Write your script with the animation process in mind. Don't include complex actions or long scenes that will be impossible to animate. Instead, concentrate on good dialogue (if your movie has sound) and physical gestures that will help to tell the story visually.
Draw a storyboard, or series of images that show what each shot will look like. Plan each shot by drawing the scene, indicating where you'll need to place the camera and deciding where each character or prop will appear in the frame. Use arrows to indicate camera movements.
Start with an establishing shot of the environment, then add a shot of one of your characters. Alternate between close-ups to show detail and medium or long shots to show action or characters interacting to keep your movie visually interesting.
Build your malleable figures using wire and sculpting clay. Bend stiff wire with pliers into the general form of a stick figure and mold clay on top of it. Use fabric, paper or paint to color your figure and create clothes and other props. Or use pre-colored sculpting clay. Build all of the objects and figures you'll need, based on your storyboards, before you begin to animate.
Record your voice actors using your video camera's microphone with the lens cap on. Have your actors perform multiple takes of each line of dialogue, along with sound effects like breathing, sighs and grunts that you can insert during the editing process. Upload this sound footage to your computer using the editing software's import feature.
Set up your lights and background models in a safe location where you have plenty of room to work. Set up household lamps or studio lights to illuminate the scene evenly. Start with a single, powerful light above and to one side of the scene, to mimic the light of the sun. Move the other lights around until there are no harsh shadows. Don't rely on natural light or a single lamp, as this won't likely provide enough light for your video camera to get a good exposure.
Mount the video camera firmly on a tripod so that there is no chance of it moving between shots, since this can ruin the effect of motion. Shoot the scene using your video camera's single frame feature on the remote control. This is usually called "step frame" or "single frame" and may require you to press record, followed by pause before being able to shoot a single frame with one push of the remote control button.
Shoot several frames of the initial scene. Use your storyboard to determine how each element of the scene will move, and make slight adjustments before making the next shot. The standard frame rate (measured in frames per second) for animation is 24 frames per second, meaning that it will take 24 individual shots to produce one second of motion. It may help to act out the motion and decide how long it should take in real time, then divide this number by 24 when deciding how far to move each figure between shots. For example, if your character waves his hand one inch, and you want this to take one second in the final film, move the hand 1/24th of an inch between each shot.
If you want to produce a less fluid motion that is easier to achieve, shoot two frames at a time. Known as "shooting on twos," this will effectively cut in half the number of adjustments you need to make to your figures. Follow the same procedure, but divide everything by 12 instead of 24.
Shoot all of the scenes that occur from the initial camera angle. Refer again to your storyboards. Reposition the video camera for the next shot and adjust the lights to properly illuminate the subject each time. Don't worry about shooting scenes in order. You can fix this during the editing process.
Upload your footage to a computer with video editing software using the program's import feature and a Firewire or USB cable to connect the camera. Save your tape or original digital files in case you have computer problems later on.
Line up your prerecorded dialogue with the scenes where characters speak the lines. Use the timeline feature on your video editing program to cut and paste shots and scenes. Assemble the basic order of the film before making smaller adjustments.
Add any effects or make adjustments to the color and brightness of your movie. Most video editing programs will allow you to zoom in on a shot in post-production, add filters to change the image quality and even control the speed of the motion. Gradually refine your film until it's perfect.
Repeat the shooting process for any shots that didn't come out well, or if you find that you need additional scenes for the story to make sense. Reshooting is part of most major productions, but spending enough time planning the shoot can eliminate this step if you're careful.
Export your movie to a DVD, digital tape or as a digital file. Do this using the editing program's "export" or "print to tape" feature. You can usually choose between creating a high-quality version for screening, or a smaller file for posting online.