Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Pre-Production Booklet for Animation

Name: Harry Dodson
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)

Treatment
I am creating a music video for Billion Production House in London to show off my stop
motion technique skills. I will use The Debt You Owe Your Demons by Elwood City. The
music video will be 90 seconds long. The music video will start with equipment moving
around the garage before the band comes in. When the band enters the garage the
equipment will all be set up and will not be moving any more. I will use stop motion to do
this. The band will then begin to play the song. At the beginning, there will not be any stop
motion until the chorus where different equipment will start moving around the room. The
band will then realise that the equipment is moving and the guitar leads will begin to fall out
of the amplifiers. This will be done by using stop motion as there isnt a way to make all the
equipment move by itself whilst filming.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

How will you meet the requirements of your brief?

There arent very many requirements to meet for the brief. The only real requirement I need
to stick to is that the music video is from 80-90 seconds. This wont be a problem to meet
because there is a lot going on in the video.

ACTIVITY

Guitar cables/
Amp cables

HAZARD

RISK
H/M/L

Tripping
hazard

PRECAUTIONS

Make sure
ground is
clear of
cables and
everyone is
aware
where they
are

IN PLACE

REVIEW
DATE

Yes

REVIEWER

Harry

Discuss any legal issues you may face. Eg; sound, plagiarism, age restrictions
There arent any legal issues that I may face as the content is all owned by me as the song
Im using is created by my own band. There also wont be an age restriction because there
wont be any violence or graphic content.

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?

I am using this format because it applies to the brief and will give me a wider range of things
to do so I can be more creative.

What are the different possibilities you could explore using this format?
I could explore using an armature and creating models. But for this animation Im going to
stick to using objects such as lego men. I could start the music video by lots of objects
moving around the room such as guitars or a drum kit.

What are the limitations of using this format? (i.e what problems/ obstacles might you
have?)
The limitations of using this format is that I could run into problems with animating some of
the objects such as the drunk kit and amps as some of them can be heavy and hard to
move.

What imaginative or inventive animations have you

seen which use this format?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY
This animation involves someone lying in their bed and
stop motion animation is used to make it seem as if
there are multiple different scenes in one area.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q27BfBkRHbs
This music video uses stop motion animation to
animate a piece of toast. The pictures are burnt onto
the toast and put together frame by frame to make a
video. I like this idea because its original although I
dont think it would work in my music video as its a
quite a different style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYfB1C0Zgc
This music video uses stop motion animation. Lego is
used and the blocks are moved frame by frame to create
a short film. This is inspiration for my music video as I
will be using similar techniques when the music
equipment is moving around the room

Subject
What will the subject of your animation be?
The subject of my animation will be the music equipment such as mic stands, cables and
microphones/guitars moving around the room by themselves. The band will then perform the
song.

Storyline
Describe the storyline of your animation. What events will happen to your characters?
The music video will start with equipment moving around the garage before the band comes
in. When the band enters the garage the equipment will all be set up and will not be moving
any more. The band will start to perform the song when they enter the garage. After a while,
the equipment will start moving and flying away from them. There will also be a side story
about a girl sitting in her room, and running away from home.

Characters
What characters will be in your animation?
Katie Girl who runs away from home
Joel - Drummer
Ben H Rhythm Guitarist
Liam Bass

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Ben P Lead Guitarist
Harry Vocals

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Complete the character profiles for each character in your animation

Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:

Katie
F
18
Ripped jeans, red and black flannel shirt

Occupation:

N/A

Hobbies:

Listening to music

Character
Background:

Had a tough upbringing and is stressed often.

Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:

Ben H
M
18
Normal daily clothing

Occupation:

Hobbies:

Playing in the band

Character
Background:

Recently got into playing guitar

Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:

Joel
M
17
Normal daily clothing

Occupation:

Hobbies:

Playing in the band

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Character
Background:

Been playing drums from a young age.

Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:

Liam
M
17
Normal daily clothing

Occupation:

Hobbies:

Playing in the band

Character
Background:

Bassist

Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:

Ben P
M
17
Normal daily clothing

Occupation:

Hobbies:
Playing in the band

Character
Background:

Been playing guitar from a young age.

