I recently had a play with lip synching. I must admit I thought it would be extremely difficult to do but I was surprised actually how relatively easy it was. I'm not sure I would like to try to do it with Primary age children though but who knows, if I get a child that's G&T in this area...
I'll just go briefly through how I did it. I recorded the voice in Moviemaker and then, using a spreadsheet I set up one column with frame number and another with time, based on 16 fps (0.0625 sec per frame). From the Moviemaker voice, I got the times of each syllable and added this to another column. Then, using 4 basic mouth shapes I took the mouth shape that corresponded best to the syllable.
This is what I mean:
Then when shooting, I placed a vinyl cut out of the appropriate mouth shape onto the puppet - held on with double sided tape. I had help from my son who was keeping a note of the frame numbers and told me when to change the shape.
I've just recently bought 3 web cams from Tesco for around £20 (for the 3). They come with mics too. I was surprised at the quality of the stills it is possible to obtain with these cameras. I've been using these cameras with some Year 6 children with some good results. To keep the cameras steady we've been using Blu Tack. The children have been using the scanner and camera wizard thing with XP to take the photos (why isn't this utility available with Vista!), they have then been putting their movies together with Moviemaker - a little cumbersome but they got there in the end.
This set up does seem to be the cheapest way to do stop frame animation. I'll try and post some of their movies soon.
When I first looked into the possibility of doing stop frame animation, I looked at one web and I was saddened to learn that I would need a highly expensive digital SLR camera equipped with an infrared remote control and that I would need some very expensive photographic lamps as well as some very specialised software and the fastest, most up to date PC money could buy. In short, I would need a very large second mortgage before I could even make my plasticine snail crawl across the table. Then I remembered hearing about how Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin managed to create some of the most loved stop frame animation TV programs like The Clangers, Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog, in an old potting shed during the 1960s. I was certain that those guys didn’t need all that stuff. I then reminded myself of why I was interested in this; it was because I wanted to teach children how to do it. Not to make full length feature films or to set myself up doing TV adverts. Further research on the web revealed that actually, short movies could be made with just an ordinary digital still camera and the Moviemaker program that comes free with Windows. When I discovered this, it was only a matter of minutes before I produced my first test piece of movie; one of my sons’ Playmobile characters raising their arms and turning their heads. Although very simple, I was dead chuffed at being able to this for the first time. As a boy I’d grown up producing flicker books and dreamed of one day being able to do animation. I loved watching Bob Godfrey’s Do It Yourself Animation Show on a Sunday morning. I then proceeded to experiment both by myself and with children to find a formulae that gave the best results whilst still being practical to use with children. The results of my experiences are given here and this should, hopefully be useful to anyone else going down the same road. Firstly, I will go through the software options.
Digiblue cameras and software This is without doubt the easiest way to get started with animation. Many schools have these cameras and the Digiblue software for animation is very child friendly and the cameras have their own bases to keep them steady through the process. So, if you and your school have Digiblues, it is easy. There are drawbacks to Digiblues. The resolution and quality of the images is not brilliant. It is not possible to easily remove a frame if you make a mistake (like leaving a hand in the way when the photo is taken; something children are guaranteed to do, every time). The special effects that come with the software are excellent and children love adding things like fire and explosions to their work. One tip if you use Digiblues, take two photos each time the model is moved. This is because the software defaults to 16 frames per second which is far too quick for young children and will result in movements that are far too quick if just one frame per movement is used.
Stop motion Pro This is a specialist animation package that comes in various levels of sophistication from Junior to full HD professional. The entry level packages are quite reasonably priced. Indeed it is possible to test the software first by downloading a trial version. This software can be easily used with an inexpensive web cam (I have seen web cams for less than £3!). Such a set up would give comparable results to Digiblues with the option that the quality could be improved if required later, by using a more sophisticated camera. Once again, set the frame rate to seven frames per second, this produces acceptable animations.
