2-D PUPPET & COLLAGE
C R E AT I N G C U T- O U T
A N I M AT I O N
!
B Y LY N N
TOMLINSON
Frank Film, Frank Mouris, 1973
CUT OUT ANIMATION
• Cut-out is a kind of stop-motion or stop-action animation.
• Cut-outs are usually shot “under the camera” with the camera pointing
down at the images. You will need to hold the camera steady on a copy
stand or tripod angled down.
• There are certain things that work well, and others that don’t. embrace
the hand-made look.
• Create hinged puppet characters. You may need to use replacement
animation for certain moves.
• It’s hard to do 3/4 view characters in cut-out. Front and Side shots are
often best.
• Some effective uses of cut-out animation are silhouettes, collage, stylized
designs, fully-colored hinged puppets, and combinations of these.
CUT-OUT ANIMATION: How to add movement
• Hinged characters — Cut-out 2-D
puppets — moved frame by frame
under the camera. Characters can
sometimes have no hinges (a fish for
example, can just glide past the
camera) or multiple hinges, but the
more hinges, the more complicated
it is to move them.
• Replacement animation — a series
of slightly different objects used one
after the other to create the illusion
of movement.
Indonesia
China
Turkey
Shadow Puppets can inspire
cut-out animation puppet designs
DON’T BE AFRAID TO DIY!
CUT-OUT EXAMPLES (from my workshops)
https://vimeo.com/63461472
https://vimeo.com/54453222
https://vimeo.com/46315019
MORE STUDENT EXAMPLES
Christina Sanchez
http://youtu.be/9uA9hV0AIY0
Juliana Chen
https://vimeo.com/39119835
Amy Cousins
https://vimeo.com/33552173
M O R E C U T- O U T A D V I C E
• Any age can animate using cut outs. Simplify for
younger kids and larger classes.
• To simplify, limit the number of hinges or moving parts
• Instead of thread hinges, use small brads or double
stick tape.
• Color your characters before you cut them out.
• Silhouettes on light boxes work well.
MORE EXAMPLES….
Lotte Reiniger
http://youtu.be/vDojanzKKmw
Yuri Norstein
http://youtu.be/oW0jvJC2rvM
Gianluca Maruotti
https://vimeo.com/75196023
EVEN MORE EXAMPLES….
The Merry Circus (part II)
by Jiri Trnka
http://youtu.be/LrDSQZG1e98
Monkeys Fish the Moon
by Zhou Kequin and A Da
http://youtu.be/GXAGAWHKwZ8
CUT-OUT TUTORIALS & BEHIND THE SCENES
Making of Paper Plane
https://vimeo.com/71154508
Time-lapse by Bide Cui
https://vimeo.com/6207801
Terry Gilliam (Monty Python)
http://youtu.be/xs7WaL44_Iw
THE APP WE WILL BE USING IS
OSnap!
http://www.osnapphotoapp.com
There are several apps with similar names: be
sure to get the correct one!
OSnap! iPhone app FAQ
http://www.osnapphotoapp.com/faq.php
STOP-MOTION SOFTWARE
THINGS TO LOOK FOR….
• Locking focus, exposure, and white balance
• Onion-skinning
• Able to edit out mistakes
• Variable frame rate
• Easy to export
RULE #1
IF IT SHOULDN’T MOVE,
TA P E I T D O W N !
RULE #2
U S E A F R A M E R AT E O F 1 0 - 1 2 F R A M E S P E R
SECOND. 8 IF YOU ARE PRESSED FOR
T I M E . A N Y L O W E R I S J E R K Y A N D J U M P Y.
RULE #3
S H O O T AT L E A S T O N E S E C O N D ( 1 0 - 1 2
F R A M E S ) T O S TA R T A N D O N E S E C O N D
( 1 0 - 1 2 F R A M E S ) T O E N D E A C H S H O T.
RULE #4
T H I N K A B O U T T I M I N G , S PA C I N G , A N D
INCLUDE…
… . PA U S E S .
!
( A PA U S E C A N B E 1 - 2
SECONDS. IT IS BETTER TO
S H O O T T H E PA U S E T H A N T O
A D D I T D I G I TA L LY L A T E R O N .
D I G I TA L F R E E Z E S W I L L L O O K
FROZEN AND DEAD.)
