LEGO Stop

Motion Animation

A Project by Noah Stobbe

Stop Motion

Animation

Stop motion animation is animating with individual

photos as frames. To make stop motion, one would

take a picture with one’s camera, move an object in

front of the camera, and take another picture. This

process is repeated over and over to make a video.

3-D Stop Motion

Three-dimensional stop motion is mostly

done with inanimate objects. These

objects are often small metal armatures

coated in clay, or plastic LEGO

minifigures.

Basic Laws of

Stop Motion

Keep a consistent lighting. Always try to

use a higher frame rate than 7 frames

per second. Never, ever bump the

camera or set!

Why Use LEGO?

Lego is made with a very high-quality plastic. It’s

pretty durable. Unlike clay structures, minifigures

are not likely to break at the slightest touch. The

average four-stud square LEGO brick can hold up

to 950 pounds before it is crushed!

Varying

Preferences

Some LEGO animators shoot their characters

standing on the traditional LEGO studded

platforms because they hold characters and

props still; others like to have a flat surface

instead because there are more options for

movement.

Clay Animating

Surface

The Brotherhood Workshop animators like to animate on a

clay surface because it holds the characters down while

still giving a full range of allowance for motion. This option

can damage your LEGO collection, but not all animators

care as much as I do about the sanitation of their LEGO.

Good Enough

The idea for stop motion is to make a sequence ‘good

enough’ to satisfy yourself and move on to another

sequence. Too much or too little perfectionism can be a

drawback. You don’t have to animate a sequence over and

over until it’s perfect, but you should still fix your larger

mistakes if you need to.