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Introduction to Stop-Motion Animation: Teacher Material

Producing a Stop-Motion Animation

Now show students the video in the student chapter Stop-Motion Animation: Production.

The video will pause twice with a question on the screen. Ask students the questions to reinforce their learning:

Why do we use an anchor for the tablet?
  • So it doesn’t move when we take a picture.
How much do we move the characters between each frame?
  • About the size of an ant.

 

Next, Have each group assign starting roles:
  • Photographer (who takes pictures on the tablet)
  • Animator (who moves the characters)
  • Director (who watches to make sure everything is set up right before the photographer takes each picture)
If possible, provide an animation station (tablet and tripod) for each station.

Now give students time to make their animation.

Make sure students know how to save a project on the app.

Have students start filming their animation by taking ten pictures (shooting ten frames) without movement.

Next, have students shoot ten frames with movement.

  • Remind them that they are telling the story in their storyboard, but that they will have one hundred shots to tell it with – so each part of their story should be around thirty frames.
Have students change roles after every ten frames, to make sure that everyone gets a chance to do each role.

 

If students have finished early, they can review their animation to see if anything needs to be changed.

If you are ending the lesson here, have students export their animations. You can either have them show the animations on the tablets in small groups, or upload them to a school account and project them for the class.

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Building Blocks of Digital Media Literacy: Teacher Textbook Copyright © by MediaSmarts. All Rights Reserved.

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