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EQUIPMENT REQUIRED • CAMERA You can use any smartphone, tablet or digital camera for stop motion. If you use a digital camera, you will have to load the photos onto a phone or tablet so you can use them in the Stop Motion Studio app. • TRIPOD OR STAND Use any tabletop or floor tripod or tablet stand, or make a simple one using materials found around your house. If you’re planning to make a stop motion movie shot from above (animating items laying flat on a table), it’s best to have the camera completely flat above the area you’ll be shooting. You can set a tablet on top of a stack of books, or on the edge of a table. Using a cooling rack works well—put the rack on a chair or on top STOP MOTION MOVIE of a box, and put a stack of heavy books on one end to hold it steady. Place the smartphone or tablet on the other end of the rack, and move it around until the lens isn’t obstructed by the wires. If shooting upright objects, set up the phone or tablet so it’s vertical, using a tabletop tripod or an iPad stand. You can even make a stand from a paper cup! How to make a STOP MOTION MOVIE CLAMP-STYLE IPAD STAND OVEN RACK ON A CHAIR • SHUTTER RELEASE (optional, but helpful) If using a smartphone or tablet to take your photos, you can use any headphones with an inline volume control to make sure the camera doesn’t move—just push the up or down volume button to activate the shutter button. If you have a selfie stick, you can pair it with your phone, then use the button on the stick (the phone doesn’t have to be in the stick for it to work!). Of course you can simply push the shutter button with your finger, but if doing it this way, make sure the camera doesn’t move when you press it, as a moving camera will make your movie look shaky. It’s important that you don’t bump the camera while taking photos, so be sure there’s enough room to reach around and move your objects.
