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
Frame Numbers
Dope Sheets
LO3
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)
Attach a 400 word treatment of your idea
Treatment.
Blurb.
A plastercine dance off ends awfully
Summary.
Two plastercine friends are walking along a road when they find a laptop. They think that this
is a great place to chill, they stand on the keyboard turn on their boom box and have a dance
off. They dance for a little while and they become so focused on their competition that they
fail to notice the laptop is alive. The screen on the laptop has eyes, they are closed and
ZZZs are coming out from the screen as the laptop is asleep. As they friends dance the
competition gets more intense and a crowd gathers, they turn up the music and begin to
dance faster. They start to break dance and purple one does a head spin as the white one
jumps and does back flips at this moment the laptop opens one eye, sees the friends and
open the other eye. He quickly realises what going on. A mouth appears on the screen and
he licks his lips. The friends still oblivious and suddenly the laptop snaps shut on the pair
and they are squashed. The laptop opens again and burbs the two friends have been
pressed into the shape of the E4 logo. The laptop changes the track on the boom box to jazz
and goes back to sleep.
Statement of intent.
I am making this because I like the sheer creative scope of the brief it allows for creativity in
its purest form. I dont have to record dialog because there is none so I can focus more on
production quality. I want to use a laptop because it is a real world item and will one save me
time animating, two gives me the use of the screen for faces and three the contrast between
plastercine and real world objects will create the abstract style of the E4 eastings.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
How will you meet the requirements of your brief?
I will make my Ident represent individuality and creativity by making it original and new.
Adding a dark twist at the end will make it more individual than other eastings, the use of
plastercine will help with the creativity aspect as I can make mine more unique.
I will make my ident in the style of existing E4 idents by using purple and using simple
animation and characters. The lack of dialog is also key as E4 dont have dialog in their
idents. The dramatic dark and comedic ending will reflect E4s work as this is a common
sight amongst such things. Also the surrealism of the piece is key to the style as well this
is achieved by the combination of laptop and plastercine.
I will meet the time space allowed for my production by using the dance off part to keep
the piece as long as it needs to be. I will keep my piece under 40 seconds because that is
maximum indent lengths and because otherwise it will take too long to make.
Risk assessment: Are there any health and safety issues you may encounter?
Using lights they may be hot.
Getting fingers caught in laptop.
Ingesting plastercine
Cut self-using scissor when making set.
Plastercine melts under hot lights.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Loose wires around studio
Low hanging lights and beams.
Discuss any legal issues you may face. Eg; sound, plagiarism, age restrictions
Legal issues.
Sound
Need to find copyright free music to play (jazz and hiphop)
Using royalty free sound effects.
Plagiarism.
Use of E4 logo will have to be cleared first.
Should make sure that laptop has no brand logos as I could be sued by Dell, HP,
Asus .E.C.T
Age restrictions.
Make sure it isnt too violent as it will be shown before the watershed.
Use of possible formats
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
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?
So I can combine plastercine with objects to create serialism.
What are the different possibilities you could explore using this format?
Use of wire frame armatures,
Creation of models. Faces, movement of models.
Real world objects, easy to move.
Use of laptop screen
What are the limitations of using this format? (i.e what problems/ obstacles might you
have?)
Plastercine melts under too much heat so will have to be carful with lights.
Movement of models, it might be challenging to get models to dance.
Plastercine will harden over time.
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.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0qagA4_eVQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y835olmmRKM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ThwqX1tpmI
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Subject
What will the subject of your animation be?
The laptop and the E4 logo.
The characters.
Storyline
Describe the storyline of your animation. What events will happen to your characters?
