Stop Motion Film
Move it a little, take a photo, repeat. Then watch them come alive.
- Ages
- 6–12 yrs
- Play
- 40–120 min
- Prep
- 10 min
- Mess
- barely any
- Energy
- calm
- Where
- at the table
You’ll need
Mostly things you probably have at home.
- figures to animateGet it on Amazon
Optional
- card for backdropsGet it on Amazon
- a lamp for lighting
- blocks for the setGet it on Amazon
- tape to fix the camera positionGet it on Amazon
How to play
Before you start: Decide on a five-second story first — that is about fifty photos and plenty. Prop your phone somewhere it will not move and tape the base down.
Set the scene and put the figures to animate in their starting positions.
Take a photo.
Move one figures to animate a tiny amount — smaller than feels right — and take another.
Keep going. Fifty photos gets you a few seconds.
Play the photos back as a slideshow at full speed and watch their face.
What it helps with
Keep it safe
- Agree before you start where the film is allowed to go: this is a good first conversation about not posting pictures of people online.
Make it different next time
- Make a title card and photograph it for five frames at the start.
- Animate the figures to animate flying by moving them a little higher each frame.
Cleanup: Leave the set up if you can — sequels are inevitable.
Three more like this
- Good for siblings
Learn something
Walking Water
5–20 min 4–11 yrs Low mess- six clear cups
- food coloring
- paper towels or coffee filters
- water