Animation Techniques: Create an original PSA

As part of our Cartooning and Animation Unit, the students will be able to utilize the Stop Motion Pro software to create an original Public Service Announcement.

The students, working in assigned groups of 3 or 4, will choose a subject relevant to their age group (texting and driving, underage drinking, etc) and create a Public Service Announcement that will cater to their target audience (other teens). Once a subject is selected and approved, the students will, as a group, come up with the PSA script, design original characters, determine the shots needed using storyboarding techniques and create the 30 second film using the Stop Motion Pro software.

Final versions of the Public Service Announcements will be posted on the school's website and offered to the sending school districts for further distribution. (We offer our classes to students from nine area high schools)

This lesson will not only challenge our students by having them work in a medium that many of them may have never attempted, but it will also prepare them to see a real-life animation project through from the planning stages to the actual production. At the same time, the students will observe the value of spreading positive messages throughout their community using art, animation and teamwork.