UNIT: Technology
GRADE: 6
PROJECT: Clay Animation
FOCUS: three dimensional construction, technology, and integration
Obejctives:
1. Students will learn to communicate their ideas and imagery through a visual technique popular with mass media
2. Students will gain an understanding of the planning and production required for claymation animation
3. Students will be able to connect their ideas and visual art skills to communications in other subjects, such as math, science and literature
4. Students will learn to manipulate modeling clay over a wire armature to provide animation to a character
PREP:
Photocopy lesson outline and assignments for student use
Cameras charged
Software orientation for production
Production Area Assigned and Set Up
Light supports for production area
SUPPLIES:
Digital cameras
Software
Hardware
Disks and cd
Digital tapes
Spot lights
Extension cords
Tripod
Drawing paper
Plasticine
Armature wire
Mat board
Masking tape
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES:
Microsoft Movie Maker Help Topics
Claymation Handouts
http://www.animateclay.com
http://library.thinkquest.org/22316/home.html
http://home.neb.rr.com/monarchrose/animation.htm http://kidsvid-dev.hprtec.org/vidshare/show01.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/25398/Clay/ClayHowTo.html
http://www.jlf.com/clips.html
http://www.aardman.com
http://education.wichita.edu/claymation/videos1.html
http://education.wichita.edu/claymation/
http://teacherweb.com/NE/SchuylerGradeWW/DPrescott/htmlpage2.stmhttp://www.saisd.net/SCHOOL/050/StudProj/ClayIndex.htm#
http://rb043.k12.sd.us/claymation_student_examples.htm
MOTIVATION:
1. View claymation websites
2. Choose or assign groups
*Note: All team members will participate in each part of the claymation process
TEAM member1 Idea Storyboard Character Movement
TEAM member2 Idea Storyboard Character Movement
TEAM member3 Idea Set Background Props* Camera
TEAM member4 Idea Set Background Props* Camera
All team members will participate in the editing process.
3. Handout project outline and assignments
a. Discuss processes
i. creation of story and characters
ii. background and set
iii. shooting the segment (done with technology teacher)
iv. editing (done with technology teacher)
Vocabulary
Animate: to give life to; to make alive
Claymation: Clay animation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay.
Stop motion: 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.
Character: or persona, a social role or a character played by an actor
Armature: a framework around which a sculpture is built
Plasticine: a brand of modeling clay, is a putty-like modeling material made from calcium salts, petroleum jelly and aliphatic acids. It does not harden and remains soft and pliable.
Storyboard: graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of previsualizing a motion graphic or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity.
Frame: form, constitution, or structure in general; system; order
Prop: a person thing serving as a support
Set: a construction representing a place or scene in which the action takes place in a stage, motion-picture, or television production.
Background: the part of a scene that appears to be farthest from the viewer
Middleground: the part of a scene between the foreground and background
Foreground: the ground or parts situated, or represented as situated, in the front; the portion of a scene nearest to the viewer
Unity: the quality of wholeness or oneness that is achieved through the effective use of the elements and principles of art. The arrangement of elements and principles to create a feeling of completeness
Emphasis: where the focus is concentrated through design principles or meaning. To do this one develops points of interest to pull the viewer's eye to important parts of the body of the work. It is to make one part of an artwork dominant over the other parts. It makes an element or object in a work stand out. To use emphasis in an artwork is to attract the viewer's eyes to a place of special importance in an artwork
Contrast: show difference and diversity in an artwork by combining elements to create interest. Contrast is to provide an artwork with something interesting to break the repetitions
Sequence: order of events
STUDIO PROCEDURE:
ART Day One:
1. Claymation Overview
2. Discuss stop motion
3. Discuss Background story
Develop a concept that lends itself to a short story or simple morphing of an object/figure
4. Delineate the story in individual action frames by using a storyboard
Create a simple storyboard of eight to ten pictures that will be the main story of your claymation.
Each frame represents a different pose of the clay object/figure
Each frame represents one digital photo taken of the pose
A collection of frames represents a story
Keep the story board simple using stick people. (use as many copies as necessary)
The storyboard should also have the parts of the background that will be in motion, i.e. clouds.
ART Day 2:
1. Flip Books
Review background story discussion
Create flip books that show a story, using motion
Side to side
Small to large (grow)
Large to small (shrink)
Fall/break
Morph
HINT: to create smooth motion and/or transitions
 Overlapping
 Same size
 Same color
ART Day 3-4: Create character, props, background and settings
***DEMO on armature making, character building with plasticine and background painting procedures.
Creating Your Character
1. Create a simple armature that will support your clay object/figure. (For the claymation, characters will be made out of one color of plasticine. A wire armature will be made as a moveable skeleton.
Character Requirements:
Fits the theme
Character is 3-4 tall or long
Expressive facial features
Character is easily moveable
Character stays together throughout the unit
Start developing your character with the clay you have, by forming the clay into shapes that look like the character you created in your mind. Start with basic shapes and eventually work your way to the more difficult details, such as: eye colors, teeth and mouth shapes, hair shapes, and finger and toe shapes. Soon your character will start to form and become alive before your eyes. Keep adding and adding and sculpting and sculpting and soon you can begin the process of shooting your movie.