Name:
M/F:
Age
Costume:

Harry
M
17
Normal daily clothing

Occupation:

Hobbies:

Playing in the band

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Movement of characters

How are you going to make your characters move?

I will make the equipment move by moving the items and taking a photo very slowly. This will
make it look as if the equipment is moving by itself. I will also attach some equipment to
string to make it look as if it is flying.

What is the purpose of an armature?

The purpose of an armature is to control a model character and make sure that every single
photo taken is in the correct place. This will make the animation a lot smoother and it will
look better as a result.

Will you use them for your characters?

No, because I will not use a model character in my animation.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Mood board

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.
The band will perform in the garage.

Katie runs away from home

She runs to here

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Audio and Soundtrack

What audio will you have for your animation?
The Debt You Owe Your Demons Elwood City
What actions will need sound effects?
I will not need any sound effects.
PROPS LIST
Production Name:
Producer:
Item

Script page

Description

Character/location

Mic Stands

2 mic stands,
head height,
average mic
stand

Harry + Ben H
1 mic stand at front
(Harry), 2nd at side in
front of Ben.

Guitar 1

Red Guitar, full

size guitar, drop
D tuning

Ben P, Lead Guitar,

right side of Harry

Guitar 2

Black Guitar, full

size guitar, drop
D tuning

Ben H, Rhythm
Guitar, left side of
Harry

Bass

Black Bass, drop

D tuning

Liam, in the middle

behind Harry

Drum kit

Blue full size

drum kit

Joel, drummer,
placed behind the
band.

Microphones

Microphones on
both mic stands

Same position as mic

stands.

Old
Television

Old CRT TV on
table losing
connection

No characters, In
Small room

Table

Old wooden table

Hiding behind table

Notes

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Audience
Define the following characteristics of your audience;
Gender Male/Female

Age 12-40

Interests
Alternative Music, Stop motion animation

What forms of animation might they already watch?

CGI animated films and Stop motion animated short films.

What images do you think they enjoy watching?

They usually enjoy watching the band perform. In the music video the band will perform and
there will be cuts to other parts which will be stop motion.

What might they consider distasteful or offensive?

The storyline of the music video is quite upsetting as its about a girl whos having problems
and is depressed. I dont think the content in the music video could be offensive as there
isnt any racism or offensive scenes.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

How will you ensure that your animation will suit your chosen audience?
I will ensure that the animation will suit the chosen audience, as there will be an interesting
story line to follow about Katie who runs away from home. As well as this, there will be parts
of the band playing and equipment moving so there will always be something happening.

How will they physically watch your animation? (i.e in an exhibition format, on screen,
projection, online?)
The music video will be uploaded to YouTube and this is how the viewers will be able to find
the content.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Frame Rates
What is the duration of your animation in minutes? (minimum 30 seconds)
1 and a half minutes

In seconds?
90 seconds

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?
I will need to take 720 photographs to complete a whole minute of footage. In total, I will
need to take on average 1080 photographs to complete the whole video. This will be a bit
shorter though because some of the video will be filmed.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Lighting Design

Where will you be photographing your animation?

The animation will be filmed inside in a well-lit room

Does it have natural daylight?

The only natural lighting will be from the windows of the room which are quite large but there
are blinds to keep the light out.

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

I will need block the natural light out because if there are clouds this could affect the lighting
making some parts of the animation dark.

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

Yes

Where will you place your light source(s) to create interesting effects?
The light source will be placed behind the band and above.

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 an animator organize 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.
i.e, if you make a 90 second animation, you will need to complete 90 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
0_1

0_2
0_3
0_4
0_5
0_6
0_7
0_8
0_9
0_10
0_11
0_12
1_1
1_2
1_3
1_4
1_5
1_6
1_7
1_8
1_9
1_10
1_11
1_12
2_1
2_2

Path of action
Amps moving through 16
different shots.

Dialogue /
Soundtrack cue
Elwood City
The Debt You
Owe Your
Demons

Animation

Camera
instructions

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet