Clay Animation Also called claymation, clay animation is a type of stop motion animation that uses clay figures and objects.

Examples of Clay Animations Wallace and Gromit by Nick Park Bob the Builder by Keith Chapman Chicken Run by Peter Lord and Nick Park Gumby by Art Clokey

Why is clay animation sometimes called stop motion animation? Stop Motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. For Example XWQ Stop Motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. For Example XWQ

Important Terminology for Making a Clay Animation Movement Make sure your story uses movement that is believable to its viewers! Tip: If you are creating a walking person look at how a real person walks and model this movement. Form You will be making two to four inch tall figures and so therefore details matter! Tip: When making a form with clay artists normally use wire as a frame underneath their clay to keep the clay from becoming jittery.

Important Terminology for Making a Clay Animation Frame Rates As a clay animator your job is to trick the viewers of your animation into believing your clay figures are moving. To do this we use the technique called stop motion and we make twenty frames per second. That is twenty pictures of small incremental figure changes that trick the eye into believing your clay is actually alive! Tip: Don’t move your clay around to quickly because this will cause your final animation to look jittery. Background A background sets the scene of your story and it creates interest for the viewers. It can also be used to create mood in your story. Think of color psychology. Yellow reminds you of sunny days that are happy. Blue makes you think of a rainy day and is associated with being sad. Your job is to create the scene! Background can also be used to create space or depth in your story making the story more believable to the viewers. Tip: Make several backgrounds.

Last but Not Least: Storyboards!!! What are they? Your key to success! Storyboards are graphic organizers that are a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing an animated story.

What makes a Good Story? A Good Story Should Include: Character Development- Knowing your characters creates interest for your viewers… A Scene- Where is the story taking place? A Problem- What is going to engage the viewers in your story? A Climax- The turning point in your story that creates tension and drama for your viewers A Resolution- The end of your story that ties the loose ends together for your viewers making the story cohesive and complete.

Your Job For Today Today you will be choosing your groups to work in. I would like groups of two to four. Each person in the group will have a role in the production of the clay animation. Next, brainstorm a story for your clay animation using the traits previously discussed for what makes a good story. REMEMBER that clay animations are time consuming and require twenty frames per second. Keep your stories simple! Next right down the script for your story on paper. When finished create a storyboard. Also before leaving please tell me what colors your will need for your clay animation so that we can purchase those colors.

Your Job for Today 1. Choose a group and move to sit by them. 2. Choose a role for each group member. 3. Write a script. 4. Create a storyboard with eight frames at the least. Choose an even number of frames. 5. Determine what colors of clay your group will need for your animation and tell me before the end of class!

How you will be graded? When creating your clay animation consider the following components as contributors to your final grade. 1. Attention to Detail (25%)- Characters and Scene should display detail and appear neat and clean. The scenes are not jittery! 2. Story (25%)- The story has a plot that has character development, a scene, a problem, a climax, and a resolution. 3. Time (25%)- The story makes since and flows nicely with good frames per second. The story has a clear beginning and end. 4. Team Work (25%)- Each member of the group does their part in the completion of their clay animation. Unity of members.