Pixilation (from pixilated) is a stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. The actor becomes a kind of living stop motion puppet.
"Pixilation is a technique that closely borders on live action practice, although it clearly falls within the realm of animation, Whereas clay and puppet animators move inanimate objects bit by bit before a camera and shoot them frame by frame, the pixilation animator shoots live objects -- essentially people -- frame by frame." - Furniss
"Pixilation is one of the most popular techniques for anyone who wants to jump right into animation with little or no experience. Having a camera is about all that is necessary to begin this process. Naturally, there are more possibilities if you have a well thought-out idea, a computer, capture software, and a tripod, but capturing images on a compact disc in the camera and the ability to sequence those pictures into a movie is all it really takes to shoot a pixilated film. Even an experienced stop-motion animator can pare down his or her equipment to a single camera and create an interesting film. Having some knowledge of how to take advantage of this technique makes a huge difference in the final outcome. The early trick film artists, like Melies, knew how to utilize the unique qualities of single-frame manipulation. We explore some of these "tricks" and advantages of pixilation in this topic, and it is not just the equipment that we explore but the ideas and execution of your next pixilated film." (1)
Hand Animation - Pixilation
I found this animation fascinating because they used the technique of pixilation perfectly. The theme within the animation to me seems as though it's leaning towards opression, the hands being the biggest object within the scene. I enjoy that it's in black and white because I always feel like that takes an element of life away from a film, because you're stripping it of all colour that could potentially be used to semiotically engage with an audience.