Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Pre-Production Booklet for Animation

Name:
Order of contents (italics show areas you must add in yourself)

Assessment criteria
LO2
Mind maps of ideas
Risk assessment
Format of your animation
Subject and storyline
Character notes and profiles
Movement of characters
Moodboard
Sets/backgrounds
Audio and soundtrack
Sound table
Props list
Audience
Storyboard and script (add script to booklet)
Frame rates
Lighting design
Production schedule
Crew details
LO3
Frame Numbers
Dope Sheets

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
How to use this booklet
You will need to complete every page of this booklet, and all sections / questions
required.
Assessment criteria for Distinction grade;
LO2
Plans will show a full consideration of movement and continuity, perspective, point of view,
transitions and special effects.
Precise and workable planning of timing and synchronisation to a soundtrack will be
produced. It will be clear at this stage, from the documentation, what the finished piece will
look and sound like.
Learners will follow industry conventions and terminology used in storyboard production
correctly.
Plans for the construction of models, sets and props will be realistic and clear.
Drawings, script and storyboard will all show a creative interpretation of the idea.

LO3:
The documentation linked to the production will be full and detailed and there will be
evidence that the production management and scheduling of the project has been effective
and carried out in a professional manner. The techniques used in the production of the work
are likely to be related to an understanding of current trends in the industry.

Both LO2 and LO3
In all practical activity learners will be capable of working autonomously and effectively. They
will work on their own initiative, will not need constant support or supervision, will give the
work their full commitment, work positively and cooperatively with others, and meet
deadlines. In other words, they will have the kind of self-management skills that would be
expected of them in a professional context. Note also that this criterion should not be taken
to mean that learners do not seek advice or that they work without discussing things with
their tutor, but rather that they are not dependent upon the support of others and that when
they take advice they weigh it carefully for themselves.






Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Planning
Brainstorm / mind map (add extra pages if necessary)
























Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Attach a 400 word treatment of your idea
The idea for my advert is to have walking plasticine (playdough) men to be the main characters who
will be advertising the iPhone for Apple. I think this will be a very good idea because the iPhone can
represent the time when this animation I am going to make was made. My background idea is to
have some sort of technical or plain background for my production, to show the technology of the
iPhone, with a plain and simple mainstream background featuring a light blue or white theme, as
these colours mainly represent the iPhone, and it makes the advert look modern. These sort of
effects I believe will encourage my target audience to watch the advert, as it will be showing a
bright, and modern theme which will most likely attract more of an audience which is all ages. The
characters in the advert will approach the iPhone and will start tapping on the iPhones screen to
show the audience the phones features and apps, featuring a few different camera shots such as a
close ups, medium shots and a wider shot to show the audience the entire plot. I will include a voice
over at the end of the advert, explaining the last few necessary features about the iPhone, and at
the beginning I will include one of the characters saying speech what have you got there then? and
the other character saying the all new iPhone. The advert will be a 30 second piece, with a high
amount of photos taken to create my stop motion animation.

Story: A couple of characters in an environment using the new iPhone, and advertising its
technology and apps to the audience in a 30 second advert.
Characters: A couple of plasticine (playdough) men
Location: Model dolls house
Photos: Over 650 photos
Materials: Plasticine, some kind of other technology, objects such as a tiny chair (model home
furniture)
Angles:

Wide shot: With the wide shot you will be able to distinguish the entire scene

Medium shot: This will show the iPhone, and one or two or the characters in the shot in a clear way,
this shot will most likely be used the most in the advert.

Low angle shot: The low angle shot will make the phone look bigger, and show a lot of mighty. This
shot may be used somewhere in the middle of the advert, and at the end.

Close up shot: The close up shot will be used to show the iPhone in all its glory, and showing the
animated character pressing the apps on the phone to open them.

Soundtrack: The soundtrack will be a track with no lyrics, but simply just plain, instrumental music
which I can place in the background of the advert. The reason for choosing a non-vocal track is
because the sound of the characters in the advert may be downed out and not as clear with vocals.




Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet











How will you meet the requirements of your brief?
To meet the requirements of my brief, I will need to complete this pre-production booklet
and asses what I need to do to meet the requirements. I will need to plan out what I need
to do, including what shots Im going to do at certain times of the advert, what the timings
are with everything in the advert such as the characters and the phone. I need to plan
what type of soundtrack I want as well, to make sure it ties in to the type of video it is,
and for it to match. I will need to make sure that I meet the 30 second requirement, as
this is very important to the advert as it will be on television and will need to fit in exactly
otherwise it will overlap other adverts, so therefore wont be accepted. I need to make
sure that the advert has met my target audience, which is all ages mostly above the age
of 10, as there is no violence in the advert, children under the age of 10 most likely wont
be allowed a phone because of their parents, so it is aimed at people above this age.
Finally I want to make sure that my advert becomes successful in the way I have it in
mind, to have all techie background with the colours I want, but more importantly the stop
motion animation with the characters and the phone to be in time with the characters
pressing the phones screen. The deadline is for the 10
th
December ?!