Two plastercine friends are walking along a road looking for a place to have a dance off
when they find a laptop. They think that this is a great place to dance, they stand on the
keyboard turn on their boom box and have a dance off. They dance for a little while and they
become so focused on their competition that they fail to notice the laptop is alive. The screen
on the laptop has eyes, they are closed and ZZZs are coming out from the screen as the
laptop is asleep. As they friends dance the competition gets more intense, they turn up the
music and begin to dance faster. They start to break dance and purple one does a head spin
as the white one jumps and does back flips at this moment the laptop opens one eye, sees
the friends and open the other eye. He quickly realises what going on. A mouth appears on
the screen and he licks his lips. The friends still oblivious and suddenly the laptop snaps shut
on the pair and they are squashed. The laptop opens again and burbs the two friends have
been pressed into the shape of the E4 logo. The laptop changes the track on the boom box
to jazz and goes back to sleep.
Characters
What characters will be in your animation?
Purple plastercine man.
White plastercine woman.
The Laptop.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Complete the character profiles for each character in your animation
Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:
Purple
M
18
Baseball cap
Occupation:
Dancer
Hobbies:
Dancing and music
Character
Background:
Purple is a street dancer he likes to dance in different places. He is
from Birmingham and he is very competitive. His favorite move is a
head spin.
Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:
White
F
18
Bandana
Occupation:
Dancer
Hobbies:
Street dancing and acrobatics.
Character
Background:
White is Purples BFF she is also from Birmingham and likes to
dance and do acrobatics competitively. She loves doing back flips
and is very agile.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Add in images and drawings/ sketches of what they will look like.
What will they be made of?
The people will be made of plastercine but the laptop will be a real laptop.
Movement of characters
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
How are you going to make your characters move?
I will use armature wire and string to move my plastercine figures.
What is the purpose of an armature?
An armature give a clay or similar model a skeleton so it will be more stable and flexible,
because of this newfound flexibility of the models you will be able to save time setting up
each frame and thus save money.
They also allow for more realistic movement for models.
Will you use them for your characters?
Yes I will use an armature because I am using plastercine.
If so, how will you make it?
I will make my armature from scratch using armature wire that my collage will provide.
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
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
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
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Add in photographs of your sets/backgrounds.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
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: Munch
Producer: Josh house
Shot
Action
Description
of Sound
Diegetic/non/diegetic
Atmosphere
created
Laptop
snarling
Animalistic
snarling like
a dog.
Non-diegetic
Jump scare
3- till
end
HipHop
music
Hiphop plays
during dance
off
Non diegetic.
Light and
funny
3-till
end
Whooping
and
applause
The crowd
cheering on
our dancing
characters.
Diegetic.
Explains
whats
happening.
End
sighing
A sighing
sound as the
pair are
crushed,
coming from
the crowd
diegetic
Creates
humor.
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: Munch
Producer: Josh House
Item
Script page
Description
Character/location
Notes
Cigar
Large Cuban
cigar,
expensive
looking, 7 long
Craig Jennings
Is not lit is
held in actors
mouth
Purple
plastercine
all
Plastercine
used to create
both of the
characters and
the E4 logo at
the end
Purple/ white and
the laptop.
Will also be
used to
decorate set
laptop
2 onwards
An old looking
laptop big and
heavy.
laptop
Will utilize
screen for
faces.
Beany babies,
random toys
etc.
3 onwards.
This will be the
audience or
crowd draw by
the dance off.
In the street.
Crowd will
move in
background to
add depth
Plastercine
boom box
all
Will be used to
play the music
for the dance
off
Next to laptop and
held by purple.
Will ad
explanation for
music.
And white
plastercine
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Audience
Define the following characteristics of your audience;
Gender
Male/ female
Age
15- 30
Interests
Watching E4. Comedy, films, music.
My audience is the audience for E4 as I am making a easting.
They are laid back class C or D Or E and have medium to low income
What forms of animation might they already watch?
They may have seen stop frame like Wallace and Gromit, Creature Comforts or Nightmare
Before Christmas.
They may have seen drawn animations like the Simpsons or family guy.
They may have seen CG animations from dicey films and dreamworks.
What images do you think they enjoy watching?
Bright images, clear lighting.
Comedy shows.
What might they consider distasteful or offensive?
Jokes about the following.
Racism or sexism, death, religion.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
How will you ensure that your animation will suit your chosen audience?
