Although I bought a merchandise unit (as mentioned before) that I had planned to modify into an animation table, I decided to order a 42 inch camera rostrum (also known as a copy stand) that I can use in conjunction with that unit. This basically holds the camera up so that it can shoot straight downward, and you can move the camera up and down with incremental measurements marked on the stand (good for zooming in and out in stop-motion animation). It will also double for photographing artwork that is too large for my scanner. Wins all around! The other unit will eventually hold this rostrum and have glass (or plexiglass) shelves that will sit between the camera and the lightbox for animations that are layered. And this saves me from having to build a piece to hold the camera. Now.. must invent more time to play.