Risk assessment: Are there any health and safety issues you may encounter?
As I will be using the Henley College studio, there can be a numerous amount of risks:
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Trip over a wire

Trip over a camera/tripod

Bang your head on an obstacle attached to the ceiling

I could drop my iPhone and it could break, causing some sort or spark or could get hurt by
the cracked glass screen but very unlikely

Some of the equipment in the studio is expensive, and I could trip over them, and the
equipment in the studio will most likely be damaged after.






Discuss any legal issues you may face. Eg; sound, plagiarism, age restrictions
I will not be meeting any illegal issues, as I am advertising a on my own will and I am not
advertising any black or bad about the product, so I have no legal say, but simply just
describing and advertising the product for myself. The reason why is because I am not
going to lie in the advert for example giving false information about the iPhone and how bad
or negative the product is.

There will be no age restrictions on this advert, as it features no violence, no swearwords, or
sexual activities.

The soundtrack will either be my own, or a really old faint sound track where the authors or
publishers wont have an active protection on it.










Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Use of possible formats
Circle which of the following formats your animation will take;

stop-frame techniques
time lapse photography
plasticine animation
Claymation
using found objects
modelling
puppetry
combined formats


Why are you using that particular format?
Because I feel most comfortable and the correct type of form of animation I am making, I feel
that it will fit with the video frame very well. With plasticine animation I can move them a lot
easier, I can manipulate my characters a lot easier, because they can be easily altered. I feel
that its more of an accomplishment when I finish the advert, and will feel good about myself,
plasticine looks best in animation. I am using this format because plasticine is easy to figure,
unlike other hard solid objects to be used as characters, they cant be as detailed and figured
as a plasticine model. I chose this format because I can make more flexible movements, eye
movement and even mouth movement.


What are the different possibilities you could explore using this format?
Using plasticine I can create a more smooth looking animation with the models for further
videos I might possibly make. Making more realistic movements, rather than spending all
day designing and creating models and possibly making errors. I can make mouth
movement and other more flexible models with this format rather than other objects such as
lego or sticks. You can make interesting models and characters with plasticine, to whatever
feature and movement of your choice. You can also stick plasticine easily to a wall for
example, and plasticine can make the animation much more smoother as you can move it in
any position, whereas lego you can only move it in sections which allows you, making the
animation less realistic.





Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet


What are the limitations of using this format? (i.e what problems/ obstacles might you
have?)
A large amount of heat could make some of the plasticine melt or disfigure, making huge
amount of errors on the models. You cannot grip the plasticine models too hard, otherwise
you will disfigure your model.




What imaginative or inventive animations have you seen which use this format?
Add in links and screen shots of three examples of animations using this format.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne4K-2aflhA


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


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu-LoN_DGPg






Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet


Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Subject
What will the subject of your animation be?
The subject of my animation will be advertisement in technology.



Storyline
Describe the storyline of your animation. What events will happen to your characters?
The events with my characters will be the plasticine animations will be moving at a realistic
and sensible rate that will tie into the plot. It will be a timeline of the advert where one or two
approach the iPhone and discuss it. The motion of the characters will be moved with the
slightest touches, to ensure top quality and realistic results. At the beginning the film will start
with a quick sketch of the play house, in a train track movement, then you will see the iphone
appear from the left or right hand side of the screen, then it will slowly focus on it. After the
focus, the scene will cut to one of the characters walking in and noticing the iPhone, then
playing with it unintelligently not knowing what it is, then another character walks in and
describes what the product is and how it works.



Characters
What characters will be in your animation?
Characters that will describe the iPhone, normal civilians that will describe the iPhone and its
features. The characters will be coloured, with a few facial and structure features, making
them look like men with arms and legs. Plasticine models will be the only characters on the
set.








Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet


Complete the character profiles for each character in your animation


Name: Jamie
M/F: Male
Age 20
Costume:


No
Occupation:


Hobbies:


Character
Background:






Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:



Occupation:


Hobbies:


Character
Background:







Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Add in images and drawings/ sketches of what they will look like.















What will they be made of?












Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Movement of characters

How are you going to make your characters move?





What is the purpose of an armature?







Will you use them for your characters?







If so, how will you make it?





Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Mood board
Create a mood board showing what look your animation will have. Add images showing
ideas of mise-en-scene, characters, costumes and colours that will be present in the
different shots.





Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Sets / backgrounds
Will your set be;
A three wall set
A blue/green screen
An existing location
A Combination of two or more of the above

Draw sketches of how your sets/backgrounds will look. Add in labels to your diagrams and
details of locations / lighting etc.





















Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Add in photographs of your sets/backgrounds.





























Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Audio and Soundtrack
What audio will you have for your animation?

Complete the sound list, detailing what sounds you will use, where you will source them,
what equipment you will need to record them and when you will use them in your animation.
You will need to design your own soundtrack. You cannot use copyrighted music, and it
must be more than simply adding a track.

What actions will need sound effects?

