Claymation is a form of animation that uses homemade props and soft-clay figurines to produce the illusion that these inanimate objects have a life of their own. All you need for a claymation movie is a set to shoot the movie in (such as a shoe box), a soft clay figurine (that can be as detailed as you need it to be) and a camera (digital cameras work the best). Some video editing software may be used as you progress, but a simple slideshow can produce the desired effect and get you started.
Plan and Storyboard Your Movie
Before jumping right into the filming aspect of claymation, you should spend some time to storyboard out your plot and your characters. Think about which shots you are going to use. Decide whether the camera is going to remain in one spot or whether you are going to rotate it and move around the action. Decide what the story is actually going to be. If this is your first claymation story, start out with something simple: a man or a woman walking down the street who trips and falls or gets hit in the head with a potted plant is easy enough. Whatever you choose, before you pick up your camera, know what you are going to film and how you are going to film it.
Build Props and Figurines
The next step in this process is to build your set, your props (if any) and your main character (or characters). The set can be a simple, hard surface with a simple blank background. Cutting the lids off a couple of shoe boxes and taping them together is a simple set. You can be as creative as you want by decorating the set with paint or crayons. Props can be anything small enough to seem proportional to the set or the main characters. Doll house furniture and items work well.
To craft your main character, use some soft putty-clay. This can be purchased at many hobby shops. The main character can be anything you create, even a blob. Even if you are using a blob and you are particularly good at molding clay, think about making different sets of eyes (such as eyes that are half closed, completely closed, and completely open to create the illusion of blinking) or different mouths (done in similar fashion to the eyes to create the illusion that it is talking).
Once the preparation is complete, set up the first shot of your scene.
Shooting the Film
Preparation is complete. You know the story. Your set is built. Your props and your main characters are ready. The trick to filming a good claymation movie is to be extremely meticulous with your shots. Your story board will detail the main points. Your goal here is to get your movie to those main points. Begin by setting up the first shot. Take a picture of it with your digital camera. Next, move your figure ever so slightly and take another shot. Continue in this way until you reach the second main shot on your story board. The less severe movement you make with your claymation characters and the more pictures you take to capture those movements will make your movie flow so that when you play it in a slideshow it appears as if the figures are moving on their own.
Continue moving your figures ever so slightly and taking a photo for each movement until you finish your scene or your movie. Next, load the pictures into a slideshow and hit play: it will look like the figures have come alive.
