It's a Saturday morning in August of 2008. I'm an adult and my routine is always the same. I wake up. I take the dog for a walk. I have my morning coffee and some breakfast. I start my day.
It wasn't always like this.
When I was a kid my morning routine was a bit different. I would roll out of bed, grab a bowl of cereal and quietly go downstairs to watch my Saturday morning shows. My favorites? Those old fashioned stop motion/claymation shows with the kid and the dog. I don't know what it was about them I liked so much, but I did.

Last year I got a small taste of what went into making those shows (who would have ever thought it was SO time consuming to do right) when I got the Mac OS software iStopMotion as part of a software bundle. It was pretty cool but since my particular camera didn't integrate well with with the app my using it was short-lived.

Who would have guessed that the "perfect" camera for making a stop motion or time lapse film would be my iPhone?! Thanks to the app Watch It Change, it is!

Watch It Change is a neat little app that provides a self-contained stop motion film studio right on your iPhone. It is well conceived and makes it quick, easy and fun to create all sorts of great movies. (Well, to be more accurate, while it makes it easy, quick and fun to make "movies", I quickly learned that it is challenging and time-consuming to make great (or even good) movies. But wow is it fun!)

Creating your first animation with Watch It Change is relatively easy. You-

-Tap the "+" in the upper right hand corner of any of the three film lists (All Films, Stop Motion or Time Lapse).
-Add a title, descrIption, choose a film type, add opening and closing credits. Tap save.
-Tap "Create"
-Tap "Begin filming"
-Snap a series of pictures. (You will have 9 seconds between one picture and the next.)

That's it. It is easy and fun and within a few minutes you will have your first film.

The possibilities for fun ways to use it are endless. As the app itself suggests-

You can use watchitchange to animate just about anything, Here are some quick ideas.
• Toys such as cars, dolls, transformers etc"
• Play-doh and clay are really fun and easy
to use,
• Point your Camera at an erasable
whiteboard and you can create fun
animallons.
• Use Animate Anything to film your friends
gilding across the floor.

The developer even offers a website to which you can post your "productions"- www.watchitchange.com

There is one downside to using an iPhone for stop motion films. As I was making my first film- I animated my coffee cup being filmed this morning, I immediately realized that the biggest challenge to making a decent stop motion film was ensuring that the iPhone was positioned in the same place from one shot to the next. Most regular cameras have a tripod mount for this purpose.

Unfortunately the iPhone does not. The app offers a useful tip, suggesting you use the prior shot to line up the next one. This will work to some extent but the real solution would be to have a physical stand that help the iPhone. Guess what?

They have you covered! For $6.99 plus $2 in shipping they will sell you a stand through their eBay store. I know what you are wondering. Who would buy such a thing? Me! Is it actually worth an additional $8.99 after having to first buy the app? I'll let you know when mine arrives later this week. :)

EDIT: As one of our readers pointed out, the image to the left depicts a tripod socket on the bottom of the stand. It "makes it worthwhile over a homebrew solution (such as three little pieces of wood glued together)." Thanks for the input!

Quick Take

Value: High if you actually use it 
Would I Buy Again: I would. I'm looking forward to taking my time to make a real stop motion film. (We'll let you know when it is posted to their site. 
Learning Curve: Medium
Who is it for: Anyone who has ever seen a stop motion film and thought "How'd they do that?"
What I like: Fun, great concept, complete package for creating and sharing films, well thought out so as to make it easy to get started. iPhone only since it requires a camera. 
What I Don’t: I didn't think of the idea of getting $ for the app and then more $ for the cradle. Smart!

Final Statement:
This has the potential to be a whole lot of fun. It is especially great as something adults and kids could do together. 
 

Version # :	1.0
Date Released:	08/13/2008
Web / Native:	Native
Type:	Entertainment
Price:	$6.99
Our Rating
User Rating:	Average: Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)