Stop Motion Techniques

Yesterday, I started on a new stop-motion film.  It's taking a bit longer than expected, so in the meantime I wanted to discuss two different stop-motion techniques that I've used in my films.  I believe there to be two fundamental stop-motion techniques.  From here on I'll refer to them as the mainstream and experimental techniques (these names are based on their usage and are not descriptive of the actual technique).  The fundamental difference is that the mainstream technique makes a still subject appear to be moving, and the experimental technique makes a moving subject appear to be still or change its natural course.   However, the more important aspect is that these techniques violate an audiences' expectations in different ways and thus produce animations that are perceived differently.  Filmmakers can utilize these differences to create different effects.

Many people are familiar with "Claymation" films such as the Rudolph Christmas special and Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas."  (I guess people get a lot of free time around the holidays.)  This is why I refer to this style of stop-motion as the mainstream approach.  These films gain their appeal by violating the audiences' expectations that still objects should remain still.  I believe that the mainstream technique is more popular because it "gives life" to the subject.  A self-propelled figurine has an almost magical effect that captivates the imagination (or at least it captivates mine).
// While doing this post, I found a really cool video using the mainstream technique in a very experimental manner. Sorry i'm late 

The experimental technique violates expectations in the opposite fashion of the mainstream technique: taking an object already in motion and making it appear still or changing its course.  Many times this technique is used to make objects appear as though they are violating the laws of physics.  In THIS video I made myself look like I was flying.  This effect is accomplished by taking footage of me repetitiously jumping at the same height but only taking a single frame from the apex of each jump.  While this is a fun experimental technique, it is not as widely used in mainstream media as the other form of stop-motion.  I believe there are two major reasons why this technique is used less often than its counterpart:
1. There are too many alternatives to create the same effect that are easier to execute and produce a higher quality product.  Imagine if you wanted to make a ball look like it was floating.  The easiest way to accomplish this would be to suspend the ball from a string and just film it hanging there. This would avoid a lot of filming and editing as well as the choppy image that is inherent to re-creating this effect using stop-motion.
2.  It looks very unnatural.  The mainstream technique attempts to take the lifeless and make it appear more life like, while the experimental technique attempts to defy the confines of reality.  I believe that audiences are more accepting of a film that tries "play by the rules" while finding films that push the boundaries of a film more of a novelty.

Stop-motion is a fun style of film making that anyone can do with enough time, patience, and creativity.  While I'm not an expert, I hope that my analysis gives you a better understanding of stop-motion from a viewer stand point.  And if you're making a stop-motion film, I hope this can help you understand how your work will be perceived and what technique is right for you.