ANIMATIONS

Session
Date: N/A / Venue:AchieveDelivery Centre
Aim:
Make a Stop Motion Animation film to explore an issue or express an idea.
This session requires slightly more advanced digital knowledge of the advisor, and will challenge digital skills for the young people. Therefore, it might be a good idea to complete this session after the group has done a few STEM-themed sessions previously. / Medium:
Group work, discussion, creative activity, photography, film
National Curriculum Links/Extension Opportunities:
KS4 Links –
Computing - develop their capability, creativity and knowledge in computer science, digital media and information technology
Computing - develop and apply their analytic, problem-solving, design, and computational thinking skills
KS3 Links –
Communication and Literacy: How can you communicate your topic verbally? Now see how your topic comes through in the film. What differences do you see in the way the topic is conveyed? Is one better than the other in terms of sending out a clear message? If so, pick the weaker version, and brainstorm 5 ways of how to clarify or strengthen a message that leads to an action. For example, maybe the action is that the viewer of the film visits a website. What is the best way of making sure the viewer clicks to the website?
Design and Technology: YP are using technology to make films and communicate messages. Can you extend this to think about other ways to use the technology skills they learn from this session? For example, how might they use photography to communicate messages or topics in the future?
PSD Links –
Exploring topics through creativity. You could encourage students to think of something that is on their mind about the world, for example, relationships with friends, or bullying, and work through this concept in their film. / Resources required:
Computers with internet
iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or equivalents or
Apps for editing: List of Apps to make Stop Motion
Cameras
Tripod (ideally)
Props to make videos: A2 paper in solids colors (e.g. white or black), flowers, cups, leaves, jewelry, tissue paper, paint with paint brushes, crayons, markers, construction paper, colored paper, watercolors, cardboard boxes, whiteboard, blackboards, tempera paint, clay, a rock for a boulder, a branch for a tree, etc.
Session cost: Minimal
Young people
Max number of young people:8-10 / Session benefits young people who need:
To build their confidence
To build systematic and mathematical thinking.
To speak in public/groups
To express ideas in gentle, creative way
Gender:Mixed
Delivery
Name of Delivery Partner/Service provider: N/A
Has a Competency Checklist been completed and a Service Agreement in place?
Site-Specific Risk Assessment or Special Activity Authorisation Form required?:
Review
What went well…
It would work better next time if…

SESSION PLAN – ONE HOUR

Day/Time / Description of Activity / Resources / Venue / Learning outcome / Assessment criteria
Hour One / Ensure that a film editing programme/software or App and cameras or Smartphones are available before session starts.
Context of Stop Motion Animation and Conceptualizing: 10 minutes
  1. Stop motion is a powerful animation technique that makes static objects appear to be moving. Creating stop motion draws attention to placement, framing, direction and speed of movement. There are many types of stop motion techniques. View the short film “Fresh Guacamole.”
After viewing it, have YP work in teams to research different methods, including answering the following questions:
How do you think they made the film “Fresh Guacamole”? How do you think it works from photo to video?
Then have them explain to the rest of the group how to make one in a step by step process, and present to the group.
Brainstorming: 10 minutes
  1. Split up the YP into one or two teams, and ask them to brainstorm something that they could make into a quick stop motion story, for example, a car driving to pick up some friends and arriving at a party, or maybe the sun and moon rising and setting against a landscape or the Earth.
KEEP IT SIMPLE! The shortest and simplest concepts are the easiest to animate. Limit them to one or two characters or one simple concept idea, so that they can concentrate on the details.
The group will need to draw their ideas on paper, and take a single photos of the objects or figures from start to finish. Alternatively, they could use clay or objects founds in the classroom to illustrate their story.
Photography: 25 minutes
  1. To begin, have them take pictures of their starting figures, then move their objects/figures bit by bit by a very small amount each time, and take a photograph after each movement. They can move one piece at a time (such as an arm waving back and forth) or make several movements at once (a more fluid walk involving legs and arms, or several objects moving in a busy scene). They should move objects by about the same distance each time.
Before taking each photograph, make sure the object is in sharp focus and a consistent light source is used – like a lamp or torch set up in the same place for each photo. It is also useful to use a tripod or other way of keeping the camera in the same place. You may need to disable your camera's autofocus. If using a webcam, rotate the focus ring by hand.Using Smartphones is a good way to make this process easy.
Editing: 10 minutes
  1. Once they have taken their photos, they should upload into a software programme of their choice. If photos were taken on iphones, it is easy to input them into a free film editing App, like Splice. More ideas are here.
Discussion: 5 minutes
  1. After the videos are made, hold a mini viewing party and ask young people to discuss what they learned about the process. What was more complicated than they thought? How could they fix issues next time? What’s an idea for something more complicated they could do?
/ Computer with internet
Flip chart and pens
Paper
Editing programme or App
Iphones/Tripods/Cameras
Sculpting clay if available
Fresh Guacamole
Between You and Me
Gan Gan
Examples from Young People
Even More Examples / Achieve Delivery Centre / Young People learn about stop motion animation and are able to describe how it works, and how to put a short animation video together, YP view samples of stop motion videos, YP generate their own ideas and present to group / Standard Achieve Framework

TAKE IT FURTHER! SESSION PLAN: 5-7 HOURS TOTAL DELIVERY

Note: You can deliver the hours in any method that works for you, e.g over the course of several weeks, or all in one day.

