LESSON 7 Stop-Motion Animation Workshop
Animation Production
• Demonstrate how to effectively move a character Introduction on a set; The final teaching guide in this series provides information about the stop-motion animation production process. It in- • Demonstrate special effects and tricks, e.g. how to troduces you to the appropriate software, hardware and make a character fly, disappear and change size; related equipment to enable you to shoot your video, and includes information on creating special effects for anima- • Discuss how computers and technology have tion. It also demonstrates how computers and technology changed animated feature film production and have changed animated feature film production and en- special effects capabilities; courages reflection on how society and culture have also been changed by technology. • Reflect upon the direct influence that evolving technology has had, and continues to have, on individuals and society;
Learning Objectives • Constructively critique the work of others in class; After completing this guide, your group should be able to: • Complete a Peer Assessment to evaluate your group’s collaborative effort; • Set up, shoot and edit a stop-motion animation production; • Use feedback from others to re-examine your own artwork. • Create an establishing shot and indicate its impor- tance;
1 nfb.ca/stopmo nfb.ca/stopmo with anyofthe organizationsmentioned inthislist. animation. The NFBdoesnotendorse, promote orpartner Note: This list is intended to help you create stop-motion Software Hardware have everythingyouneedbeforestart. make stop-motionanimation.Checkto sure you Here is a list of equipment and software you will need to forEquipment Stop-Motion Animation Requirements SpecificComputer “how to”ofshootingyourvideo. stop-motion animationproductionwillprovideyouwiththe ponent oftheanimationprocess,followingdemoon Now thatyouhavegatheredknowledgeabouteachcom- Production An Overview of Stop-Motion Animation Anima • • • • (firewire cableforMac,USB cableforaPC) Cable toconnectthecameracomputer Computer (MacorPC) Tripod (forcamerastability) camera forstillimages video camera(low-orhigh-end),webcamdigital Camera tocaptureyourimages;thiscouldbea tion Producti Stop-Motion AnimationWorkshop Step by(3min30s) Animation Production– 2 easy-to-use editingsoftware thatyoucoulduse: music ordialoguetoyourfilm,hereisalistoffree and/or If youwishtocutseveralscenestogetheroraddsound, between eachimage. will preventitssettingsfrombeingautomaticallychanged camera. Also,usethemanualmodeofyourcamera: this While shooting,itisimportantnottoshakeormove your tion tochoosetheframeratethatyouwouldlikeuse. video editingandanimationsoftware,therewillbean op- ond isagoodcompromisebetweenthetwo.Inalmostall can resultinsmootheranimation.Twelveframespersec- is lesstime-consumingtomake,whileahigherframerate uses eightframespersecondorless.Alowerframerate tion uses 24 frames per second, while rougher animation frames per second (FPS), you will use. Verysmooth anima- animation. However,youcandecidewhichframerate,or In general, 12 consecutive frames make one second of one frameofanimation. of animation.Aftereachmovementthecharacter,shoot your charactersalittleattime,integratingtheprinciples the scene.Then,basedonyourstoryboard,beginmoving shot to help orient your audience and familiarize them with begin toanimateyourstory.Startoutwithestablishing Once youhaveyourcameraandcomputersetup,can DigiCel’s FlipBook: Tech4Learning’s Frames4: Dragonframe: FrameThief: Boinx Software’siStopMotion: 2 digicelinc.com tech4learning.com/frames dragonstopmotion.com framethief.com boinx.com/istopmotion/overview ] ] ] ] ] review thefollowing: To viewtipsonhowtocreatespecialeffectsand“tricks,” Special Effects Tips and video: creating stop-motionanimationfilms,watchthefollowing For tipsonhowtosetupyourequipmentgetstarted Online editingtools: Adobe AfterEffects: Adobe Premiere: Windows MovieMaker(PC): Apple FinalCutPro(Mac): Apple iMovie(Mac): YouTube adobe.com/products/aftereffects adobe.com/products/premiere pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,22893-order,4/description.html apple.com/ca/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro apple.com/ca/ilife/imovie ] ] ] ] ] ] (1 min36s) (Clip 6):SPX–SpecialEffects More CreativeTipsandIdeas (1 min45s) Equipment: HowtoConnect (Clip 5):BasicTechnical More CreativeTipsandIdeas 3 ture, scienceandart.Considerthefollowingquestions: of newtechnologyonmultipleaspectsoursociety,cul- fects capabilitiesovertime.Reflectontheongoingimpact changed animated feature filmproduction andspecialef- with theAnimationExpertstoexplorehowtechnologyhas Watch allorpartsofthefilmslistedinATripThroughTime tion Experts Activity: ATripThroughTimewiththeAnima- Class, GroupLearningorIndividual Technology Have Animation Changed How and Computers only asgooditsstory. experts agree:storytelling will alwayscomefirst.Amovieis vances, itisnotthefoundationofananimatedfilm. The Note: Remember, no matter how much technology ad- Avatar: What’stheFutureofFilm?(3min42s): questions: As youwatchthefollowingvideo,consider The FutureofAnimationandFilm? Optional ClassLearningActivity: ferent thananimationmadebyhand? –Whydoesanimationmadewithacomputerlookdif- made withacomputer? mation? Can youtell when something in amovie was there betweenearlyanimationandmorerecentani- to use when making animation? What differences are – Howwouldyoudecidewhichanimationtechnique • • • • Will weneed3Dglassesinthefuture? Will theframespeedchange? How willanimationbeimproved? Will suchprogresscontinue? youtube.com/watch?v=eFlsc0vyU6Y&NR=1 ]
LESSON7 nfb.ca/stopmo Stop-Motion Animation Workshop
Animation Production
Shoot and Edit Your Movie Learning Activity: Class Presentation Get Ready for Action – Take 1 The video produced by each group will be presented in class. You will get the chance to critique each other’s vid- eos in a class discussion. The presentation will be graded Learning Activity: Action! Shooting and Editing with a simple Presentation Rubric.
This is what you’ve all been waiting for! Now that you know how the experts do it, it’s time to shoot and edit your video. Complete a Peer Assessment Your teacher will help. Please ensure that everyone has a turn animating the characters. As you shoot, try to main- At the end of the production phase, each student will com- tain the continuity of character placement, volumes, sizes, plete a Peer Assessment for each member of their team. lighting, etc. from scene to scene. This will be submitted to the teacher.
Note: This is a trial-and-error process that requires time and patience, so don’t be discouraged if the final product is not perfect. As you have seen, even the experts don’t Final Stop-Motion Animation Project Evaluation always get it right on the first go. The final project will be graded by the teacher using the Stop-Motion Animation Rubric.
Video Presentation and Evaluation The presentation and evaluation of your video will include the following:
nfb.ca/stopmo 4 Stop-Motion Animation Workshop LESSON 7 A Trip Through Time with Animation Experts ANNEX 01
Animation represents a wide range of art forms and tech- 2. The Old Mill – 1937 – Disney Animation Studio nologies. This list presents examples of animation over its (8 min 44 s) entire history and demonstrates the diversity of techniques youtube.com/watch?v=MYEmL0d0lZE] that are possible. As some of these examples are quite long, it may be advisable to view only sections of each. ›› Before Disney set off to make Snow White and Some of the examples are highly advanced, and the techni- the Seven Dwarfs, the studio first made this film to cal concepts behind them are hard to understand, but we develop new techniques in animated filmmaking. can see the results and imagine the possibilities. ›› Wind, water, fire, smoke, depth and reflections are a few of the special effects that helped bring not just the characters, but a whole animated world, to 1. Gertie the Dinosaur – 1914 – by Winsor McCay life. (7 min 37 s) youtube/OiL4qplyi7Y?t=1m47s] ›› The first use of the multiplane camera to create the illusion of depth. ›› The first animated personality. Source: ›› 16,000 pencil and India ink drawings on rice paper. Thomas, Frank, and Johnston, Ollie. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. New York: Abbeville Press, ›› Created a character with weight and mass. 1981.
