Introduction to Stop Motion Animation

Saturday July 11th

1 - 4 pm

Free

Facilitated by: Adrienne Scott

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/introduction-to-stop-motion-animation-tickets-1992170667093?aff=oddtdtcreator

Stop motion is a form of frame-by-frame animation often associated with large, laborious studio productions, but it is also achievable on an independent scale with limited resources. This workshop will introduce participants to stop motion as an available means of creating experimental animations (and experimental film) with basic resources like a digital camera, computer, household lighting, and inexpensive materials.

The workshop will give an overview of foundational concepts for frame-by-frame animation. Participants will be shown a range of stop-motion animation examples, highlighting independent practices made with DIY setups that can be achieved at home. Following this introduction, the workshop time will be used as a hands-on work period where participants will learn technical and creative skills for realising their own stop motion animations.

Technical skills that will be reviewed include:

• Setting up a basic animation stand with a camera and a tripod with simple lighting.

• How to troubleshoot common issues (like flicker, camera instability, etc)

• Sequencing images to create video within Premiere pro

Creative strategies that will be developed include:

• Planning animation sequences with storyboards

• Different approaches to animation and creating rudimentary figures with paper, wire, and other common materials for animated characters or forms

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a basic understanding of frame-by-frame practices, and will have created short (5-10 second) animations during the work period. Additional external resources on animation will be shared if participants would like to explore animation further outside of the workshop.

All materials will be provided but participants are invited to use their own phone cameras for capturing images if they prefer. A top-down animation stand will be available for use during the workshop.

Facilitated by Adrienne Scott (she/her), an artist, animator, and educator based in Toronto, Ontario. She holds a BFA from the University of Ottawa (2016) and an MVS from the University of Toronto (2024), where she was a recipient of a SSHRC Master’s scholarship during her studies. She has shown work at Karsh-Masson Gallery, Idea Exchange, Gallery 44, Art Museum at the University of Toronto, and Pleasure Dome. Her writing has appeared in online publications including "off centre," and in 2024 she curated a screening of Vera Frenkel’s work, "The Last Screening Room: A Valentine," at Trinity Square Video. Most recently, her animated film "Finding another entrance, trying the same door" was screened at the Fluxus Experimental Film Festival and the Ottawa International Animation Festival.