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You can get started with stop-motion animation for almost little to nothing.
A basic stop motion animation video can be created using something as handy as your phone camera and a lego puppet.
However, if you allocate a 0 budget to your stop motion project, you will end up making a few beginner’s mistakes. These are the most common ones:
-Light flickering.
-Frame movement.
-Change in focus.
Have a look at my post on “7 stop motion beginners mistakes and how to avoid them” to know everything about why this happens.
These can be annoying and can make you lose a lot of time and energy but they are easily fixable if you get some stop motion equipment.
Not sure what kit to invest in?
Below you will find my essential stop motion animation kit made for people on a budget.
Camera
As I mentioned before smartphones are good tools to start experimenting with stop motion. but they can also cause some unwanted shooting errors.
These are some other options you might want to consider if you want to take your stop motion animation up a notch.
These are very light and easy to use and you will be able to fit them in a small cheap tripod.
PROS
Relatively cheap
Lightweight
Can be connected to a laptop
Can fit into small tripods
CONS
No manual mode available
Not recognized in professional stop motion software
Can move and change light and focus in your frame
DSLR cameras
If you don’t want to get any of the errors listed above a DSLR camera is all you need.
Although it might require a bigger investment I can assure you it will be much worth it!
These are the only cameras offering a dual automatic and manual exposure.
Even though the cameras listed above are much cheaper they only offer automatic exposure which means each one of your frames will have inconsistent lighting.
Your camera will try to automatically compensate for the light available every time your character moves. And you will end up with something like this:
This is not a huge deal but can be really annoying if you want your stop motion animation to look professional.
Here’s the camera I use.
It is one of the most basic and economic DSLR’s out there, however, it will give you great results when starting with photography or stop motion.
PROS
Great value for money
Dual manual/ automatic exposure
Multifunctional device (video, photography, stop motion)
18-55 lens incorporated
Compatible with professional stop motion software
CONS
Less cheap
Heavier than a compact camera
Will need a sturdy tripod
Remember it is ok to start small at first but if you want to make a difference, investing in a kit is key!
Not only will it make your stop motion animation so much better but you will also have a great multifunctional device.
I’ve had my Canon 70D for years now and I have used it as a travel and photography camera as well as my film and stop motion one.
Overall I’d say it’s been a win-win. If you’d like to have a look at more options. Head to “ Best budget DSLR cameras for stop motion animation”
Tripods
Keeping your camera steady while shooting your frames is essential!
A tripod prevents the camera from shaking and moving all over the place. Animate without one and your stop motion animation will not make any sense.
If you are planning on using a smartphone, compact or sports camera an octopus legged tripod or mini tripods are best for these devices.
You’ll need to remember this: The sturdier the tripod is the better for stability and control.
For DSLR cameras I recommend getting a proper 57-70 inches tripod. The higher the tripod is the more freedom you’ll have to accommodate it to your special shooting needs.
Manfrotto offers the best professional tripods and the highest quality photography accessories.
I have the Manfrotto 290 advanced tripod but if you are on a budget there are other brands with different models starting at $20.
If you feel like your tripod is not sturdy enough I would recommend using some tape and secure it to a floor surface.
Accessories
-Remote control shutter release and battery adapter power cable:
These are not considered essentials in many of the guides out there but I can assure you they are as important as having a camera and a tripod in place.
Why? The answer is very simple: touch your camera slightly while working on a stop motion frame sequence and all your hard work will be thrown under the bus.
A shutter release works as a remote control that allows you to press your camera shutter from a far distance without actually touching it.
You can get a wireless one or the ones that connect to your camera.
The same goes for the battery adapter power cable. You never know how long you might need to animate your stop motion so connecting your camera batteries to the light is a must if you don’t want to run out of batteries while you are in the middle of a scene.
Lighting
It is essential to have an artificial lighting kit for your stop motion animation since any natural lighting coming from your window causes the already mentioned flicker.
Natural light changes every single second and even though our eyes are not able to tell, our camera lens will.
That’s why you will need to cover your windows completely and use constant artificial lights instead.
Since my room doesn’t have proper shutters I use this removable blackout film to cover them.
For your light setting, you want to have at least three sets of lights so that you are able to create a basic stop motion light set up.
Sourced from Studiobinder. Three-point light set up.
I use a set of Newer lights that offer an impressive overall quality for their price.
They are also adjustable and although they come with fully functional batteries they can also be plugged into the light.
This is essential for stop motion since you will need long-lasting continuous light that doesn’t run on batteries.
Last but not least they have a dim option and offer a warm and cold tonality light.
If this doesn’t fit in your overall budget you can always use a set of clip-on lamps.
Just make sure that you are using LED ones and that they can be plugged into the light.
If you’d like to know more about lighting options. Have a look at “Stop motion lighting- How to get the best light setup for your stop motion animation”.
Other
-Backdrops:
A backdrop will serve you as a plain background for your stop motion scenes.
These are very handy if you don’t want to spend hours painting a specific background or if you want to modify them in post-production.
There are several backdrop paper options starting from $15.
However, if you don’t want your backdrop to be wrinkly and produce a gritty look in the camera I would recommend a vinyl one.
Vinyl backdrops are the smoothest high-quality backgrounds you could get.
White, black and green go with everything and are easy colors to work within post-production if need be.
I have this 3 color set and I’m very happy with it.
-Softboxes:
A softbox will reduce harsh shadows and help to produce an even soft light for your stop motion set.
If you are using professional lights these are some of my favorite options.
If you are using small clip-on lamps or some other DYI options as your main lighting source I would recommend using transparent diffusers like the ones below.
These are very cheap and you will be able to use them in every sort of light.
-Stop motion software:
A stop motion animation software will allow you to check your sequences and frames as you go so getting one of these could be very handy.
If you are just starting, getting a stop motion and editing software is not necessary.
In fact, before I got my stop motion Animation software, I used my DSLR camera to take my stop motion sequences and I would then edit them using Premiere Pro.
But if you want to start doing this right and are not sure which one to choose have a look at my following article “ Best 7 stop motion animation software in 2020”.
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