PLASTICINE RHYTHM

A musical experiment created using stop motion loops.

Using the iPhone app 'Vine', I created a series of stop motion loops over a period of about 6 months. It was a good way to experiment quickly with plasticine in motion and they were fun to make (a compilation of these Vines can be seen at vimeo.com/94679344). As this series of animations developed they became more focused on animations that produce sounds, this gave me a bigger idea…

I have always been interested in the way visuals can effect sound and how visual loops can be brought together to create a piece of music. This is how I produced Plasticine Rhythm; allowing each stop motion loop, made using Vine, to dictate a sound and combining these sound loops on screen to build a compatible interplay of rhythm and melody. Once this was established I then played with all the elements, including the background colour and the mini TVs containing the loops, so every element was intrinsically linked with the music.

For the best stereo effect I recommend wearing headphones to watch it.

Here are some accompanying videos' associated with the Plasticine Rhythm Project...

BEHIND THE PLASTICINE RHYTHM

n this video we go behind the process of making the animated short 'Plasticine Rhythm'. As well as an overview of how the short was put together, it also includes instructions on how to make animated loops yourself using replacement stop motion.

There are three examples in the video; a fish, a squid and a character's head. Please feel free to these as a loose guide. Once you have grasped the idea of how to do it, customise your models, make them unique or even attempt something completely different.

Give it a go, you could be the next stop motion animation genius. But most importantly, have fun!

THE PLASTICINE RHYTHM WORKSHOP

This is a behind the scenes video showing what happened at the Plasticine Rhythm Workshop at Somerset House. It was part of Pick Me Up as a daily special on 28th April 2014. At it attendees learned the principles of replacement stop motion and made a companion piece to my animated short Plasticine Rhythm. Thanks to Pick Me Up (pickmeuplondon.com), Somerset House and Strange Beast (strangebeast.tv) for helping put on the workshop.

Here is the final animation that was produced from stop motion loops made on the day...