Windows Moviemaker. This is my preferred option. Although, unlike the other two options above that can use live images straight from the camera onto the PC, you need to take the photos then download them and then import them which can be a struggle with young children. However, this software is free and if used with a digital still camera with macro facility, the resulting movies are very good quality. Also, it is easy to extend frames if you need to, to make sound tracks. furthermore, the odd duff image can be easily deleted. Narration and sound effects can be easily added once the stills have been added to the timeline. Just one tip for this, before you start, go into Tools>Options and change picture duration to 0.125 seconds (8 frames per second). Once your stills have been imported into the gallery you can select them and drag them down into the timeline in one go. To use this, children will need to be able to use a digital camera, be able to download them to the PC and be able to find them again to import them into Moviemaker. This is a lot more complicated than Digiblue or Stop Motion Pro but cheaper and more versatile. One cautionary note, I have used Moviemaker on some PCs and when you come to drag the imported stills onto the timeline, the images are not put in chronological order and I’ve no idea why. Be sure to test this with your own set up. Owing to the complex nature of this I would not dream of attempting whole class teaching with this set up. I would work with just one focus group, with the remainder of the class doing other activities. One way to train children to use Moviemaker would be to have the images pre-downloaded and then get the children used to importing, removing faulty images, changing the frame duration and then adding their own narration. If you use Moviemaker, then if possible, I would still interface the camera to the PC/lap top whilst taking photos so that the live image is on the screen. This gives the animators a much better understanding of how their movie will look on the computer. Also, doing this it will not be necessary to touch the camera to take photos since this can be done with the mouse. One thing to remember if you are using a straightforward digital still camera for your animation is to set the resolution low. High resolution photos not only take up a lot of disk storage space but they also slow down the running of Moviemaker. If you do use just an ordinary digital still camera, make sure you switch off the flash and use arteficial lighting - avoid natural lighting as this will change as you are filming.
Puppets Plasticine To the uninitiated, looking at the Wallace and Gromit movies it appears that the characters are just made from plasticine and it is easy to make and move these around. This is far from the case. Wallace and Gromit models incorporate highly engineered and expensive metal armature frames inside. These armatures give the models their strength and stability and allow them to be moved easily (like our own skeleton). It would not be possible to animate these characters properly if they were only made from plasicine. Some people get around this by using pipe cleaners to make the skeleton, they then fill any large volumes like the head and tummy with polystyrene balls to save weight and then put the plasicine on this. Some animators put magnets in the feet and use a steel tray to work on to make the models stable. This is very complicated and difficult to use. As a result, personally, I would not recommend the use of plasticine except in the making of simple characters like snails, snakes and monsters.
Toys This is by far the easiest option. Action figures or simple Pokemon type figures can be animated easily with good effect. Even toys that cannot be articulated can be successfully animated by moving the whole figure around. Action figures like Star Wars and Dr Who figures can be articulated by they are inherently unstable and it will be necessary to put blobs of BlueTac or use double sided tape on their feet to make them stable. There are some great examples of Lego animation around but the use of a camera with a good macro facility is required when working with these small figures.
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Homemade puppets This is my preferred option although more difficult to construct. I make my puppets with polymer clay (Fimo or Sculpey) for the hands, feet and head and place these on an aluminium wire armature that has PVC tubing for the “bones”. The Photostory below gives instructions for making these type of puppets. The polymer clay work for head, hands and feet can be easily done by upper primary age children. The wire frames will need to be prepared for them. A template from making pullovers and trousers from felt is given below and these can be stitched by children although it can be awkward to turn the clothing inside out. Once a few figures have been made though, these may be used over and over.
Story lines The animation process limits the length of the story to around 30 seconds to one minute. I recommend keeping things simple. Tell the children about the limitations up front. For example, they must keep to one set and the movement should be kept simple. No running, jumping or things flying. I have a few scenarios that could be used with just a two walled set and one puppet with only a few props.
Skating Opening scene shows character polishing the floor with wax. Character stands up but slips over. Transition. Character skates around the newly polished floor like an ice dancer along with some ice dance music.
