'Clay-mation'

We were shown two clips that include animation with clay.  Firstly, we were shown a clip of Morph - and it was cute, friendly and very childish. It ended with a happy ending, and was just a random little plot that wasn't significant or complicated. The clay was made up of clear, clean shapes, and - again - wasn't too complicated.

However, we were also shown a clip of clay forming into a body, in a very different way. This claymation was more complicated, longer and more detailed. There was a lot of structure and detail in the hands, and head, etc. This plot was a bit stranger and more complicated, and it didn't necessarily have a happy ending, but it was more realistic.

This showed us the differences in claymation, using the same software and materials. For instance, you can make a child-friendly short clip, or a strange yet creative mini-movie.

In class, we took this on board and set off to make our own. We worked in pairs, and we had to have two things approach each other and then something to happen. In ours, we had two snails approach each other, but then it escalated a little.

We used a portable camera, moulds of PlayDoh and the software iStopMotion to create our short clips of claymation. We used to use small movement, but it was hard to keep the camera steady - even with White Tack - and it does get a bit tiring after a few minutes.

Overall, I'm happy with the outcome, at least of my first claymation short piece.