Yr+9+Stopmotion

=**Year 9 Stopmotion / Toymation**=

Stop-motion animation allows you to create frame by frame animations by moving objects and taking still photo frames of each movement. It is a similar style to rotoscoping, and other frame by frame animation styles, except that you use real-life objects. You can use various materials - clay, plasticine, toy figurines, lego, miniature objects, metal, paper… even people!

****Using Movie Maker to create stop-motion animations****
Set up your digital camera to a medium setting. This allows you to take more photos on the camera without having to move it, and is a better size for Movie Maker.
 * 1) Set up your objects in their starting position. Take 2 photos.
 * 2) Continue this process. For each movement, take another 2 photos. Try to keep the movements reasonably close together (ie: no big changes in movement) – the smaller the movements, the smoother your animation will be.
 * 3) Continue until the object(s) leaves the screen or your story ends. Make sure you film the whole story in one sitting. It is very difficult to combine photos from two different filming days! This means there will be continuity in your filming.
 * 4) After filming, download the images to your computer and save them in a folder.
 * 5) Open Windows MovieMaker. Before importing pictures into Windows Movie Maker, change the slide duration time. Click on "Tools" then "Options" at the bottom. Click on "Advance" tab to change the duration time to the lowest time available (0.125). Once you import the pictures it will be harder to change the duration time.
 * 6) Import your pictures using File > Import or “Import Pictures” under Task 1 in Movie tasks. You can select all of them by pressing ctrl+a (select all) and import them all at once.
 * 7) Again, you can use ctrl+a to select all your photos, and drag them to the timeline.
 * 8) Watch your film and make any adjustments as needed. If you have time, add sound and titles.
 * 9) Remember to save your project as you are working – in case MovieMaker crashes.
 * 10) Once you are finished, Save your MovieMaker project, and then go to File >
 * 11) Save the movie as an avi on your computer.

**Resources[[image:cake-lego-stop-motion-490.jpg height="194" align="right" caption="cake-lego-stop-motion-490.jpg"]]**
Here are some websites and video clips that you can check out if you want to see more stop-motion in action. Website resources – lots of tutorials []://www.brickfilms.com/resources.php [] []://www.animateclay.com/

**Videos**
A Town Called PanicMade by a Belgian group – uses toy soldiers and modelling clay [] A Garden Called PanicSimilar idea, but also uses cardboard cutouts [] Purple and Brown – claymation by Nickelodeon [] Stop motion animation by PES(uses lego, found objects, and sometimes people) [] Lego animation videos [] []

**Other resources**
MonkeyJam: free stop-motion software [] Rollermache – general animation site. Includes animation tips and storyboard sheets []

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