Year 8 Media Arts · Making Media — Produce and Present · 9m read

Animation — Stop Motion and Beyond

Animation brings anything to life — clay, Lego, drawings. Stop motion is a creative, accessible way to start.

Learning objective: Create a short animation using stop motion techniques.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can explain frame rate.
• I can plan and shoot stop motion.
• I can apply animation principles.

Animation is a flipbook. Draw a stick figure slightly differently on each page of a notebook, flip quickly, and it moves. All animation — from flipbooks to Pixar — tricks the eye with a rapid sequence of still frames.

Bringing objects to life

STOP MOTION:
• Take a photo, move the object slightly, repeat; play back quickly.
• FRAME RATE — frames per second (fps); 12 fps is common for stop motion.

PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION:
• Squash and stretch, anticipation, timing, ease in/ease out, exaggeration.

TECHNIQUES:
• Claymation, cut-out, pixilation (people as puppets), 2D digital animation.

TIPS:
• Fix the camera; consistent lighting.

| Animation type | How it works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stop motion | Photograph objects moved slightly | *Wallace & Gromit* |
| Claymation | Stop motion with clay | *Chicken Run* |
| 2D/hand-drawn | Drawn frames | Studio Ghibli |
| Cut-out | Paper pieces moved | *South Park* (originally) |
| 3D/CGI | Computer models | *Toy Story* |
| Pixilation | Stop motion with people | Music videos |

Key ideas at a glance

• 12+ frames per second: For smooth motion.
• Small moves: Tiny changes between frames.
• Lock the camera: Tripod — no wobble.
• Consistent lighting: Avoid flicker.

Worked example (Medium)

How many photos for a 5-second animation at 12 fps?

1. Calculate. 5 × 12 = 60 frames.

Answer: 60 frames.

Worked example (Medium)

How many photos for a 10-second stop-motion at 12 fps?

1. Formula. Seconds × fps.
2. Calculate. 10 × 12 = 120.

Answer: 120 photos.

Common mistakes

• Moving the camera between shots Causes jumpy footage. Fix: Use a tripod.
• Natural light from a window Flicker as clouds move. Fix: Use lamps, block windows.

The 12 principles of animation

Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas described 12 principles of animation, including:

• Squash and stretch — objects deform to show weight and flexibility.
• Anticipation — a small move before the main action (crouch before a jump).
• Ease in/ease out — movement speeds up and slows down naturally.

These make animation feel alive.

Practice questions

1. FPS stands for:

   1. Frames per second
   2. Files per scene
   3. Focus per shot
   4. Film photo size

   (1 marks)

2. What is "anticipation" in animation?

   (2 marks)

3. Stop motion with people is called:

   1. Claymation
   2. Pixilation
   3. CGI
   4. Rotoscoping

   (1 marks)

4. "Anticipation" in animation means:

   1. The ending
   2. A small preparatory move before main action
   3. Sound effects
   4. Colour

   (1 marks)

5. Calculate frames needed for 15 seconds at 24 fps.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Stop motion photographs small changes.
• Frame rate matters.
• Use animation principles.
• Frames × fps; use animation principles.