ROLLERS

How to make an animation?

You will need an A4 piece of paper and a long pencil. Fold your paper down the middle vertically, to make one long strip. Then fold it down the middle horizontally, to make a smaller square.

Unfold the paper and on the inside bottom segment make a drawing. Refold the paper and, on the outside, make a second drawing.

The drawings should express 2 different poses – like a crouch and a jump…

Roll the top drawing up and around your pencil, and then flip between the two, like so…

My first roller- When you start rolling the roller animation the pencil creates an illusion which makes it look like it’s moving. It is a very simple object to make and make use of. At first the images show a robot crouched with its eyes closed shut. The second image of the stick man is it standing up looking happy. When you repeat the rolling up and down motion using a pencil, it shows the robot standing up and then crouching back down and with its facial expression it looks realistic.  

My second roller- It is the same as the robot roller animation but with my own roller design animation. The first image shows a broken heart in the rain and when you roll the roller up it shows the same heart with a smile on it's face the cracks treated and secured with plasters and enjoying the sunny weather. The heart itself doesn't move except for the background and the face of the heart.

Are these rollers animation?

I do think that rollers are animation since they create an illusion type movement and as there is a clear movement in the animation. It is animation however, it is very base one like thaumatrope. You can’t add any new foreign elements to it after you’ve done creating the image.

What sort of actions work best? Why?

The best sort of action work best is up and down, change in facial expressions and body language, images that differ in size. It typically works best in this way as the images will look like it is teleporting between two positions. In order for it work you have to use less complicated images, avoid using images that hold heavy in details. This will make it harder to create the illusion and it won’t look as smooth.

What can’t they do?

When using the roller, the only animation you get is from the two slightly distinctive images. Nevertheless, even if it sounds basic you have to ensure that you match up the lines on both side of the paper in order to get the illusion sync accurate. If you don’t this will ruin the whole animation like feel. Similar to the thaumatrope it is tremendously limited. Even though it is diluted version of Film and TV animation, you can’t add anything else other than the image that will be used for the frame.

How easy are they to make?

Like the thaumatrope the instructions to make one is simply straightforward. It is easier than making the thaumatrope as it only took me a matter of minutes to make it exclude the design. Fewer materials needed in order to make one; pencil and a sheet of paper. I would consider making it again, using a different design and perhaps use colours. I recommend this for beginners who are new to stop motion animation. It is easy and entertaining.