Not only could you toggle between the live frame and the last stored frame, you could play back the entire shot while in progress and step through as needed.
The next evolution was Video Lunchbox, which allowed us to capture and store all the frames as they were taken. It was a huge leap forward to be able to see that progression between the frames. We then added a video switcher which allowed us to capture and store a frame, and dissolve between the live frame and that stored frame. Crude - but it was extremely helpful in seeing the performance emerge. This would allow us to view the live frame on a monitor, and by drawing on it, we were able to track and chart the desired movement. Prior to switching over to digital camera, we would use video assist cameras on our film cameras. We also used it for multiple complicated lighting effects that could only be accomplished by shooting multiple passes on each frame.
The ability for the animator to press one button and have the program turn the proper lights and on and off and take the frames automatically is a big time-saver, and greatly reduces the chances of mistakes or forgotten elements. For Alien Xmas, the ability to program multiple-frame capture in conjunction with the DMX control for our front-light/back-light stages was huge.
So deep that it’s easy to overlook all the aspects we now take for granted. It’s become a very deep stop-motion studio package. Over time, it has increased its list of compatible cameras, enhanced cinematography capabilities, motion-control interface, DMX control, multiple-frame shooting, automated 3d capture, and sophisticated post-frame editing and re-sequencing. The program covered all the basic needs to do digital stop-motion animation. We can’t remember when exactly we started using Dragonframe - probably somewhere around 2008–09.
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