Chapter 9 Sets for Animation All the World's a Stage The most important attribute of a stop motion animation stage is stability. The slightest wobble of the platform in between frames will give the appearance that your characters are performing in an earthquake. A flimsy card table would be susceptible to jarring and bumps with no guarantee of the table springing back to exactly the same position frame after frame. You want to find a sturdy table with cross bracing that is expendable as you will most certainly damage the surface by drilling, applying C clamps, or manipulating waxy clay on the surface. For students who are doing simple clay animation projects that will not require tie-down holes or other physi- cal damage to a surface, a good, quick, inexpensive platform is a kitchen countertop. Ideally this would be a work island that you have 360-degree access around. You have room to place lights, camera, and a backdrop