Stop motion as a form of expression : A study with focus on the aspects that influence amateur users to practice stop motion animation

Playfulness and curiosity in the usage of new technology and digital filmmaking has always been of great importance within these fields. There are many different media technologies that can form what the user wants to communicate in a certain context. One of these forms of expression that has increased in popularity from the early 20th century until today is the animation technique, Stop motion. Amateur filmmakers have also found an interest in using the technique. Our purpose has been to study the different aspects as to why young-adult amateur filmmakers have chosen stop motion as the way to express themselves. We have used one essential method, which contains a series of interviews. The result of our studies has shown, apart from the technical advantages that the main reason for using stop motion, according to our respondents, has been that their creations can be measured with professionally produced stop motion-productions. In a very tangible sense stop motion has blurred the line between amateurs and professionals. We found that this result also generated a sense of self-fulfillment for the amateurs using the technique.