animation tips

Here are some.

Before you start decide whether you are going to animate in double time(12 frames per second) or single time(24fps). On windows movie maker you can get 8 fps by clicking tools then options. Then you make the picture duration as small as possible. To make it 16fps make your movie with no sound at 8fps and turn it into a real movie. Then import the new movie and right click it. Go to effects and chose the speed up double one. There 16fps.
If you want it 24fps or 12fps you can do it but it takes longer:
Get all your photos on at 8 fps. Then use you mouse to enlarge them slightly bigger till they say duration 0.16
That is very nearly 6fps. If you want to get it exact you have to make the picture duration 0.166666666 which you can't do on windows movie maker. Then you do exactly the same as the first time and turn it into a movie. Go onto effects and chose speedup double once (12fps) or twice(24fps).


It is good to act out you animation and time each part. This way you can find out how many photos you need for each part. For example you are animating in single frame (24fps) and your model needs to shake his head and it takes you 2.35 seconds to act it. So you get a calculater and type in 2.35 and then times it by 24 you get 56.4
By that you know that when your animating you need to do around 56 photos for your modle to shake his head.


Glass
To make something fly there are quite a few ways. The best (I think) is glass. You can also use wires but you need a special program to get rid of them.
Rig up a piece of glass infront of your set. Then rig up some lights (behind the glass but off the set) pointing at the glass. This gets rid of the reflections.
Then if you want a ball to fly just stick it to the glass. Another varation is to lie the set down and put the camera looking down at it. This means you just have to put the ball on the glass.

This is done in my bedroom. The sun were my lights and the man was stuck onto the window.