera so that the whole scene is visible.
- 3
  Take your first shot. This will be the first frame of your animation.
- 4
  Reposition the brick by moving it one peg to towards the other end of the plate. Take your next shot.
- 5
  Repeat Step 4 until the brick has moved to the other side of the plate.
Compile the Footage
- 6
  Transfer your pictures to your computer. Use a memory stick, transfer cable, or email them to yourself.
- 7
  Open iKITMovie on your computer. Create a New Project, name it, and select the Import Images button. Select OK. The editing environment will appear with all of your photos in a timeline in the bottom half of the window.
- 8
  Review your movie by selecting playback in the preview window in the upper left side of the program. Ensure that all of your pictures play in order and that the movie plays at a proper speed. If any of your pictures are out of order you can drag and drop them in the bottom half of the screen. To adjust the speed of the movie use the slider in the preview window.
- 9
  Export your movie for viewing. Select the Export button in the preview window. Export the movie as a WMV or MP4, depending on your preference. You can now upload the video to the hosting site of your choice.

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