Props and Background Settings
1. Choose a background that will be used throughout the entire story.
2. Create a background for the claymation set using mat board and tempera paint.
3. Collect and bring in props to be used on the set.
4. Make additional props to be used on the set.
The props and background part of clay animation is probably the second most important thing. It should be colorful and detailed. The props you use should look good with the character and the background should be the setting of your character (where you want your character to be). How you want your character to appear depends completely on its surroundings. For example, if you want your character to stand out a lot, don't make the background full of bright colors and too many scenes. If you don't want to make your character stand out then you need to use overpowering colors and many scenes and images.
Color
When dealing with colors you need to use contrast. Don't make the character the same color as the background or the character will never be seen. Also, make the clay stand out by using bright and attractive colors instead of dull and ugly colors.
ART Day 5: Set Construction
1. Set up the painting background
2. Attach any movable part(s) to the background ie, clouds, birds.
3. Arrange the props for filming
4. Place the characters in their beginning pose.
TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT PORTION
FILMING YOUR ANIMATION
1. Using a digital camera take a photo or 3 second shot of your characters in the beginning pose.
2. Slightly move the characters and possible the moveable background parts.
3. Again take a photo or 3 seconds of digital video.
4. Continue this process to capture the storys theme.
5. Approximately 30 photos or 2 minutes of video should be shot.
EDITING
***DEMO on using the software.
1. Using the program Microsoft Movie Maker- Connect the digital video camera and download film clips
2. Open new Project
3. Click and Drag clips down to the storyboard
4. Click onto the first frame; press the play button on the preview screen
5. To insert Title Frame
Tool in the menu Bar, choose add title and credits. Choose Title. Change the font and color by the corresponding icons. Make the title larger. You may also change the background color.
Change the Title Animation
6. To insert Credits Frame
Tool in the menu Bar, choose add title and credits. Choose Credits.
In the top rectangle: Type: Created By, Produced By, or something you come up with.
In the top rectangle: Type: Created By, Produced By, or something you come up with.
The boxes on the left will be in Large Font and the boxes on the right will be a small font. This is where you type Characters by: Joe P. (no last names) etc.
7. To edit clips:
Select the Timeline view
Preview Window: Press play and the desired spot to cut the clip press the pause button- you may rewind the clip to the perfect spot if you do not press pause fast enough.
Press the CUT button
Press play to continue to the end of this section that is to be cut.
Press pause to stop and press the CUT button again.
On the timeline, click onto the Cut clip section to select it. Right click and select Cut from the menu. The section is gone.
8. Repeat this number 7 until all the unwanted sections are cut out of the timeline.
9. You may press play and watch the whole video throughout this process as many times as you want or need.
Helpful Hints:
To speed up movie clips:
In Storyboard, Click on a video clip-choose Video Effects
On the bottom is a choice: Speed up Double. Click on this. You may do this many times to speed up the clip. You must repeat this for each clip.
Music and voice-overs are to be added at this time
Choose tools on the Menu Bar
Choose Audio Level
Slide the Audio Bar to the Far Right
Click OK
To Add Voice Overs
Plug in the Microphone in the front jack
In TimeLine, Click on the Microphone Icon
Press Start Recording and begin your voice over
Press Stop Recording when you are done
Save
To Add Music
On the left Menu Section, Choose Import Music
Choose the location , music must be in the correct format. If you would like a clip from a produced CD you will need to play it on an external CD player and follow the voice over instructions with a microphone.
FINAL PROCEDURES and PRESENTATION
Save As Movie
1. All projects will be transferred to a CD
2. Complete the self evaluation.
 
ASSESSMENT
Name __________________
Section/Hour_______________
3 Storyboard is developed to reflect the cycle theme
2 Storyboard is developed to somewhat reflect the cycle theme
1 Storyboard is not developed to reflect the cycle theme
3 Background is complete and is consistent to the theme
2 Background is somewhat complete and is consistent to the theme OR
2 Background is complete and is somewhat consistent to the theme
1 Background is not complete or is consistent to the theme
3 Set and props are organized and are relevant to the story
2 Set and props are somewhat organized and are relevant to the story OR
2 Set and props are organized and are somewhat relevant to the story
1 Set and props are not organized and are not relevant to the story
3 Met all character requirements
2 Met at least 4 of the character requirements
1 Met 0-3 of the character requirements
3 Technology of software and hardware is successfully applied to the project
2 Technology of software and hardware is somewhat successfully applied to the project
1 Technology of software and hardware is not successfully applied to the project
3 Animation is smooth and meets the time requirement
2 Animation is somewhat smooth and meets the time requirement OR
2 Animation is smooth and almost meets the time requirement
1 Animation is not smooth and does not meets the time requirement
3 Worked cooperatively as a team player
2 Worked cooperatively as a team player most of the time
1 Worked cooperatively as a team player some of the time or not at all.
TOTAL__________________________