Source: Del Tredici, Robert. History of Animated Film Re- source Book. Montreal: Concordia University, 2010. 3. Begone Dull Care – 1949 – by Evelyn Lambart Canemaker, John. Winsor McCay – His Life and Art. and Norman McLaren (7 min 52 s) New York: Abbeville Press, 1988. nfb.ca/film/begone_dull_care_caprice_couleurs]
›› This film was created by painting and etching di- rectly on the film, without the use of a camera.
›› The music was performed by the Oscar Peterson Trio.
›› “For myself, indeed, with an abstract film, the most pleasing forms are those which come closest to music. There must be visual equivalence.” – Norman McLaren
Source: Norman McLaren – The Master’s Edition DVD, 2006.
5 nfb.ca/stopmo Stop-Motion Animation Workshop LESSON 7 A Trip Through Time with Animation Experts ANNEX 01
4. A Computer-Animated Hand – 1972 – 6. SANDDE – 2008 – by Munro Ferguson by Ed Catmull (6 min 32 s) (5 min 35 s) vimeo.com/16292363] nfb.ca/film/sandde]
›› This was one of the first computer animations. ›› SANDDE stands for Stereoscopic ANimation Draw- ing DEvice. ›› Ed Catmull would later be part of the founding of Pixar Animation. ›› It allows artists to draw and animate in a 3D virtual space instead of on a standard 2D surface. ›› It took the computer two and a half minutes to render each frame. ›› It allows artists to expresses themselves more freely and naturally in three dimensions. Source: First Digital 3D Rendered Film (from 1972) and My Visit to ›› SANDDE was originally developed at IMAX Corpo- Pixar. Retrieved from
5. Hunger – 1973 – by Peter Foldes (11 min 22 s) nfb.ca/film/Hunger] 7. Benjamin Button – 2008 (18 min 5 s) ›› Hunger was one of the world’s first animation films ted.com/talks/ed_ulbrich_shows_how_benjamin_button_] to be made using a computer. got_his_face.html
›› The filmmaker experimented on the Systems ›› In this talk given by Ed Ulbrich, he explores the Engineering Laboratories Model SEL-840A at the creation of the character Benjamin Button. National Research Council. ›› This is one of the most technologically advanced ›› He drew the images using a Computek graphics examples of animation, as a digital character is tablet. seamlessly integrated with live-action footage.
6 nfb.ca/stopmo Stop-Motion Animation Workshop LESSON 7 A Trip Through Time with Animation Experts ANNEX 01
8. End Love – 2010 – by OK GO 11. OverCoat (3 min 50 s) (4 min 30 s) zurich.disneyresearch.com/OverCoat] youtube.com/watch?v=V2fpgpanZAw] (download the .mp4 file to view the video)
›› Instead of using puppets or drawings to create ani- This research piece shows a new technique for paint- mation, people can use their own bodies to create ing characters in 3D. Instead of representing charac- it one frame at a time. ters with flat surfaces, brush strokes are painted in 3D space to build the volumes. The results look like paint- ›› This technique, called pixilation, was popularized ings but still have all the advantages of depicting 3D by Norman McLaren and his NFB film Neighbours, characters. viewable at
Computer Graphics Research There are people around the world at universities and vari- ous companies working on research to find new techniques in the field of computer graphics. This research is often the foundation for new special effects and animation. Here are two examples of computer graphics research:
10. Locomotion Skills for Simulated Quadrupeds (6 min 5 s) cs.ubc.ca/~van/papers/2011-TOG-quadruped/index.html]
This video shows a program designed to simulate the motion of four-legged animals such as dogs. The movement of the dog characters in the video has not been animated by a person or copied from a real dog. Instead, the program acts as the brain of the virtual dog to make it walk, run and jump realistically.
