Film: Frame by Frame – Stop Motion Animation

This 1-week course will introduce students to the basic tools, skills, and history of stop motion animation. From puppets to pixels, almost any inanimate material can be brought to life with stop motion filmmaking. Students will practice many of the aspects of this animation technique including story and character development, scriptwriting, storyboarding, building props and sets, camera operation, audio recording, data management, stop motion video capture software, and editing. Intertwined with hands-on technical instruction, students will learn all about the history, theory and science of stop motion. Students will cultivate their artistic voice through experimentation working both on individual projects and collaborating with their classmates.

In this one week class

• Students will learn the basics of how to use the stop motion animation tools such as camera operation, video capture software, and editing software. 
• Intertwined with hands-on technical instruction, students will learn some of the key aspects of the history, theory and science of stop motion. 
• Students will be introduced to the art of crafting a story including plot and character development, scriptwriting, storyboarding, and building props and sets.
• Audio can be just as important as the visual aspects in stop motion if not more so, therefore students will be introduced to the techniques of audio recording, adding musical scores and sound effects, and audio editing. 

• Students will cultivate their artistic voice through experimentation working both on individual projects and collaborating with their classmates.
• Students will learn how to share their work, in terms of how to give and take constructive feedback but also in terms of how to disseminate their work after it is finished.