Think of the scenes in your animation. Each scene should have different sounds/music to
give information about the mood / emotions of the characters.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet


Sound Table
Production Name:
Producer:

Shot Action Description
of Sound
Diegetic/non/diegetic Atmosphere
created
Musice type
and
atmosphere


























Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Props List
What props / models / furniture etc will you need to make your animation?
PROPS LIST
Production Name:
Producer:

Item Script page Description Character/location Notes
Cigar 4 Large Cuban
cigar, expensive
looking, 7 long
Craig Jennings Is not lit is
held in actors
mouth


























Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Audience
Define the following characteristics of your audience;
Gender


Age



Interests





What forms of animation might they already watch?




What images do you think they enjoy watching?




What might they consider distasteful or offensive?



Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

How will you ensure that your animation will suit your chosen audience?







How will they physically watch your animation? (i.e in an exhibition format, on screen,
projection, online?)






Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Storyboard
Complete a storyboard for your animation.


Who?
Which
characters/
objects are in
the scene?
Where?
What is the
location for the
shot?
Lighting
Natural
Ambient
Torchlight
Spotlight
Direction of
light?
Say What?
Is there any
dialogue/text?
And
then.?
What happens?
Describe the
action.
Time?
Duration of the
shot / number
of frames
action is held
for.
Camera?
What is the
camera angle?
Is there any
movement from
the camera?
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Think carefully about the shots you will be using. Consider the range of shots/angles
to give interest and perspective
Shots
Extreme long shot
Long Shot
Medium Shot
Two Shot
Over the Shoulder
Medium Close up
Close up
Extreme close up
Camera Angles
Birds-eye view
High angle
Eye-level
Low angle
Oblique / canted angle
Worms-eye view
Ground Shot
Movement
Pan
Tilt
Tracking Shot
Zoom
Editing
Montage
Cross cutting
Match cut
Shot, reverse shot
Eye-line match
Jump cut
Tracking shot
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
You will need to convey all movements and actions. Copy and paste the storyboard to
make it as long as you need to show all the detail of your animation.
You will need to add pages to this section for your full storyboard
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Frame Rates
What is the duration of your animation in minutes? (minimum 30 seconds)


In seconds?



How many frames per second for video?




There are 60 seconds in a minute. How many frames (ie. Individual photos) will you
need to take?







Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Lighting Design

Where will you be photographing your animation?


Does it have natural daylight?




If so, you will need to block this out. Explain why.





Do you have a constant light source(s) such as a lamp?




Where will you place your light source(s) to create interesting effects?








Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
(LO3)
Frame numbers
You will need to label your images as frames
The first 24 frames will be written as;
0_1
0_2 etc etc

the following 24 will be
1_1
1_2
1_3
Ensure your clips are labeled as such. Screen shot the folder your clips are in, and copy the
image underneath.

















Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Dope sheets
A dope sheet is an animation tool which helps a animator organise the animation shot-by-
shot.
This gives the camera operator instructions on each shot type and how many frames this will
be used for.

A dope sheet is usually split into 5 different sections.

To indicate what action occurs on which frame number
To see what action is happening in this shot.
To see what dialogue used in this scene.
To show what level of animation is happening.
To give camera instructions (angle).

For example;

Because you will be working with video, you will be using 30fps. You will need to complete a
dope sheet for EVERY SECOND of your animation.

i.e, if you make a 30 second animation, you will need to complete 30 dope sheets.

This will be a time-consuming task, but it will help you understand what will need to
happen in each of the shots you take. The higher marks will come from a detailed and
careful collection of dope sheets. For example, if your characters speaks, you will need to
show the mouth forming every shape in order to look effective.







Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Frame Path of action
Dialogue /
Soundtrack cue
Animation
Camera
instructions
0_1
0_2
0_3
0_4
0_5
0_6
0_7
0_8
0_9
0_10
0_11
0_12
0_13
0_14
0_15
0_16
0_17
0_18
0_19
0_20
0_21
0_22
0_23
0_24
0_25
0_26
0_27
0_28
0_29
0_30
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Frame Path of action Dialogue /
Soundtrack cue
Animation Camera
instructions
1_1
1_2
1_3
1_4
1_5
1_6
1_7
1_8
1_9
1_10
1_11
1_12
1_13
1_14
1_15
1_16
1_17
1_18
1_19
1_20
1_21
1_22
1_23
1_24
1_25
1_26
1_27
1_28
1_29
1_30

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Frame Path of action
Dialogue /
Soundtrack
cue
Animation
Camera
instructions
2_1
2_2
2_3
2_4
2_5
2_6
2_7
2_8
2_9
2_10
2_11
2_12
2_13
2_14
2_15
2_16
2_17
2_18
2_19
2_20
2_21
2_22
2_23
2_24
2_25
2_26
2_27
2_28
2_29
2_30
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Copy and paste as many dope sheets as you need. Remember to change the frame
numbering so that the first number refers to the second of animation ie, 1_24 is the 24
th

frame of the first second, 3_17 is the 17
th
frame of the 3
rd
second.































Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Liaising with client (write notes on discussions between you and your client)