7 nfb.ca/stopmo Stop-Motion Animation Workshop LESSON 7 Presentation Checklist for Animation Teams ANNEX 03
Presenting Team Evaluation Criteria
1. the members of the team introduced themselves. 2. the team introduced the title of their work. 3. the team explained why they chose their topic and theme. 4. the team showed their production. 5. the team answered questions and promoted class discussion about their project. Total /5
8 nfb.ca/stopmo Stop-Motion Animation Workshop LESSON 7 A Peer Assessment Rubric ANNEX 03
Date:
Project Title:
My Name:
My Team Member’s Name:
Please place a checkmark in the appropriate column to indicate how your team member performed during the creation of your Stop-Motion Animation Project.
He/she did this He/she did this He/she could have very well. adequately. done this better. ______3 points 2 points 1 points
1. my team member was helpful when brainstorming ideas for project. 2. my team member was helpful when storyboarding ideas. 3. my team member had good suggestions when creating and building our characters. 4. my team member was creative when making our set/background. 5. my team member was helpful when shooting our movie. 6. my team member was respectful of others’ contributions. 7. my team member worked well with everyone. 8. my team member took responsibility for what was expected of us. 9. my team member was committed to ensuring our team do a good job. 10. My team member made working on this project fun. Total /30
9 nfb.ca/stopmo Stop-Motion Animation Workshop LESSON 7 Stop-Motion Animation Rubric ANNEX 02
Remember, all great stories start with a great idea. Great stories make great animation.
Very Needs Excellent Good Mark % good Work
The idea for the story The idea for the story The idea for the story The idea for the story Idea for story was excellent. Message was very good. Mes- was good. Message needs work. Message 15% extremely clear. sage very clear. fairly clear. is unclear.
Extremely well More planning re- planned—excellent Well planned—very Fairly well planned— quired—flow needs flow. good flow. good flow. work. 15% Storyboard Drawings extremely ef- Drawings very effective Drawings fairly effective Actions and emotions fective in conveying the in conveying actions in conveying actions of story not clearly con- actions and emotions and emotions of story. and emotions of story. veyed in drawings. of story.
Characters are ex- Characters are very tremely interesting— Characters are interest- Characters are vague— interesting—very good excellent effort. ing—good effort. more effort required. effort. Characters 10% Characters are Characters are suitable Characters’ suitability Characters are very extremely suitable to to storyline. to storyline is unclear. suitable to storyline. storyline.
The set/props do The set/props do a very The set/props do a fair The set/props need ef- an excellent job of good job of enhancing job of enhancing the fort to help enhance the enhancing the produc- 5% Set and Props the production’s aes- production’s production’s tion’s aesthetics and thetics and mood. aesthetics and mood. aesthetics and mood. mood.
Students display Students display very Students display fairly Students’ knowledge of Design excellent knowledge of good knowledge of good knowledge of design elements 10% design elements. design elements. design elements. lacking.
Movement in the movie Movement in the movie Movement in the movie Movement in the movie is very smooth. is smooth. is generally smooth. is irregular/jumpy. Movie An excellent attempt to A very good attempt to A good attempt to The incorporation of 15% Production incorporate “principles incorporate “principles incorporate “principles the “principles of ani- of animation” and/or of animation” and/or of animation” and/or mation” and/or “tricks” “tricks” into movie. “tricks” into movie. “tricks” into movie. is not apparent.
Extremely creative More thought and cre- Work is very creative. Work is creative. 10% Creativity work. ative effort required.
The team worked The team had difficul- The team worked very The team worked well extremely well ties working together well together—shared together—shared most 20% Teamwork together—shared tasks and sharing tasks and tasks and activities. tasks and activities. and activities. activities. Total /100
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