#downshooter

New downshooter stand to be runned by AnimaShooter software is getting ready to conquer market.

I always feel like I give bad advice to this question, because now that I found a program I actually like (TVPaint) I don’t really animate traditionally anymore… but traditional is super fun, and in my opinion, it’s probably the best way to start learning to animate, because it forces you to learn certain things the way that classically-trained animators would’ve learned them, and it helps you get a feel for certain things that are much harder to feel out digitally.  So I’m glad you’ve decided to try it out!

To be completely honest, I wouldn’t invest in anything super expensive either.  My animation professor instilled a very DIY punk rock mindset in what he taught, so honestly anything you can come up with as an alternative to spending loads of money is great.

I would buy this:

Inexpensive lightbox.  I wouldn’t pay more than $30-$40 for one of these.  “Artograph Lighttracer” is a good cheap brand, and you can find them at craft stores like Michaels or Jo-Anns.  Almost all major craft stores have “40% off any one item” coupons running constantly, so if they have the list price at something closer to $50 or $60 (and they probably will), make use of your 40% coupon!  [pro tip: you can find these coupons for free on their website, or by googling it on your phone while you’re standing in the checkout line.  Actually if you just tell them “I think I have a 40% off coupon, let me find it…” and dick around on your phone long enough, they’ll probably get tired of waiting and enter the code in themselves, because they literally always have these coupons. Make use of them!]

Round Pegbar.  These should be under $5.  The industry standard is actually an “acme pegbar”.  Acme pegbars have specific notches that you have to buy a specific hole punch for, and they run pretty expensive. However, you can order a ROUND PEGBAR right here, from the same company that makes all kinds of industry standard animation supplies, and then just use a regular 3-hole punch that you probably already own, or that can be easily swiped from your parents, or an Office Depot.  Tape this shit to the bottom (or top) of your lightbox to keep your papers in place.  

For a down-shooter camera set up, there are a few options, depending on what you want to do.  For almost any situation, you’re going to want a program or an app that’s capable of playing back sequences of photos you’ve taken (so anything that’s marketed as “stop-motion” software), a camera of some sort, and something to hold the camera in place.  I’m gonna list a few options in order of how cheap/practical I think they are!

iMotion app.  This is a free stop-motion app that lets you use your iPhone or iPad as the camera and playback device.  You can also export the playback to your computer.  This is great because most phones have a decent camera on them, so you can actually use this footage rather than having to scan anything in.  If you don’t have an iPhone or iPad, you can probably still search for “stop motion app” and find something just as useful.

Cheap-ass Webcam + Stop Motion software.  I made a downshooter once by taking an old Logitech webcam from like 2003, and taping it to a plank of wood and clamping that plank of wood to a desk or a book shelf or something janky like that.  These are good for rough pencil test playbacks, just to test your animation and make sure it moves right, but the footage would be too low-quality to use for a finished animation.  You would also need some sort of stop-motion program.  I used a program called DragonFrame, which isn’t free (unless you have no moral qualms about pirating).  There are probably plenty of free stop motion programs out there if you google them… off the top of my head, I know I’ve heard people mention iStopMotion, but I haven’t used it so I can’t tell you much about it.  

Fancy-ass Webcam/Camera + Stop Motion software.  Same thing, but you have a nice camera with good quality photos that you can actually use.  If you have a nice camera or plan on buying one, this is probably a good route, but otherwise… I mean, cameras are expensive, man.  This is probably going to cost more than any of your other options.