The Importance
of Using Gages
Written
by Anthony Scott
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When
I was a kid, I used to buy special effects magazines like Starlog
and Cinemagic. Whenever there was a photo of a Stop-Motion
setup, there would be the animator, the puppet on a miniature set and
usually next to the puppet would be some foreign device with a pointer
on it. I had no idea what it was used for. So when I started
making my own animated films I would just move the clay character around,
never knowing where he was the previous frame. If he fell down,
it was anyone's guess to where he was before falling over. I started using
gages in 1987 on the Gumby TV Series. I bought 2 Starrett
Surface Gages, small and large. I still use these same gages today.
They are my favorite tools next to Frame Grabbers. On The Nightmare
Before Christmas, I had to animate Jack Skellington in the graveyard
after his sleigh crashes. His Santa suit was torn into pieces.
All these pieces as well as Jack himself had to be animated. Definitely
one of the most challenging shots I've ever done. I used all kinds
of gages and a Frame Grabber to keep track of everything.
Shooting the Pillsbury Doughboy commercials in 1989 was the first time
I used a Video Frame Grabber and it changed everything. Now I could
compare the frame I was working on to the 2 previous frames. 2 was
the maximum frame storage at that time. But that was enough to determine
if the puppet's movements were the way I wanted them. Today you
can buy Frame Grabbers that store the whole shot so you can actually watch
the animation as you are working on it. The Video Lunchbox available
from Animation Toolworks is such a device. I own one and it is a
great product. But I usually use my surface gages along with the
Grabber. Why? Partly out of habit and partly because I like
to know where the puppet is in real space, not just on the TV monitor.
I also find it saves time by cutting down on the time it takes to keep
checking the grabber and making adjustments to the puppet.
So let me explain how I use a gage. It's simple really. Say
you are animating a 4-legged dinosaur walking. You have Frame 1
posed and ready so you shoot the first frame. Before touching the
puppet again, place the gages at the gage points on your puppet.
See the illustration below:
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The head is a very good place to gage the puppet from. I attach
a bug pin to the puppet first. This keeps the puppet from getting
damaged by the gage point while you are posing it and it gives you a definite
point from which to gage from. Bug pins are used to mount insects
for display and they are very thin. They can stick into a foam or
clay puppet without leaving any damage. If the character's head
is solid, you can use Fun Tak (a reusable adhesive substance from DAP
Products) and stick some on the puppets head and put a pin in it.
Then get your gage and align the pointer to the head of the pin.
I also make little gages for things like feet and tails. You can
make them out of T-Pins and Fun Tak. Ok, now that the gages are
in place you are ready to move your puppet. If you want the puppet
to travel a quarter inch per frame, its easy to see if you're moving too
far or not far enough by checking your gages. Why do I gage the
feet and tail? I gage feet if they are in motion. The feet
that are tied-down don't need to be. Its especially easy for a tail
to get messed up while you are moving the puppet and end up looking very
jerky when the shot is played back. Gaging it keeps this from happening.
Once you are happy with the puppet's position for Frame 2, you can remove
all the gages and shoot your second frame. Repeat these steps every
frame until you are finished. If you can't afford a Surface Gage, you
can build one easily. Just get some Aluminum Wire from the Art Supply
Store and a block of wood. Attach the wire to the wood and you have
a poseable surface gage. I've used gages like these and they work
just fine.
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Frame
Grabbers store your shot so that you can compare your previous frame(s)
with your current working or live frame. By flipping back and forth
between these frames, you can examine the motion. They have other
benefits such as if a puppet or prop falls over, you can put it back in
the exact position by checking your previous frames. Also, if a
light goes out and you didn't see it happen, you might notice it on the
grabber. Nowadays, there are several frame grabbing options. Many of them
can be installed onto your computer. See the chapter on Stop
Motion Software (Framegrabbers) in the Handbook.