Stop motion is an animated-film making technique that consists on pretending the movement of static objects using a series of successive still images. We don't use this term referring to those animations drawn like cartoons or designed by computers computer animation, but created taking pictures of reality. So, stop motion is used to produce animated movements from any object (it can be rigid or malleable), such as toys, building blocks, articulated dummies or clay figures.
Stop motion animation using plasticine figures is called clay animation or claymation.
There are many procedures of animated-film making in stop-motion due to the artistic character of this technique. So each artist adapts it to his/her expressive needs. Stop motion offers the possibility of creating a wide range of methods and variations.
Here you can see a fragment of Wallace y Gromit
Here you can watch a chapter of DC's World's Funnest.
CLAYMATION
We could distinguish two great variants of animation in stop motion: the one made with plasticine or any other malleable material (also known as claymation) and the one made with rigid objects. We are going to use plasticine, but we can introduce any other rigid element to enrich the scene.
We are going to watch some examples of claymation.
In the following link, Benito, you'll discover a sensitive story. It is a short film produced with stop motion technique done to raise awareness about Alzheimer illness. The authors are Carlos J. Fernández and Luis Palacios, and the original soundtrack was created by Alain Peña. They won Animainzon Award in 2012 and 2nd award in Pixenlaces in 2012.
In the following link you would find the Making Off de Benito.
In the class you can watch more stories with the teachers.
You can see the following animation. It is a funny scene.
STEPS TO FOLLOW TO DO THE CHALLENGE
- On the tablet you'll use the app STOP MOTION STUDIO. Each team would work with a table in the class. There you'll model and create the background. Once you finish, you'll put the table near the wall to support the background on this wall.
- Creating the idea. It has to be a short and simple story line, related with "Superheros". It can be a funny and comical anecdote. On a sheet you'll write the idea and will set the characters or elements that would appear. You will decide the different frames, shots, points of view or light you are going to use. It is very important to think of the distribution of the elements over the scenery you are going to create, as well as in the composition, the frame and how to highlight the right things each moment. So, you have to do a simple storyboard. This part is worth a 10% of the final mark of the project.
- Once the teacher has seen the script and storyboard, she would give you the materials: plasticine, wire to create the skeleton you would cover with plasticine. Fishing line is useful to hang objects on the air. Continuous paper can be used to create a background with its original colour or you can paint it to enrich the scene. Use modeling tools as well as hands to model figures.
- In each photograph you take of the scene, the changes you do to each element has to be very small in order to pass the pictures to the app giving the feeling of continuity in movement is correct.
- After each session you have to put everything in a box and also when you finish the challenge.
- You can put soundtrack, title and credits or dialogues to your stop motion.
- At least once a week you have to write on the blog you have created for Technologie. You have to write about what and how you have been working these days and upload pictures of the process. Please, upload the link to CLassroom.
ONCE FINISH THE CHALLENGE EACH TEAM......
You have to upload your claymations and storyboards to Google Classroom, with the name of all the members of the team, telling which part has been done by each one of the members.
Remember that planning, team working and responsibility are reflected on the registration form and represent a 10% of the mark.
Once finished the project, the teachers would set the date to show the claymations to all the school members. Sceneries and characters would be shown as well in a place of the school still to determine.
Using materials in an incorrect way would mean a negative mark, independently of the final result.