This project may be completed by the following students:
1st Year Media Arts Majors.
2nd Year Media Arts Majors.
3rd Year Media Arts Majors.
Directions
Pre-Production
Begin by considering the various objects you have available to create a stop motion animation. It would not make sense to storyboard out a video that you cannot animate for lack of supplies.
Possible materials include but are not limited to...
Lego minifigures
"Action figures" or other toys
Clay
Cut paper (with or without hand-drawn characters/props placed on the paper)
Storyboard out a story that can be told in a time frame between 50-60 seconds, TRT.
There is no official requirement for what the plot of your animation needs to be, so long as your Media Arts teacher approves it. Suggestions for possible stories include but are not limited to...
Main character waking up and going to work or school
Plant growing from a seed
Character(s) constructing a machine or building
Get your storyboard approved by the Media Arts teacher. They may have advice to make the recording process easier.
With your storyboard approved, gather/build the set, props, and characters you will need.
Select a location where your stop motion animation can be left undisturbed, as it is likely you will not finish the production step in a single day.
Production
If your video has voice-over work, record it first.
It is MUCH easier to sync animation up with recorded audio than it is to sync audio up with a created animation.
Using your storyboard as a guide, photograph all of the movements needed for your animation.
Assume 12-13 photos are needed for each second of animation, except at times where everything is completely still. (If your plot is moving forward, there won't be many still moments.)
Post-production will be significantly easier if you take all of the photos in chronological order. Don't just do the easy parts first.
If necessary, you can use your Chromebook's built in camera to photograph each frame.
If available, use consistent lighting and a camera that can be set for full manual mode (focus, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO). Having consistent camera settings throughout this process will prevent some photos from looking inconsistently darker or lighter than the others.
Post-Production
Import your photos into a video editor.
Use your storyboard as a guide to arrange the photos in the correct order in your timeline, with the duration setting as low as possible. (For many editors this is .1 seconds per image. For WeVideo it's 2 frames per image.)
This 4 minute video (2 minutes if you speed it up) goes over the basics for putting photos together into an animation in WeVideo.
Add any additional audio or video effects you planned in your storyboard.
Be sure to use credits at the end of your video to give thanks to anyone who helps you create it.
This includes YOU! YOUR NAME should be in the credits!
Export your completed video and upload it with a copy of your approved storyboard.
Rubric
25% Evidence of planning (script and/or storyboard) is included with the project.
25% Stop motion animation has a coherent plot with multiple characters and/or objects moving throughout the video.
25% Video is between 50-60 seconds total run time (TRT), including LESS THAN 10 seconds of title and credits.
25% Citations for all content not owned by the student are included in the credits, including the media name, creator's name (if known), and where the media is from. (Remember, Pintrest and TikTok don't give permission for reuse elsewhere. Google is a search engine, not a citable source.)
Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
I:6-8:1: Formulate variations of ideas, goals, and solutions for media artworks by practicing focused creative processes.
E:6-8:1: Work independently to create a visual representation of formulated ideas.
E:6-8:2: Act on creative ideas to generate artistic goals.
E:6-8:3: Predict potential obstacles and generate possible solutions.
Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
I:6-8:1: Organize, design, propose, and evaluate artistic ideas, models, prototypes, and production processes for media arts productions.
E:6-8:1: Refine brainstormed ideas into a production plan.
Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
I:6-8:1: Experiment with multiple approaches to produce content and components for determined purpose and meaning in media arts productions.
I:6-8:2: Evaluate, improve, and refine media artworks by intentionally emphasizing particular expressive elements to reflect an understanding of purpose, audience, or place.
E:6-8:1: Improve production plan to include decisions about content and production processes.
E:6-8:2: Make judgments and decisions to refine the media production plan to set a purpose and act on creative ideas.
Anchor Standard 4: Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.
I:6-8:1: Integrate multiple contents and forms into unified media arts productions that convey consistent themes or ideas.
E:6-8:1: Curate and analyze multiple types of media (video, sound, still pictures) with academic content to produce one media product that has a consistent theme.
Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.
I:6-8:1: Develop, design, and exhibit a variety of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills through performing various assigned roles in producing media artworks.
I:6-8:2: Develop, demonstrate, and exhibit a variety of creative and adaptive innovation abilities.
I:6-8:3: Demonstrate adaptability in using tools and techniques to construct media artworks.
E:6-8:1: Be self-directed learners to define artistic/technical skill sets and roles for media production plan.
E:6-8:2: Develop and act on a variety of creative skills to produce new media.
E:6-8:3: Apply and adapt use of tools and techniques to construct media content.
Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
I:6-8:1: Analyze and design various presentation formats for the tasks and processes of the presentation and/or distribution of media artworks.
I:6-8:2: Analyze results of and improvements for presenting media artworks.
E:6-8:1: Manage the presentation and potential distribution of the media product(s).
E:6-8:2: Analyze and critique presentation. Develop a list of potential improvements for future presentations.
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
I:6-8:1: Evaluate and use personal, cultural, and/or external resources to create media artworks.
I:6-8:2: Explain and show how media artworks form new meanings, situations, and cultural experiences.
E:6-8:1: Make judgments and decisions on which resources (personal, cultural, and/or external) will be used to create media products.
E:6-8:2: Communicate clearly how decisions change elements of media (meanings, situations, and cultural context).
Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
I:6-8:1: Research and show how media artworks and ideas relate to everyday life.
I:6-8:2: Analyze and interact appropriately with media arts tools and environments.
I:6-8:3: Describe the relationships of media arts to theatre, dance, music, the visual arts, and other disciplines.
E:6-8:1: Research and synthesize how media relates to everyday life.
E:6-8:2: Apply technology safely and effectively considering media literacy.
E:6-8:3: Analyze how response to media arts is influenced by understanding the time and place in which it was created, the available resources, and cultural uses.