Making Stop Motion Movies

Making Stop Motion Movies is a detailed, how-to guide created by middle school teacher and Western Massachusetts Writing Project Technology Liaison, Kevin Hodgson, that showcases the reading and writing elements of film literacy and utilizes a popular medium in a way that is entertaining and educational.  This guide creates activities and resources and highlights student work that reinforces how to use this technology successfully and efficiently.

Making Stop Motion Movies is broken down into sections that outline every step of the process to make an animated, stop-motion film.  Kevin begins with the pre-production stages of development, which include storyboarding, character development, and other narrative elements that contribute to a successful story.  There are also resources available to practice doing stop-motion animation, using web-based applications.  Each section is supported by screenshots of the author’s students’ work and worksheets available for download.

Next, the guide has a step-by-step breakdown of exactly how to do the production for a film, supported by screenshots and hints for each step, as well as links to alternate resources for extra support.  This section has helpful videos created by Kevin and his students, detailing steps of the production process.

Finally, the guide has links to other stop-motion and filmmaking tutorials and guides, locations where you can download software and programs to make stop-motion animation, and stop-motion films that exist on the Internet.

This guide is will provide a framework for educators that work with students and learners to help them tell stories and develop outlets for creative expression and effective communication.  It can be used by teachers in formal or informal learning enviornments, who want to engage students, especially in the process of narrative storytelling.