Day/Time / Description of Activity / Resources / Venue / Learning outcome / Assessment criteria
Hour One/Two / Context of Stop Motion Animation and Conceptualizing:
  1. Stop motion is a powerful animation technique that makes static objects appear to be moving. Creating stop motion draws attention to placement, framing, direction and speed of movement. There are many types of stop motion techniques. View the short film “Fresh Guacamole.”
After viewing it, have YP work in teams to research different methods, including answering the following questions:
How do you think they made the film “Fresh Guacamole”? How do you think it works from photo to video?
Then have them explain to the rest of the group how to make one in a step by step process, and present to the group.
  1. The best projects result from strong ideas. To generate stronger ideas it is worthwhile to engage YP in critical viewings of animation selected beforehand, and encourage brainstorming and synthesis of ideas in groups. Feeling ownership of the concept will help keep students interested and dedicated throughout the animation process.
So, split up the YP into teams, and show them a selection of stop motion videos using photography. Some will be more complicated than is possible to produce, but will inspire.
Remind YP that great ideas can come from simple, every day experiences. KEEP IT SIMPLE! The shortest and simplest concepts are the easiest to animate. Limit them to one or two characters or one simple concept idea, so that they can concentrate on the details.
  1. After viewing videos, have them review the props that are available for them to use for their video.
  1. Then, have the YP work in teams to come up with two simple ideas they might be able to do. They must use the props available, and their video must not exceed 60 seconds.
Need more inspiration? Examples of a 60 second videos: making an omlette, a flower loosing its petals, making a cup of tea, two clay action figures having a duel, a drawing of a bird flapping its feathers and flying over a cityscape, or park. / Computer with internet
Flip chart and pens
Paper
Fresh Guacamole
Between You and Me
Gan Gan
Examples from Young People
Even More Examples / Achieve Delivery Centre / Young People learn about stop motion animation and are able to describe how it works, and how to put a short animation video together, YP view samples of stop motion videos, YP generate their own ideas and present to group / Standard Achieve Framework
Hour Two/Three / Scripting/Storyboarding
  1. Have the YP script and/or storyboard their two ideas. Usually one idea will become a clear winner. YP must determine what interaction and action will take place. Most people prefer to start with scripts, a storyboard that is completely textual. Writing descriptions of the action helps to determine how and in what order every shot will become animated later in the process.
  1. Ask YP to answer the following questions:
What is your theme or idea?
How many shots would that take? (Make them do the math!)
Who in your group will do which production jobs (taking the photos, planning and making sure everything is set up and ready, being responsible for the overall story and success of the theme, editing)?
What materials or objects will you need to collect?
What kind of background will you need?
What different shots do you need? What close-ups? What else do you want to say about your idea? Will you do a voiceover or music?
  1. Storyboarding is a major component to any animation project because it ensures that ideas are well developed before production, and saves time by anticipating problems. The purpose of the storyboard is to visually plan out the entire animation. Here is where YP begin to think about the “camera work” by showing every shot or important transition in the animation. Have YP produce a storyboard and present to group. Using poster board, preferably large, and a packet of Post-it-notes, have YP sort out the ideas and images to be used. Divide up the page, discuss the sequence of shots, and draw in key transitions or moments, making notes as necessary. Label each section of the storyboard with sequence, camera angle, timing, and other directorial information as they go.
/ Flip chart and pens
Paper
Pencils
Felt Pens / Achieve Delivery Centre / YP work in teams to create a script and storyboard for their video, after reviewing materials available / Standard Achieve Framework
Hour Four/Five / Set up
  1. Once groups have decided on the story they will be telling and have created their storyboards, they need to begin gathering their props, characters, and back-drops to be ready to film their animation. Use this hour to set up equipment and backgrounds.
Note: if you are using an App to create the stop motion, please view the app on the Tablet, iPad or phone, so that you are familiar with what the App requires for your film. It may be that you will need to shoot the entire film on the iPad/device that the App is located on.
  1. Backgrounds for stop motion animation can be created. Remember, arranging a 3D space with objects in the foreground can give your animation a nice sense of depth. Make sure that the background is the same scale as the characters, and that it will fill the frame for whatever camera you will use to capture the images. YP can also create an “animated background” which is a background that changes continuously with every shot.
  1. Stop motion requires a camera or video device to expose single or multiple frames of images that, when run at normal speed, appear to represent continuous movement.
Camera - You can use almost any camera to capture the individual frames of your animation. The advantage of using a digital camcorder is that it can save each picture directly onto the computer's hard drive as you take it.
Animation Stand - In 2D stop motion animation, the camera is positioned directly above the background upon which the cut-out characters lay flat.
Tripod - The camera is mounted on a tripod because you don't want the camera to move at all during the picture-taking process.
  1. Shoot it! Take the photos of the action! YP can take turns, with assistance. Ensure they follow their storyboards.
/ Camera
Tripod
Background props
App and Tablet/Phone / Achieve Delivery Centre / YP set up their materials with camera to shoot their video / Standard Achieve Framework
Hour Five/Six / Uploading and Editing:
Note: if you are using an App for editing, please have all footage/photos ready on the device to import into the App for your edit
If you are using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker -
  1. Connect the camera to a USB port.
  1. On the computer, open the software for the camera you are using, and make sure all photos are uploaded.
  1. Depending on the software you are using, you will import the photos into the video editor and place in the order that matches the storyboard. The animation should now run as a video.
  1. To finalize animation YP can add sound and credits, and also music
/ Computer with movie editing software
OR
App and Tablet/Phone / Achieve Delivery Centre / YP work with facilitator to upload and edit their videos / Standard Achieve Framework
Hours Seven/Ten / Opportunities for expansion.
  1. Have YP organize a staff or family and friends meeting where their work can be showcased.
  1. Hold a debrief after all videos are complete. What could they do with their work in the future? Do they have any ideas for how to use animations in the future? What sort of jobs use the skills they learned while making their video (Graphic Design, Filmmakers, Illustrators, Designers, etc.)
/ Projector / Standard Achieve Framework

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