We’ll explore how to set-up and animate a short animated stop-motion LEGO film together, using free applications! Students will learn the core principles of animation, video editing, and film production to create a short film! Critical thinking, time management, and patience will be key.
Keywords: stop motion animation, LEGO, film making, animation, video editing, inspiring, fun, challenging, creative
Design For
Grade 5 - Grade 8
Course Overview
6 - 10
students
1
hours per class
Eastern Time
Monday
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. EST
Pacific Time
Monday
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. PST
6 - 12 classes / meet once a week
Part 1:
1/4/2021, 1/11/2021, 1/25/2021,
2/1/2021, 2/8/2021, 2/15/2021
Part 2:
2/22/2021, 3/1/2021, 3/8/2021,
3/15/2021, 3/22/2021, 3/29/2021
This course page is forPart 1 (the first 6 lessons) registration.
If you are interested in Part 2 (the latter 6 lessons), pleaseclick here.
We highly recommend taking both Part 1 and Part 2 courses for the best learning outcome!
Lesson
Unit 1.Intro & Set-Up- Introduction to animation, especially stop-motion, how it works, what software we’ll use across platforms, and how to set up a simple animation shoot with all the different necessary tools.
Unit 2.Animation, Step by Step - Before we hop into using LEGO, first let’s try a fundamental animation exercise to see how the process works, step-by-step, in action!
Unit 3.LEGO Test Animation - Now that we get an idea of how animation works, let’s see how we can make a Minifigure move using the same process! Walk, hop, run, and fly!
Unit 4.Testing Audio Scene - Now that we know how to move characters, let’s try two of them! How do they interact? How do we plan out the timing to insert dialogue later (spoiler alert - it involves math!) We’ll also try moving the camera around a little bit too.
Unit 5.Planning our Story/Camera Shots - We’ll step back from the camera a bit. Let’s develop a short story that we want to tell.
Unit 6.The First & Second Shot- Back to the camera! We’ll set up and shoot our establishing shot. Then, we’ll move in closer to start getting the action in! We’ll discuss lots of things to keep in mind when moving the camera around.
Unit 7.The Third Shot- Both our characters are in the shot - how do we make them interact? That’ll be the crux of today.
Unit 8.The Fourth Shot- Time for some action. How can we do some explosions? Use wire and string to make things exciting? We’ll cover it all.
Unit 9.The Fifth Shot- Time to finish up. Ensure we have a nice ending, maybe go back and reshoot some bits that didn’t work. Then, we’re ready to roll!
Unit 10.Compiling Footage & Sound Design- Our animation is done! But now, we have to get everything together. I’ll show you how you can do this, whether animated on a computer or a smartphone.
Unit 11.Video Editing & Submission- Let’s put the finishing touches. Maybe we want to change the colors a little bit? Apply some filters? Add some sound effects? That’ll all be today, and then I’ll show you how to submit your film!
Unit 12.Film Festival Finale!- The last day! We’ll watch our films together, and have a bit of a critique.
Course Projects
Project 1 - Setting up our down shoot for our first animation task. Preparing for the next class by
Project 7 - Completing the third shot of the animation!
Project 10 - Sound recording and video compilation.
... 9 more projects
Materials
*Prepare your own materials
Softwares:
Stop Motion Studio App
Devices:
A smart-device (iPhone, iPad tablet, Android, etc.) with access to the Stop Motion Studio app
Alternatively, a laptop with a webcam attachable by cable (though smartphone/tablet is strongly preferred)
Recommended: Smartphone/Tablet Holder - these are usually quite affordable, but will depend on what sort of device you will be filming on!
Instructor
Keira Quinn
Savannah College of Art & Design,BFA in Animation with A minor in Visual Effects |
Digital Content Creator, Mixed Media Animator, Educator
I have been fascinated with the world of film, storytelling, and animation since a very young age! I attended the Savannah College of Art & Design and, since graduating, have made short films for local puppetry museums and film festivals and done production assistant work for Netflix! I love teaching about story-telling and have taught classes on animation with paper, LEGO, and puppets and workshops on storyboarding for film festivals, children's hospitals, and local schools!
