By Kate Shaw, Ars Technica

How do groups of animals make collective decisions? Last week, we learned that bees reach consensus by headbutting those with opposing views. But in many other species, the decision-making process is a bit more democratic. In cases where social animals are unrelated and have different self-interests (such as our own), contrasting opinions are common. But it can be just as common for individuals to either be uninformed about the options, or simply not care much about the decision.

First used in 1897, stop motion has evolved beyond just character sculptures. Walls of art, colored pencils, and sculptures are all fair game for animation. All you need is a little patience, attention to detail and a camera. Check out these videos to see how video artists today are taking this hundred-year-old technique to a whole new level.

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Filmed in 2007, “Sorry I’m Late” is a stop motion short that uses stills from a camera on the ceiling pointed at the floor. Filmmaker Tomas Mankovsky gives a creative and unique look at depth perception by using small objects close to the camera nex...