Summer time is the most awaited time for most students. It is the time where they can properly hide away their books and notes to rest from the hectic school works of the past academic year. It is also a time wherein they can engage in fun activities such as their favorite hobbies or to learn something new that they can use for the next school year to come.
Staying at home for the summer with your kids when you’ve already watched Frozen and Finding Nemo over twelve times on repeat can be pretty cumbersome. Maybe before the month of May ends, you can still squeeze in a bit of creativity and productivity into your daily activities before the youngsters go back to classes in June.
So you’ve already done board games at their friends’ houses, sing-a-longs in the theatre, and sandcastles on the beach. What can you do right in your Ponticelli RFO house and lot that’s equal parts creative and fun? Grab a pencil and a piece of paper and take some notes on how to start making a stop motion film without leaving the comfort of your home.
What you need:
First, you’ll need a camera. You can go from a professional DSLR to a simple-to-use point-and-shoot camera, or you can also just use your smartphone. Anything that can take a digital photo will do.
Along with that camera, have a tripod, or anything that can function like it. The camera would need to be extra still for this to work as beautifully as possible.
You’ll need a subject. It could be anything you find on your desk or the toys in your kids’ room. Most stop motion films you can find on YouTube have worked with Legos, drawings, or clay for what’s called “claymation”. But for today, let’s stick to Legos.
Next, you’ll need a setting. It can be on a table, out in the garden, or even just on the floor. However, make sure you can make the frame more interesting. So, add in a colorful table cloth or paper buildings in the back to give the backdrop some life.
Finally, have any editing software at hand. It doesn’t matter which one: Stop Motion Studio, Windows Movie Maker, or iMovie. As long as it can string photos together in a video, then it’ll work.
What to do to create a stop motion animation in the comforts of your home:
Step 1: Draft a story.
This will be fun to do as a family. Before you can film anything, you have to decide what’s going to happen. Will the Lego man walks into his house and eat a sandwich, or will he pay a visit to Gotham City and help Batman defeat Joker? Go crazy and make random things happen. Remember that with stop motion, you can do just about anything.
Create a story where the whole family can relate as well. You can have a few of the characters named after a few family members or even have a few of them inspire the characters through their mannerisms or behaviors. It is also a good way to convey a message if your story is about the family members, you can have a character symbolize as the “mom” that encourages the viewers to clean up their toys after playing. Be creative and innovative.
Step 2: Set up.
Now that you’ve got your story, grab your Lego pieces, your camera, and your tripod and layout your set like so.
You can even set aside a time or day of the week wherein you can do your stop motion animation project. Make it like a summer time schedule for the whole fam wherein they will be using that time to focus on their project. This will build a good character for them to be punctual and practice allocating their time and efforts on the task at hand.
Step 3: Animate.
Animating with stop motion photography is probably the easiest way to animate. No computer knowledge or expertise is entirely necessary. All you need is a steady hand.
So how do you even animate in stop motion? The principle is simple: Move and click. Make a movement by moving a piece or a joint slightly, then take a photo. Think of watching a live-action movie and pausing at each frame. Reverse engineer that and that’s exactly how to do it.
Make it more collaborative by letting the kids do the animation while you click the camera. After all, they know their Legos a lot better. Its also good to find a place in your RFO house and lot that can serve as your workplace when you do your animation project with your family.
Step 4: Edit.
Upload all the pictures on the editing software on your computer. Put them side by side in order and you can start to see the movements come together.
This process may take a while as editing is a tough process and really needs a lot of time and effort. So make sure that you are comfortable in your RFO house and lot when you do the editing, by taking breaks when necessary or when you feel that you are exhausted.
Step 5: Final touches.
If your software will allow it, add in your favorite song in the background to pull the entire piece together. If you’re up to it, maybe even add voiceovers and lines to really make the story pop.
What now?
When you’re done with your fantastic short stop motion film, lose the shame and share it everywhere. Brag your family’s achievement on Facebook and show just how awesome of a summer you and your kids are having!
You can even invite a few close family members and friends for a movie night wherein you can show them you and your kids’ final product!
Make your creative stop motion project more enjoyable to shoot by having the perfect home and ambiance to shoot with! Choose Crown Asia’s beautiful thematic homes as your choice for a stop motion animation project.
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