Prodimyan independent family guide to animation

An independent family guide to animation. This is not the website of an animation project or studio and is not connected with the former website on this domain; we do not show or distribute cartoons.

Practical

Practical articles

The first article in this section explains how to make a short clay cartoon on a phone together with your child. We describe the general stop-motion process, which works with any phone and any app: come up with a short story, model the characters, fix the camera in place, shoot one frame at a time with a small shift and assemble the shots into a clip. We do not name specific apps or brands: any app with a stop-motion feature will do, or an ordinary camera plus a video editor.

A good first cartoon lasts a few seconds. What matters is not the plot but the moment the figure first walks across the table on its own.

— Editor's note

Before you start

  • A free evening or half a weekend day: rushing in stop-motion shows on screen
  • Modelling clay in several colours, modelling tools or toothpicks, a modelling board
  • A phone with a camera and a stop-motion app or a video editor
  • A holder or homemade tripod: a stack of books, a box, a clip-on clamp
  • A table against a wall, a lamp and heavy curtains so the light does not change
  • A sheet of card or drawing paper for the backdrop and floor of the set

  1. Come up with a very short story

    For a first attempt, one event is enough: a character appears, does something and leaves. Draw a storyboard, three to five boxes sketching the scene. That way you will know in advance what to film and how many characters you need.

    Hypothetical example: "A snail crawls to an apple, takes a bite and crawls away." Three storyboard frames: the snail on the left, the snail by the apple, the apple with a bite taken out.

  2. Model the characters and the set

    Make the figures stable: a wide base, short legs, thick parts. Thin arms and tails bend quickly and get in the way. Tape the backdrop to the wall and the floor of the set to the table so nothing shifts between shots.

    Hypothetical example: a tall clay figure falls over every five frames, while a squat snail or a round bun stays put for the whole shoot.

  3. Set up the light and cover the window

    Daylight from a window changes every few minutes, and the frames will flicker in the finished clip. Draw the curtains and shoot with one or two lamps. Do not stand between the lamp and the set, so your shadow does not fall into the frame.

    Hypothetical example: a cloud covered the sun halfway through the shoot, so half the clip came out bright and half dark. With a lamp there is no such difference.

  4. Fix the phone so it cannot move

    The camera must not move at all. Rest the phone on a stack of books, weigh it down or tape it in place. If the app allows, lock focus and exposure, and take shots with a timer or headset button rather than by tapping the screen.

    Hypothetical example: each tap on the screen shifts the phone slightly, and the whole world "shakes" in the clip. A two-second timer solves the problem.

  5. Shoot one frame at a time with a small shift

    This is stop-motion: you move the figure slightly, take a shot, move it again and shoot again. When the shots are shown quickly in sequence, they create the illusion of movement. The smaller the step, the smoother the movement, but the more shots you will need.

    Hypothetical example: the snail crawls the width of a palm across the table. Move it a fingernail per frame and it looks smooth; move it a finger's width and it jerks.

  6. Check your footage as you go

    Every ten to twenty shots, play back the section you have filmed. That way you will spot in time that the figure has fallen, a hand has got into the frame or the backdrop has moved, and you will reshoot only the last frames rather than the whole scene.

    Hypothetical example: on playback you can see a finger in three frames in a row. Delete those shots and retake them from the same point.

  7. Put the clip together

    A stop-motion app assembles the clip automatically; in a video editor you place the shots one after another, each with the same short duration. Try different playback speeds and choose the one at which the movement looks natural.

    Hypothetical example: played slowly, the snail crawls in jerks; played too fast, it whizzes past in an instant. A medium speed usually looks best.

  8. Add sound and credits

    Voice the characters yourselves, record rustling sounds and music played at home, and add credits with the title and the names of everyone involved. It is best not to use other people's music or clips from films, especially if the video will be posted online.

    Hypothetical example: you can record the crunch of an apple by biting a real apple next to the phone, which is funnier than any ready-made sound effect.

Common mistakes

  • Filming by a window in changing daylight
  • Holding the phone in your hands or tapping the screen for each shot
  • Modelling tall, thin characters that fall over and bend
  • Moving the figure too far, so the movement looks jerky
  • Planning a long story for a first attempt and giving up halfway
  • Using other people's music and film clips without permission

Alternatives

  • If you have no modelling clay, try cut-out animation: cut characters out of paper and move them across a backdrop lying flat on the table
  • If your child is small, animate toys, building blocks or fruit: they do not need to hold a shape, only to move
  • If your child likes drawing, make a flipbook: a small notepad where each page's drawing differs slightly from the one before

Result checklist

  • The story fits into three to five storyboard frames
  • The characters are stable and the set is fixed in place
  • The light is artificial and does not change during the shoot
  • The phone does not move and shots are taken with a timer
  • Each shift is small and roughly the same size
  • The footage has been checked and unwanted frames deleted
  • The playback speed has been chosen and the movement looks natural
  • The sound and credits are your own and everyone involved is named

Article catalogue for English-language readers

This section will feature standalone articles written for English-speaking readers in the UK, the US and elsewhere: on animation techniques, filming at home, choosing cartoons for children and the history of animation.

Topics the editors are planning

  • Thaumatropes, zoetropes and flipbooks: animation without a screen
  • Cut-out animation at the kitchen table with paper and card
  • Understanding age ratings when you choose films for your children
  • Recording sound effects for a homemade cartoon as a family

Editorial rules

  • Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
  • Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
  • We do not publish viewing or download links, cartoon rankings or reviews.
  • Questions

    Short answers about animation technique, children and cartoons, and stop-motion filming at home.

  • Collections

    Reading paths: a first look at animation, a homemade cartoon, watching together with your child.

  • Reference

    Glossary: animation techniques, frames and movement, jobs in animation.

Sources

  • Encyclopaedic sources on the history of animation
  • ASIFA — International Animated Film Association

Information is current as of the date it was prepared. Age rating rules, platform terms and app features change, so check the latest details in the primary sources: the text of the law, the platform itself and the description of the specific film.