Claymation

Claymation

What is claymation?
Usually when using claymation individual objects or characters are shaped and carved from clay or other malleable substances, commonly sculpted around a wire skeleton and then positioned on the set. Once this has been done the item is photographed in stages whilst being slightly moved by hand each time. Upon playback the viewers brain perceives the object to be a moving motion.


Generally claymation has been around since 1897 after the invention of Plasticine, however the first film to use clay animated characters wasn’t until 1908. Clay animation is strenuous work, and the productions are often shorter in length in comparison to other animated productions due to the work load involved. 

Clay animation can take several forms:
Free-form clay animation is an informal term referring to the process in which the shape of the clay changes radically as the animation progresses

Clay can also take the form of character clay animation, where the clay maintains a recognizable character throughout a shot clay-animation technique, 

One technique that blurs the distinction between stop motion and traditional flat animation, is called clay painting, wherein clay is placed on a flat surface and moved like wet oil paints to produce any style of images, but with a clay look to them.

Claymation dates back to 1897.