Stop Motion is not Slow Motion which is not Time Lapse
Why this is confusing and what to do about it.
Stop, Slow or Lapse?
The confusion is real. Many people, especially students, often mix up the concepts of stop motion, slow motion, and time-lapse. These techniques all manipulate our perception of time in film, but in distinct ways. I'm sharing this guide to help clarify these concepts, whether you're encountering this confusion for the first time or seeking answers to ongoing questions.
Definitions
Stop Motion is an animation technique used to make an object (often inanimate, but not always) appear as if it is moving on its own. Claymation uses stop motion.
Slow Motion creates the illusion of time passing more slowly than normal. This is achieved by recording the footage at a faster frame rate than it is played back. When normal-speed playback is slower than the recording speed, the action appears to be moving in slow motion.
Time Lapse is a photographic technique used to record an event over a relatively long period by taking photos at evenly spaced intervals and then editing the images together to show the progression in a much shorter space of time. Time-lapse is often used to show things like cell growth in Science class.
Points of Confusion
This is where things go sideways because the nuances of how each technique alters time perception can be challenging to grasp.
Perception of Time
Slow motion stretches time, making actions appear slower.
Stop motion animates static objects to simulate motion and thus time passing.
Time-lapse compresses time, making slow processes appear much faster.
Sequence of Still Images
Slow motion requires capturing more frames per second than the usual 24.
Stop motion involves manually moving objects between each frame.
Time-lapse captures frames at a much slower rate than real-time.
Practical Classroom Exercises
To demystify these concepts, I have students engage in quick, hands-on experiments using all three techniques. These aren't meant to produce masterpieces, but rather to provide practical understanding.
You will need 30 minutes, 10 minutes per station. These explorations can be done solo or in smaller groupings.
*Use a tripod for each station. This all works more smoothly if the camera/device is static and in a controlled position.
Slow Motion
Have students change the frame rate on the camera/device. Go 60FPS or higher, 120 or 240 are ideal.
Have the students record their classmates doing something simple in front of the camera.
Tell them they will need a good amount of light.
Export footage.
Edit at 24fps.
See slow motion happen.
Stop Motion
You will need a table with a collection of objects on it and a tripod pointing down at the table
Set up the camera/device on the tripod
Choose an object. Position the object, make an image, move the object slightly, make an image, and make sure hands are not seen. Continue until the object has moved from one side of the frame to the other. 10 images should be enough.
Export the images.
Edit images together.
See the illusion of movement.
Time Lapse
Set up a camera/device on the tripod to film what is going on in the classroom.
Do not direct. Just capture what is happening.
Tell the students to set the camera/device option up to make a still image every 30 seconds for 5 minutes. Or manually, make an image every 20 or 30 seconds for 5 minutes without upsetting the tripod.
Export the images (15 or 10 depending).
Edit them together.
See the time-lapse created.
Some video references that are good for the classroom:
Slow Motion Water Droplet Short 10 second clip of a water droplet in slow motion
Stop Motion Her Morning Elegance Music video that is a clever look at manipulating people in a similar way one does claymation. Also check out the behind the scenes short about the making of this video
Time Lapse Pursuit An award winning film that uses time lapse to depict a storm.
Are you looking for resources that are low-risk and easy to implement?
Find them here: filmmatters.gumroad.com