I have followed the style of many past E4 easting in the knowledge that simple but funny
animations will go down well with this audience. The slightly dark ending will make people
laugh, I have seen past eastings with this style and they have done very well.
How will they physically watch your animation? (i.e in an exhibition format, on screen,
projection, online?)
My animation will be on the E4 TV channel between shows and online between 4OD
viewings.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Storyboard
Who?
Complete a storyboard for your animation.
Where?
Which
characters/
objects are in
the scene?
What is the
location for the
shot?
Say What?
Lighting
Is there any
dialogue/text?
Natural
Ambient
Torchlight
Spotlight
Direction of
light?
And
then.?
What happens?
Describe the
action.
Camera?
Time?
What is the
camera angle?
Duration of the
shot / number
of frames
action is held
for.
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
Camera Angles
Extreme long shot
Long Shot
Medium Shot
Two Shot
Over the Shoulder
Medium Close up
Close up
Extreme close up
Birds-eye view
High angle
Eye-level
Low angle
Oblique / canted angle
Worms-eye view
Ground Shot
Movement
Editing
Pan
Tilt
Tracking Shot
Zoom
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 you0r full storyboard
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Frame Rates
What is the duration of your animation in minutes? (minimum 30 seconds)
30 secs
In seconds?
30
How many frames per second for video?
12
There are 60 seconds in a minute. How many frames (ie. Individual photos) will you
need to take?
360
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
Lighting Design
Where will you be photographing your animation?
A set made in the studio.
Does it have natural daylight?
no
If so, you will need to block this out. Explain why.
no
Do you have a constant light source(s) such as a lamp?
The are many different studio lights
Where will you place your light source(s) to create interesting effects?
Behind characters to create long shadows.
Commented [JH1]:
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-byshot.
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.
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
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.
Frame
1_1
Path of action
Dialogue /
Soundtrack cue
Animation
Camera
instructions
Purple and White walk
towards the laptop
Drum and bass
soundtrack.
2 plastercine
figures walk.
Low angle long
shot.
The pair walk onto the
laptops keyboard.
Same music
Same
animation
Closer shot with
laptop filling
frame. Low
angle
1_2
1_3
1_4
1_5
1_6
1_7
1_8
2_9
2_10
2_11
2_12
2_13
2_14
2_15
2_16
3_17
3_18
3_19
3_20
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
3_21
3_22
3_23
4_24
4_25
4_26
4_27
4_28
4_29
4_30
Frame
Path of action
Dialogue /
Soundtrack cue
Animation
Camera
instructions
5_1
A crowd is draw and 5
figures begin to gather
round.
same
Figures like
toys being
moved along.
High angle shot
showing whole
set.
5_2
5_3
5_4
5_5
5_6
5_7
5_8
6_9
6_10
6_11
6_12
6_13
6_14
6_15
6_16
7_17
7_18
7_19
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
7_20
7_21
7_22
7_23
7_24
8_25
The pair begin to dance
Same music
Using
armatures and
string for
advanced
movment.
Mid shot of
laptop and
crowd.
8_26
8_27
8_28
8_29
8_30
Frame
8_1
9_2
9_3
9_4
9_5
9_6
9_7
9_8
9_9
9_10
9_11
10_12
10 13
10_14
10_15
Path of action
Dialogue /
Soundtrack
cue
Animation
Camera
instructions
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
10_16
10_17
Purple begins
to jump about
and wakes the
laptop.
Same music
Laptop stirs
Same angle
as before.
As the laptop
wakes up fully it
slams shut on
the pair.
Sounds of
crunching,
biting and
burping.
Laptop is
closing lid.
Keep same
shot.
Laptop
moving lid
Close shot
focusing on
logo
10_18
10- 19
11_20
11_21
11_22
11_23
11_24
11_25
11_26
12_27
12_28
12_29
Music stops.
12_30
12-1
12-2
12-3
12-4
13-5
13-6
13-7
13-8
13-9
13-10
13-11
13-12
The laptop lifts
its lid again to
reveal the E4
logo
none
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
14 13
14 14
14 15
Liaising with client (write notes on discussions between you and your client)
Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet
