Seventh Grade Students Create Animated Videos
Seventh grade students in the District’s talented and gifted art classes have participated in a unique lesson. The students learned about stop motion animation, which is a technique utilized to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is photographed moving in small increments that when run together appear as continuous movement. According to East Middle School art teacher Laura Mesz, this type of animation requires a great deal of photographs. “Each photograph represents .125 - .25 of a second in the animation so they take over 200 photographs to get a very short project. This part is very labor intensive. One student takes the photos while the other students move the characters and other objects.”
The students begin by breaking into small groups. Each group must then decide on the type of stop motion animation (cut paper, Claymation, white board, etc.) to use and then create a storyboard. After the storyboard is complete, the students design and construct their set and characters, followed by the photography. Due to the labor involved, Mesz allowed her students five days to take all of the photos necessary for the short film. “They learn how to use the camera and tripod. They also have to be concerned with the lighting and keeping the camera position consistent during the five class periods.”
After the students have taken all of the photographs, they upload them into a computer to start assembling their film. “Students must work on sound effects, music, edit photos, and create titles and credits, etc.” Mesz went on to state that the students may create their own music or download music from allowed websites, but they may not use copyrighted music. The animation part of the video must be over 30 seconds and the total length of the video, including title and credits, must be over a minute long. In addition to the fun involved in the project, Mesz said the students gain team building and problem solving skills, as well as a strong work ethic. “The students end up with a new appreciation for animators.”
Visit the District's YouTube page to view the videos: