Sometimes I get asked how long it takes to animate a second, that’s 24 frames, of film. And although it varies from shot to shot, the video above should give you a good impression of how much labour goes into a second of film. Yup, if I didn’t know any better, I would say you can actually see me ageing in these 14 seconds.

I’ve been working on a little side-project over the last couple of months that I’m proud to announce to you today.

It’s an online platform called Stopframed — an ever-growing online reference book for stop frame / stop motion animation beginners and professionals.

There’s already some material online, though it is going to grow over time. So please feel free to contribute your knowledge and discoveries via Twitter or via email.

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate, together with a talented group of animators, in the Between Motion and Stillness masterclass by director Suzie Templeton.

We worked on various little shots that explored the liveliness of characters through low-key movements. The shot above was done together with Arnold Zwanenburg and his lovely character Dr. Knowgood.

No no no, it’s not the entire film. This would be quite a surprise indeed! It’s a couple of short goodies from the expression studies archive…