Build a Raspberry Pi Stop-Motion Studio

YOU’LL NEED THIS

RASPBERRY PI 2 OR LATER

With Raspbian Stretch, Pi Camera module, dual-state push button, breadboard, monitor, mouse and keyboard, and tripod/secure mount.

SOMETHING TO ANIMATE

Clay models, Lego, action figures, and so on.

EVER SAT GUFFAWING AT TERRY GILLIAM’S BIZARRE SUBVERSION of Victorian-era greetings cards in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, or egging on unlikely heroes Wallace and Gromit? Then chances are you’ve spent a few moments thinking about how those animations are made.

There was a time when stop-motion photography was beyond the reach of most people. Overhead cameras mounted on rostrums were expensive, and unless your school or college had one, your best bet was to take some photos and make a flick-book instead. As with everything, time and technology have revolutionized the production of stop-motion photography, and now making a movie with a digital camera or mobile device is child’s play.

The Raspberry Pi Camera module offers a superb low-cost digital option. While time-lapse photography is popular,