Air Guitar Character switches on stereo using remote control. Dire Straits, Money for Nothing starts to play. Character walks out of shot. The camera focuses on the stereo playing the music. Camera moves out to show whole living room. Character is playing a tennis racket like a guitar.
Weight Lifting Character prepares to pick up Barbell weights. He/She struggles to to lift (bar bends under weight). As the character pushes up to complete lift, he/she falls through the floor leaving the weights on the floor and the character dangling (can only see hands clutched onto bar).
Head stand Character carefully, with a fair bit of shaking performs a head stand. The character then moves his/her hands from the ground so they are only balanced on their head (use double sided tape or Blue Tac). The character then spins around on their head, moving legs out and then in. Then Character elegantly returns to standing position and takes a bow.
Despite these limitations, the possibilities for these type of animation shorts are practically limitless.
Main Teaching Points The main teaching point for the first time animator is that the models need to be moved in very small increments. Indeed, I find the first session with children is best used by getting the characters to perform a simple head turn or arm movement. If children are just allowed to explore animation by themselves, in my experience, the movements will be too large and the resulting movie will not flow at all and be a disappointment to those that have spent time on it. Another teaching point that appears to be difficult to drive home is the importance of not moving the camera. I have seen children knocking the camera over, picking it up and carrying on regardless. I often see children knock the camera after each movement. Indeed, for Digiblue and web cams, I would recommend the use of masking tape to keep the camera in position. For a digital camera, use a table top tripod or and pile of books and some blobs of Blue Tac. A further point that it seems can only come with experience, is that even simple things like getting characters to walk is tricky and consequently there is a need to always consider keeping movements simple in the planning stage. Indeed, I remember reading that the great Nick Park had to readjust his ideas for Gromit’s personality in the Wallace and Gromit Movie, A Grand Day Out, as a result of him discovering how difficult it would be to animate the movements of an excitable dog. However, once children have got a grasp of these few basic principles they will then be able to make some great movies. Another thing to consider is that in my experience, it is best for the children to have their animations planned in advance rather than trying to think of something on the spot; the children have so many things to think about and remember once they start their filming that they will not be able to spend the much needed time on the planning.
Telling Long Stories Realistically, animations with children are restricted to a length of up to one minute. However, if some more creative children would like to tell a longer story this is still possible. In such stories, only animate some of the key points and have the rest of the story told through stills which are narrated over. This is easy to do in Moviemaker. An example of such a movie is given below.
Sets Just having two cardboard pieces of A3 size, taped together to form a hinge are necessary. A3 size scenes can then be stuck with Blue Tac on to these to provide scenery. Just think of a theatre or stage set in miniature. Just 2D black and white drawings can be effective; this was used to good effect for the Paddington Bear TV series. Adding a splash of water colour here and there can create a Quentin Blake type of effect. A quick way to produce a set can be to just take photographs of the objects you need and then print them on paper to scale, cut them out and stick them on the background or to make it more 3D, stick them to separate pieces of card and support them with Blue Tac. Indoor sets are easier than outdoor ones. A wood, or wood effect base looks good and use double sided tape stuck to this to fix and stabilise the characters. Walking is possible using double sided sticky tape tracks. Make sure one of the character’s feet is firmly fixed to the tape before lifting the other. When you come to release the foot from the tape, hold the foot firmly and nudge it laterally rather than trying to lift.
Use of Flicker Books This is something I have only just tried but it is a nice idea for displays and for children to take home. The pictures taken for an animated movie are printed out, 9 pictures to a page onto white card. Remember to number the reverse of each frame. The frames can then be sliced up accurately and assembled in order. Tap the cards with the right hand side on the table to ensure all the cards are flush. Use a Bulldog clip on the other end, or two clothes pegs, to grip the book together. The cards may then be flicked.
Then when shooting, I placed a vinyl cut out of the appropriate mouth shape onto the puppet - held on with double sided tape. I had help from my son who was keeping a note of the frame numbers and told me when to change the shape.
