Finally, my first commissioned stop motion!

Thanks to this Moomba! Media production which asked for some stop motion to show plans for Groningen Spoorzone, part of Railway Plans Northern Netherlands. Details are still in debate, so it had to be a simple representation.

My kids’ wooden railway set came in quite handy. Moomba producer Siets Nobel also had some toys lying about.

The stop motion was recorded with Dragonframe software and my Canon 700D. Super program. It was also used for major films like Paranorman and Box Trolls.

I would have loved to do the big shots in stop motion as well 😉 but they really asked for After Effects animation; though with elements from the stop motion and vice versa. Extra elements could also be added in After Effects, as VFX.

My kids found the stop motion interesting. After all, I was using their toys. So during a test I let Tom — who turned 5 yesterday — help out taking pictures and moving the train.

Below is an earlier quick stop motion daylight test. Daylight is beautiful if it’s quick and the weather overcast. Unfortunately stop motion takes a long time so usually this isn’t doable. You can see the light change in this clip. I did it so quickly that you can see a drop op perspiration at the end.

So I’m looking for a cheap lighting solution that provides enough and steady light. One that doesn’t cause flickering: here in Holland bulbs work at 50 Hz so I have to work with fitting shutter speeds. I’d prefer something like daylight LED lamps. I’ve even considered getting one of those lamps against winter depression.

Experiences and tips are welcome, so please share your thoughts.