DSLR Stop-Motion video Q's

[Noir]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I think I have a pretty cool idea for one, but I don't know anything about the techniques.

I found a good Sony Vegas tutorial for editing them ( http://filmmakeriq.com/2009/11/sony-...-motion-video/ ), but I haven't a good one yet for shooting them.

Anyone know roughly how many images per second is optimal? I'm assuming it depends on the particular movement but is there some kind of rule-of-thumb? No one does 24fps for stop motion do they?

Any help appreciated.

[Janke]

You can buy a remote release with single frame or "intervalometer" shooting, enabling you to set any interval between, say 1 second and several hours between frames. For clouds, a few seconds is good, for growing plants, tens of minutes. I used to do a lot of stop motion on 35 mm film (I'm an animator... )

I've got this remote: http://www.digitarvike.fi/product_details.php?p=2244

[Rainer]

Have a look at this: http://www.heliumfrog.net63.net/heliumfrogindex.html. The EOS utility lets you control the camera via USB. It was common to take 12fps for animation (double frames and run at 24) back in the cel days, depends how lazy you are and how smooth you want your action.

[Noir]

I realize it's the same general concept but interlavometers are really more for timelapses aren't they?

I was thinking more along these lines:

[Noir]

Have a look at this: http://www.heliumfrog.net63.net/heliumfrogindex.html. The EOS utility lets you control the camera via USB. It was common to take 12fps for animation (double frames and run at 24) back in the cel days, depends how lazy you are and how smooth you want your action.

Thanks!

[Rainer]

Sorry, I might have put you on the wrong track - I thought you were talking animation. Janke is right about intervalometers - this type of stop motion is time-lapse. An intervalometer makes Norman McLaren type stop motion quick and easy - just rehearse your actors a bit and get them to move each time you signal.

[Janke]

That could also be done "pixillation" style, i.e. position your actors, shoot a frame, repeat. Be sure to set time & f-stop manually, otherwise you'll get flickering.

[Rainer]

Hi Janke, "pixillation" was the word I was looking for. We're talking the same thing. With the intervalometer, you set it to take a frame every two seconds, map out the action and tell your actors to move 10cm in that direction each time you wave your hand (which you do every every two seconds) - automatically shoot 30 pixillation frames a minute. If you are confident, you can do claymation the same way (but I always ended up capturing my hand).