Stop Motion Project (due 11.01.12)

For your next assignment, create a short (3 minutes or less) stop-motion animation project influenced by the hand-made/drawn/torn animations of William Kentridge or the more traditional stop-motion techniques of Jan Svankmajer. This is a short, experimental project, keep it simple. You have 2 class periods of work time, 1 class of editing time, with the final animation due 11.01.12.

Examples of student work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxAmSh6YYXQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWsWxxjTR34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgMns9I0dhw

In addition to our usual classroom, a studio room will be available to us during class time (location TBD).

Guidelines and notes:
-If you use one of the school's DSLR cameras and have it set to shoot video, it will take a still image and give you a preview of what the image will look like in FCP (note the gray bars on the top and bottom). If you use your own camera, it may not. If it's a different aspect ratio, how are you going to use the extra space in the frame?
-Use a tripod and tape its placement on the floor. Label your tape with Sharpie that says "DO NOT REMOVE UNTIL 11/1/12." Every time your camera moves, even slightly, it changes the shot and will effect the flow of your animation (you will suddenly have a slight jump over to the left, for example).
-Definitely do not use natural light, it's impossible to keep consistent. If the lighting changes, even slightly, it changes the shot and will effect the flow of your animation (you will suddenly have one blueish frame, for example).
-If you can work in the studio room, I'd suggest pulling the shades and leaving the overhead lights on to keep the lighting consistent.
-Before you start, test with and without a flash to see what works better (if you have anything glossy or shiny no flash).
-You can use photo lights but they have to be set up in exactly the same place in exactly the same way every time, tough to do when you have to move around. Be sure to tape the placement of everything on the floor and take notes. Label your tape with Sharpie that says "DO NOT REMOVE UNTIL 11/1/12." You can sign out light kits from the Equipment Center.