Stop-Motion Animation Workshop: Session 1

Stop-motion animation is a classic form of animation that has often been the entry path for artists who have gone on to become successful character animators. Stop-motion animation introduces artists to achieving animated effects by sequencing individual photos of objects into expressive movements that create a story. This requires a basic level of learning about photography, lighting, character expression, audio capture and video editing. Participants in this hands-on workshop will work closely with one or two collaborative partners to develop a short, stop-motion video story.

This workshop for kids and teens consists of four 1.5 hour sessions held on Monday through Thursday, November 6 – 9 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.   Recommended ages are 9 – 16.

• Nov. 6th:  Making Pictures Move: Participants begin the first of four workshop sessions with hands-on learning about “key framing” and “frame rates.” In this session they will construct a simple flipbook and view examples of animation at different frame rates. They will also work with team mates to create a story using the digiSTORY Model.  From this they will create a storyboard for planning their production.
• Nov. 7th:  Stop-Motion Tools: Participants will learn how to record dialog, and will use a webcam and simple lighting with a laptop to capture their stop-motion frames.  Students will also learn how to use Zu3D animation software to create their stop-motion story.
• Nov. 8th  Image Capture for Stop-Motion: Students will then start photographing the progressive movements of the characters and props in their story at a frame rate of at least 15 frames per second (fps).
• Nov. 9th:  Editing & Publishing Stop-Motion: Students will then use the features of the animation software to edit images, add sound effects or voiceovers, and edit the video timeline.  Students will add title frames to the beginning of their stories and crawling credits at the end of their stories.  When the stop-motion production piece is final, the student will publish the story to digiSTORY KC’s YouTube channel where links can be shared with family and friends.

Students who successfully complete this workshop can earn digiSTORY KC’s “Stop-Motion Animation” badge. This badge is part of the LRNG-KC badge program.This registration for the November 6th session will cover your enrollment and fees for all four sessions.