how do you do claymation?

Question

have any of you been to www.knoxskorner.com and watched his claymations? if you have i want to know if YOU can do claymation as good, almost as good, or better than him. if you can, plllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzze tell me how!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i e-mailed knox like two times asking him how to do claymation and he hasn't replied, and i rrrrrreeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyyyyy want to know how!!!!!!!!!!! can sum1 ppppllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzee tell me how?????????????????????????????? pretty pretty pllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzze???????????

Answer 1

Get up off your knees and stop drooling on my carpet!

That’s better. Now. Claymation, you want, eh…?

There are two ways to do claymation. The original way, the old way, the hard way, is to mold the figures from clay (Plasticine, or whatever they use these days) and position it, then take ONE FRAME, reposition it, take ANOTHER FRAME, ETC. There are twenty-four frames per second of film. Mr Parks who makes Wallace and Gromit, had to make a new figure every five or six frames, because his fingerprints began to be noticeable.

There is a newer way, but it is a good deal more expensive. I don’t know any major studio using it yet, so perhaps you could sink your life savings into it, or take out a big loan, and become famous as the first major user of the new technique.

The way it works is this. You have one of those small robots (like Asimo, or one of them.) [I TOLD you this was going to be more expensive!]

You mold the clay over the robot. Maybe you use a plastic covering so the clay doesn’t get into the joints and all, or maybe you spray silicone over the robot, that’s up to you.

Now, through the computerized pre-programming (or a handheld remote control, if your brand of robot comes with one) you put it on your sounds stage with all the scenery and props (I TOLD you it was expensive!) and have it go through all the moves you want. Film it or video it at the same time. Dub in the voices later. You might have some cracking around the joints where it moves, or around the face, if you have little motors or air hoses to make the facial features move. So you might have to do some repairs from time to time. Depending on the plasticity of the modeling compound you use—how long it stays fresh and flexible without drying out—you might be able to last much, much longer than the few frames that Nick Parks is able to get with hand molded figures.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you that it is expensive and lots of work! But hey, if you want to make award winning films and big screen motion pictures that will make you more wealthy, you have to invest some money as well as time. Good luck, and send me a free pair of tickets to your animated features!

21 APR 07, 0418 hrs, GMT.

Answer 2

Knox Claymation

Answer 3

Claymation

Answer 4

Try this:
http://library.advanced.org/25398/Clay/tutorials/tools.html

Or this:
http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/pwann/claywq/process.htm