Stop-motion puppet animation is one of the most unusual and demanding art forms in the world. It uses a variety of skills, including design, sculpting, metal work, mold making and casting, taxidermy, filmmaking, storytelling and acting, and can be seen in the simplest commercial spots on television to more complex animated shorts and science fiction and fantasy feature films.
This work, with over 200 photographs and illustrations, demonstrates the construction of armatures for film industry stop-motion puppets and the technical aspects of how to machine metal into the desired shape. It describes in detail the milling machine and the metal lathe, the two main tools used in constructing the armature, other cutting tools, and how the anatomical makeup of the puppet determines the armature design.
The book then examines the six main types of joints used in armature construction: the sandwich plate ball-and-socket joint, the ball-and-socket collet joint, the step-block ball-and-socket joint, the swivel joint, the hinge joint, and the universal joint. Also described are the different types of metals used in armature construction.

Tom Brierton is an educator, independent filmmaker and stop-motion animator. He lives in Griffith, Indiana.

Tom Brierton
Foreword by John Culhane
Format: softcover (8.5 x 11)
Pages: 111
Bibliographic Info: 234 photos, references, glossary, index
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1244-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8663-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Foreword by John Culhane      1

Preface      5

Introduction      7

1. The Importance of Anatomy      11

2. The Milling Machine and the Metal Lathe      15

3. Basic Tools Used for Stop. Motion Armature Machining      22

4. The Sandwich. Plate Ball and Socket Joint      35

5. The Collet Joint      55

6. The Step. Block Joint and Swivel Joint      65

7. The Hinge Joint      74

8. The Universal Joint      81

9. Metal Types for Armatures      88

Gallery of Stop-Motion Armatures and Puppets      91

Glossary      95

References      99

Index      101

“a real field guide”—Classic Images; “hard-to-come-by information”—SciTech Book News.