1. Instructions for Creating a Stop Motion Animation From Start to Finish

2. Set your set A set is a controlled environment. T.V. sitcoms are filmed on sets that look like the interiors of peoples homes. Decide what you want to use as your set. Cabinets and shelves work well. Shoeboxes work great too. With a shoebox, you can glue in a background, poke holes in the top to hang things from, paint on them, etc.

3. Take Photos The camera will stay in the same place for the entire shoot! First prop up the camera. You can use a tripod, a stack of books, or anything else. Just so the camera is stable for the duration of the photo shoot. Make sure the set is well framed. The next slide has an example of what well framed looks like. 1 second of footage equals 8 photos…if you want a one minute movie, you need 480 photos….it sounds like a lot, but you can do it.

4. Examples of Framing Well Framed SetPoorly Framed Set

5. Import your photos into a computer program… The following two slides outline the process for both Windows Movie Maker and I-Movie You will only use one of these two slides.

6. Editing using a PC: Windows Movie Maker Open the program and import the photos from the camera. Go to Options' and change the default time to display pictures from 5 seconds to 0.2 seconds. CTRL-A to select all your pictures and then drop them on the timeline. Add a title at the beginning, any transitions you want between the pictures and end credits. Go to File, save movie as, name your video and choose a location on the computer to save it. If you do this at a library or use someone elses computer, you can burn it to a DVD, or save it to a thumb-drive. If you dont have those options but do have a connection to the internet, create a YouTube or Vimeo account and directly upload your video.

7. Editing using a Mac: I-Movie Open the program and import the photos from the camera. Hold control-A to select all your pictures and then drop them in the timeline. While all are selected click the little gear icon that is in the corner of each of the photos. In the gears menu select Fit instead of Ken Burns effect and change the duration to.2 seconds. After add any titles, sound effects, and closing credits. When youre done, go to the Share menu, click Export and chose a name for your project, a location to save it on the computer and decide a size for your project. If you do this at a library or use someone elses computer, you can burn it to a DVD, or save it to a thumb-drive. If you dont have those options but do have a connection to the internet, create a YouTube or Vimeo account and directly upload your video.

8. Still having problems? Look for answers online by trying to Google search your question. As a last result call or email Roberta and Ill help you figure it out.