Stop motion photography is an animated filmmaking technique that involves incrementally adjusting subjects between photographs that, when knit together, make short film clips. On a recent project we used stop motion photography to bring to life beer cans and, you guessed it, their whimsical pastime of synchronized swimming. Watch video here.
In this blog post we reflect on this project with Modern Times beer to inspire others completing their own stop motion photography project.
Modern Times Stop Motion Photography
When you take stop motion photography and add winterless islands, utopian communes, and kingdoms with talking animals, fish men, and fire stones, you have a project with infinite possibility. If you also have cold beer, luck is on your side. On this stop motion photography project, Rachel Grunig and I had just that.
Rachel and I work in the wide world of commercial and editorial photography in Seattle. Rachel is a stylist with a penchant for making beautiful things. She has an unbridled imagination, and a palate for excellent beer. For a stop motion photography concept, we were inspired by the intrepid brewers in San Diego – Modern Times – and their stable of beers.
Modern Times was built from the ground up. They infuse as much forethought into their recipes as they do their products with elegant design and enlightened history. Case in point, naming their beers. For example, here is background on the infamously named Fortunate Islands beer.
For this stop motion photography project, we selected Fortunate Islands, Fruitlands, and Lomaland beer cans. Set aside the crisp, quenching drinkability of the contents inside these cans. They themselves are a work of art. Modern Times has done an excellent job with the product design, one that Rachel and I felt was worth focusing on for this stop motion photography project.
Behind the Camera
Photography for stop motion is simple so long you keep a handful of things in mind. The name of the game is consistency. First, secure the camera. Best to lock down your camera on a tripod or c-stand and use a remote shutter release to remove camera movement.
Second, settle on a consistent frame rate. For the Modern Times stop motion photography project, we decided 12 frames per second gives the beers a playful, animated movement that is not too choppy, yet not cinematic. Knowing our final video would be roughly :30 seconds, we aimed for 360 frames to complete our clip.
The third component to consider is lighting. Again, consistency is invaluable. You can use continuous, strobe, or natural light for stop motion. But be careful, especially using natural light that will change as you work. For Modern Times stop motion photography, we used strobe light.
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Once you shoot your project, consider using software programs like dragonframe or istopmotion. For this project, frames were captured tethered to a computer through Capture One software. Clips were built in istopmotion, and assembled in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Manage your Props
The propping for this shoot was simple – we used Modern Times beer cans in a color palette that fit our stop motion concept. Although you only see two cans of each type of beer in the video, we actually had eight cans of each to choose from. Some cans had tiny dents, or smeared printing. We wanted to make sure we had the best looking cans possible.
Another key component in any shoot, especially stop motion photography, is planning. We developed and refined a very specific story line and made a storyboard for each sequence to keep us on track. Granted, there are always strokes of on-set inspiration and opportunities to refine as you shoot. Having a solid game plan helps focus your energy and prevent the shoot from going completely off-kilter.
Finally, when working with stop motion, be patient and get yourself in a comfortable position that won’t kill your body while styling. Below, I’m sitting, and that’s not because I’m lazy! For this part of the sequence, I had to move my hand in ½ inch increments, and maintain certain positions over multiple shots.
If it isn’t fun, it isn’t worth it
Stop motion photography is tremendous fun, but don’t be fooled. The work is extensive and at times tedious. Our best advice is to pick a project that excites you, one you are insistent on bringing to life. The day flew by while working on the Modern Times stop motion photography project.
We hope this blog post is helpful, and inspires you to do your own stop motion photography project. Check out Modern Times and their infinitely delicious and aptly named beers at www.moderntimesbeer.com.
