Get App-y: Make movies one ‘ka-pow’ at a time with these apps

This Get App-y column originally ran Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, in The Oklahoman:

By Lillie-Beth Brinkman

You may have seen Iron Man and Batman fighting it out on the streets of downtown Oklahoma City lately in an online video (on youtube here). The creation of NewsOK videographer Kyle Roberts, this stop-motion animated video has made national tech rounds and is sponsored by the Toy & Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley.

Roberts also has been noticed nationally for being one of the first to shoot a music video entirely on the newly released iPhone 4. It’s Dr. Pants’ “Sarsaparilla Girl,” shot at Pops in Arcadia.

For “Iron Man vs. Batman,” Roberts shot more than 1,200 photos before putting it together in a motion picture. Each arm and leg had to be placed one “ka-pow” punch at a time before he used desktop software to add the Oklahoma City backdrop and other effects.

He’s also created “how to” videos to accompany many of his projects, so you can see exactly how he got the effects each time.

Roberts said he always has had an interest in action figures, and stop-motion animation is an extension of that.

“I’m a nerd, and I love to make nerdy things cool,” he said.

Roberts uses heavyduty desktop video editing software for most of his projects. He’s also found that anyone with an iPhone can create basic stop-motion animation with some mobile applications. Two of his picks are:

› StopMotion Recorder (99 cents, Graf): This easy-to-use app gives you “ghost” images, known as an “onion skin,” that let you see where you placed your figure in the last shot so you can see where you should move the figure for the next one. A “clap feature” lets you clap to take a picture so you can avoid bumping the camera.

› iMotion (99 cents, Febo): This lets you use up to 1,000 frames, more than the 99 “captures” that StopMotion allows. It has an “onion skin” feature among others.

(Neither app has been updated yet to take full advantage of the iPhone 4’s high-definition photos.)

Find Roberts’ videos on at www.ra-pictures.com , the website for Reckless Abandonment Pictures, the company Roberts runs.

YOUR TURN

E-mail me at lbrinkman@opubco.com you have an app you’d like me to try or one that you wish you had for a particular task. Follow me on twitter @lillie_beth.)

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