Don't Stop Believing
I might have bitten off more than I can chew.
Makeshift animation studio in the corner of my tiny bedroom.
After publishing my first post, I was excited to delve into the world of stop-motion. I re-watched some of my favourite stop-motion films, as well as countless YouTube videos, and by the time I sat down with my toys, my camera, and a notebook for scene ideas...I froze. I couldn’t possibly make this happen, could I? I had no idea what I was doing, or where to start. I had zero background in animation, with high hopes of producing an animated sketch in a few short weeks.
Newsflash: I would never be able to manage it, unless I wanted my work to come out looking like a Robot Chicken reject.
This dawned on me as I sat on my bedroom floor, racking my brain for ideas on what to animate and how to go about it. I’m a student, balancing assignments and a part-time job. I barely have the time to eat and get more than five hours of sleep, why on Earth did I think I could realistically do this? I couldn’t. Stop-motion takes hours to do. I was failing before I had even started.
Am I going to give up on stop-motion altogether? Definitely not. Because as Journey sang, “Hold on to that feelin'.” Hold onto the joy I feel when watching my favourite stop-motion movie. Hold onto my fascination with behind-the-scenes footage of animators creating these beautiful worlds and stories. Hold onto the eagerness I have to create something and call it my own, no matter how bad it is.
That’s the feeling, and it’s not something I’m about to throw away just because I realized that my goal was too big to reach in such a short time, with so little experience.
Is this blog going to remain an amateur’s adventure into stop-motion? You bet it is. Am I going to make an elaborate sketch with a plot, voices, and fancy editing? Heck nope.
What will I do? I will take baby steps. For now, I’m going to start with simple practice. No overwhelming goals this time, just the basics.
What to look out for in the next post: My experience since redefining my goals, short clips, and tips for beginners!
Before you head out, enjoy this short Halloween-themed clip I had fun working on:
Myryam Ladouceur
Myryam Ladouceur is a second-year Professional Writing student at Algonquin College, aspiring to work in the editing and publishing business. She likes to write short stories and poetry, doodle on any surface available, and read whatever catches her eye. She hopes to one day have the privilege to edit the next great novel of her generation.