Creating a Stop Motion Video
This was my first experience creating a stop motion video. It was so fun to create a background, choose the characters, and come up with a little storyline! Here is the process we went through to create it:
1.We downloaded the zing studio app.
2.We chose the characters we wanted in our ‘film’ and then chose some blue cushions to complete the background.
3. We brainstormed a short scenario that would get our characters moving around the screen. We decided to go with the mother penguin leading her babies around the iceberg and them following her wherever she went.
4. We didn’t have a tripod so we set up the camera (which was on the phone) on the table with tape so it would remain stationary.
5. We decided that one of us would press the shutter button to capture the stop motion sections, and the other would move the little penguins.
6. After many, many little movements and many captures, we added music to our little video.
7. After the video was complete, we uploaded it to Youtube and then embedded it in our websites.
What Went Well
I really liked the wooden toys Allie brought in for us to use. I also found the Zing Studio was user friendly and straightforward to use. Creating a Youtube video was straightforward and I have enough practice now with embedding videos on my website that it was easy to do.
What I Would Change
The Zing Studio app was easy to use, but also very frustrating when we tried to add sound. There was not an option to delete a previously selected audio clip, so when we tried to use a different one, it just added it on to the first one, which created a mashed up chaotic cacophony. We found a solution by downloading it to my laptop and muting the sound then adding an audio clip from clipchamp.
Another thing I would change is that I would move the penguins in smaller increments and have a beginning, middle, and end to the storyline. I would also have made the video longer.
Overall Takeaway
I will definitely be using stop motion in my future classroom. I think getting students to reenact a story or create their own storyline is a great way to get groups to collaborate and communicate. This platform offers ways to ignite imagination, creativity and problem solving. I really enjoyed creating this little video and so I’m sure young students would as well!
