The 3 pillars of the independent Kenyan stop-motion animator/filmmaker/hustler

STOP-MOTION ANIMATION: 

Stop-motion animation is done by taking still photographs of objects, each photograph representing a frame. The object(s) is/are moved very slightly in each frame and when the frames are put together and played in a sequence, the illusion of movement is created. It is a simple concept, and can be executed easily- but not without a great amount of patience and care for detail. Continuity is key in stop-motion animation, as each frame should match the next in terms of lighting, camera position and the positions of objects (other than the subjects of animation) in the frame. If there is a tree on the set, it should stay in its position in each frame- unless your animation is about a dancing tree.

Stop-motion animation cannot be done without an impressive amount of patience, fortitude, staying-power, endurance, tolerance, persistence and serenity. (I just synonym-searched ‘Patience’ on MS Word)

In my journey with stop-motion animation, I have come to accept that there are three abilities/special gifts that God granted humanity with the independent Kenyan stop-motion animator/filmmaker/hustler in mind.


1.  The ability to make mistakes. Ghastly ones

Mistakes: My first indie movie was done on a Sony camcorder in my university campus. The entire cast and crew was made of 5 people- me and 4 of my friends- none of whom had any particular interest in filmmaking. We shot the film in an off-campus hostel where the electricity was cut off during the day and only connected from 7pm to midnight. We had class during the day and an 11pm curfew at night, so we could only shoot in the evenings once the electricity was connected. With one power-saving light bulb as the only source of light and neighbors that listened to their music loud, we ended up with pale-looking green-colored grainy picture, and ‘Niambie’ by Prof playing louder than the actors’ voices through half the film. That was a ghastly mistake.

Lessons: After making mistakes, we realize that filmmaking is not as easy as they make it seem on Hollywood Highlights and Greatest Directors. The lessons we learn from mistakes are more profound that those we learn in class. After making the pale grainy Niambie film, I started looking for a cheap way to make films of good quality with what I had (no lighting equipment, no sound equipment, no money- nothing), and I stumbled into animation.


2. The aptitude to incessantly ask questions and seek clarification. Incessantly.

Questions: Some people (Tonny) find it irritating when I ask questions over and over and try to find out details that they don’t think are important. Or when I ask the meaning of a Sheng’ word that everyone else in the room is familiar with.  Dumb blonde? Noooo- try independent Kenyan filmmaker/stop-motion animator/filmmaker/hustler!

Lessons: In Kenya, the only good film schools are waaaaaay to expensive for the regular folk like all of us. In many cases, we are forced to teach ourselves about a lot of aspects of filmmaking and animation. Even in Communication/Broadcast courses, the syllabi are not sufficient education for a serious aspiring filmmaker. When I read somewhere about stop-motion animation, I totally assaulted Google and the library (for real, imagine!) and I kept researching until I knew exactly what it is, how it is done, who does it etc.


3. The capacity to borrow and scrounge from… everybody…

Borrowing: Just as I had borrowed a camcorder for my first disastrous short film, I borrowed a camera for stop-motion. I also borrowed thimbles, ink cartridges, key-holders, tube-caps, colored cloths, paper-weights……. A lot of things to create the miniature sets that I use for my stop-motion animation (the dolls are mine though :)

Lesson: Independent filmmaking is characteristically low-busget/no-budget. Without any studio/financier support, a lot of the budget for filmmaking comes from the filmmaker’s pocket. It is strenuous to accommodate everything in the budget without the goodwill of friends and family, so every independent filmmaker knows – you have to borrow. No borrowing, no movies. It’s just the indie way!


 DISCLAIMER: Each filmmaker will require a different set of skills dependent on geographical location, physical aptitude, mental profundity, emotional appeal, creative flexibility and several other 2-word factors. 

Check out a music video that I made- the first music video from East Africa to be done entirely in stop-motion animation! Share the link, and give me feedback :)