Stop+Motion+Animation

Stop Motion Animation is a way of creating and retelling stories using a succession of still images.

In each image, the props are moved just a little, so that when they are played back in quick succession, they 'move' - albeit a little jerkily.

The props can be a range of things - lego characters, characters made from plasticene, drawn props and characters.

The studio can be as simple as a cardboard box with the sides cut down and front removed, with a painted backdrop.

Having a variety of fabrics and 'natural' props can also be helpful - furry fabric, different textures, sandpaper, bits of trees and stick (for logs and foliage).

For some examples of some different kinds of stop motion animation: [] especially 'Clay Modeling Animation", "Calypso", and "Remembrance"

Stop Motion Animations created by children:

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WikiHow hints for creating Stop Motion Animation []

Animation Chefs - a series of short videos teaching aspects of stop motion animation

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Steps to create Stop-Motion Animation movie.
1.Choose your story/poem I suggest that you start with a short story (EG Humpty Dumpty) 2.Write up a story-board - one frame for each clip or scene 3. Gather props together 4. Create your scene 5. Anchor your camera (using a tripod or blutak so it does not move) 5. Take one or two test pictures to see that everything looks OK> (You may need to use a lamp to get the light correct) 6. Begin taking pictures, 1 frame at a time, moving the characters a little for each picture. 7 Download photos and import them into iMovie 8 Create Title and credits 9 Add Narration and music if desired. 10. Set the frame rate. 11. When you are happy that you have everything to you satisfaction, share your movie.

StoryBoard example (You can use this with any software:




I Can Animate
I Can Animate is Mac-based software which makes creating stop-motion animations simpler. It is available for $10 per licence from Innes Kennard. The form for ordering copies is below. I would only recommend the software if you think you will be creating stop-motion movies regularly, although it is not expensive.