r/stop_motion

Made this little thing. Do let me know guys how you felt about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv1WIbn1o90&list=PLZByciKnn8WbcIYCIDo7U15crEvcGbsZJ

Really janky because I didn’t have a stand on hand

Hi all, I currently work in a place where the climate is cold for 2/3rds of the year. Previously however I lived in the US south where it was warm enough to literally melt my clay half the year. Now that I live in a cold climate, I have been using both a toaster oven set to its lowest setting and a heatgun to try to keep my clay soft and pliable while I animate. As you can see from the photos it is sadly not working. My figures crack within a few minutes of coming out of the heat and it has literally quadrupled the amount of time it takes me to animate.

The heads are 3D printed with different face plates and the body is made from a mix of wire, epoxy clay "bones", and 3D printed rib and hip blocks. The depth between the edge of the clay and the underlying armature is on average 5 - 7mm. I have tested the clay without an armature and it behaves exactly the same way in terms of cracking as with an armature.

I am using a mix of Van Aken brand plasticine (mostly but not exclusively claytoonz) which I mix up in a hot pot to get the colors I need. Aside from adding a shit ton of mineral oil to the pot, I don't know how to manage this constant cracking and having to heat the maquettes every 3 or 4 frames (literally) is not working for me.

Any suggestions to help me figure this out are greatly appreciated!

Edit: for some reason my image didn't upload so here it is reposted to imgur: https://imgur.com/a/Al4zP2D

👉 YouTube : https://youtube.com/shorts/fulyyskZZQw?feature=share

👉 Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/DYIWkS1iL98/

👉 TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@studiojamescao/video/7637989449506442518

👉 X : https://x.com/StudioJamesCao/status/2053202146758164644?s=20

My first short film Deep Dive just finished its festival run.
It’s a short stop-motion / 3D hybrid.
Over 2 years I submitted to 100+ festivals across 39 countries.
Here’s what I picked up along the way:

You just need one thing that works
After finishing the film, I asked people: what makes it stand out?
Does it have great cinematography or a strong concept? Does it touch current events or has a sharp script? Visuals? Emotion?
Whatever the answer is, lean into it.
Your synopsis, logline, and poster should all reflect that strength, so it’s easier for the programmer to relate to it.

Film stills are your first impression
Take the time to carefully pick your best frames.
I spent time selecting and polishing frames, and those ended up being used for festival promos and covers.

You already have a “no” if you don’t submit
I wasn’t always confident in the film, but that’s kind of the point.
Submitting is the only way something can happen.
Not submitting is a guaranteed rejection.
Once you take the first step and start sending your film, that’s when you start moving towards other futures.

It doesn’t have to be expensive
My total submission budget was about $100 (birthday gift from a friend).
When I look back on my submission sheets, turns out most festivals I got into were actually free.

If you’re curious, the film is now online:
https://vimeo.com/1187770376?fl=ip&fe=ec

I joined reddit today for the first time. I've been working on this stop motion for months! I hope you all enjoyed. Ifff you did please subscribe!