Make Your Own Stop-Motion Animation and Claymation - FLEX

Learn to make your very own stop-motion animation. This course is perfect for creative kids and teens who want to make their own short movies - with no actors required! 

This is a flexible schedule class and will NOT include live video meetings. Instead, I will provide learners with background information, video instructions, example animations, and individualized feedback based on each learner's questions, comments, and completed projects!  I will leave this feedback through comments/replies to learners' projects and discussion posts (which will be posted in the virtual classroom) and direct messages on Outschool.

Please note that if you have already taken my live stop-motion and/or claymation courses, much of the content will be repeated from those courses (but you are still welcome to take this flexible schedule class if you are okay with some repeated content).

Week #1: Introduction to Simple Stop-Motion and Toy Project
- Introduction to the concept/principles of stop-motion
- Explanation of Stop-Motion Studios app
- Kahoot game testing knowledge of what we learned about stop-motion so far
- Project #1 - Create a simple animation of a toy moving across the screen or two toys crashing

Week #2: Stop-Motion with Food/Drink
- Students see two examples and explanations of animations that involve either cutting or eating/drinking food or drink
- Project #2: Create a simple animation involving food or drink
** For this project students may choose to use a knife or butter knife to cut an object (like a banana) if they have parent's permission to do so, but there will also be options that do not involve any such materials for those who prefer not to use sharp objects

Week #3: Stop-Motion with Drawing
- Students see an example that uses drawing to create a stop-motion animation and learn strategies to make their own
- Project #3: Create an animation using drawing on either a piece of paper or whiteboard

Week #4: Claymation
- Students see multiple examples of claymation videos with explanations and directions on how to make their own versions
- Project #4: Create a claymation video
- Final Kahoot Quiz game about the different animations we learned about and created throughout the course

Learners will discuss their process and completed works with other students and with me each week through our virtual classroom. Students should reach out to me if they have technical or artistic questions while making their animations. Once they have completed an animation (or two or three), they should post the video to the classroom. I will provide positive feedback and constructive tips on student work. Students will also comment on their peers' work through the classroom, post what they found fun or difficult about the project, and discuss tips and tricks that they discovered while creating their first animations!

We will also play interactive Kahoot Challenge games to test students' knowledge of stop-motion ideas and terminology. Although these challenges can will be played on a flexible schedule at different times by each learner, students will get to engage in friendly competition with their peers and compare scores with a leaderboard!

In this course, students will learn various techniques to make toys and household objects come alive on screen. Learners will be guided though the steps to make a few different animations during class. Each learner’s animations will look different based on their unique objects and artistic style. Learners can share their projects with their peers and discuss what they find interesting and/or challenging about this creative process.

By the end of this class, students will have all the skills necessary to make stop-motion projects on their own! Learners will be encouraged to think outside the box and try out many different strategies to achieve their intended result. Making mistakes is an important part of the learning process!

A phone or tablet that takes photos and has the free Stop-Motion Studios app is required for this class. A tripod is not required, but will be helpful if you have one. 

For the claymation section of this class, you will need polymer clay, play doh, or any other kind of clay that you can sculpt with. Paper and something to draw with are required for the drawing animation project.
Finally, gather whatever toys, household objects, and art supplies you have on hand! Here are some possible items that can star in your animation: dolls, action figures, stuffed animals, toy cars/trucks/spaceships, construction paper, scissors, a whiteboard and markers, books, fruits/vegetables, silverware, flowers, etc. - the sky is the limit!