You have an idea in your mind, and you want it to be a movie. Have you thought about creating it with the art of animation? By following the steps below, you can make your first animated film.

What is your idea? What’s the story that you want to tell? Write your story briefly in a short paragraph.

Write the script of your story, the detailed version. It is important to include all places, the protagonists/characters, and the dialogues. Divide it into scenes and shots.

The most helpful tool for shooting a movie is the storyboard, ie the visualized script. Draw small frames on A4 paper or download a ready-made storyboard from the internet (related photos). Based on the scenes that you have divided your film, draw each of its shots in a separate frame of the storyboard, making sure to note next to it the movement of the characters and the sounds you want to be heard in the final film.

Stop motion animation movies are two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Depending on the aesthetics you want your film to have, choose the materials you will use and make the environments and characters. For two-dimensional films, it is better to choose flat or almost flat materials such as papers, or thin objects (tree leaves, brushes, staples, etc.), while for threedimensional films, objects with volume (plasticine, bottles, boxes, coke.). Attention: start first with the construction of the set and then with the characters and the smaller elements so as not to create problems of proportion of the materials.

Shooting a stop motion movie is nothing more than frame by frame photography. Choose a stable surface to set up your plan. Place your camera, smartphone or tablet in front of (for 3D photography) or above your backdrop (for 2D photography), on a tripod or makeshift stand (related photos). Then observe the natural light and amplify it with artificial if necessary. Stabilize very well with paper tape the tripod, the backdrop, all the static objects and the lights. Then, in case you are working with a smart device, download a stop motion animation shooting application (Stop Motion Studio application is recommended). Everything is ready and you start shooting your film. You make small movements of each object, take photos, and repeat the process until the movement / movements are completed. Always have next to you the storyboard that is the helper-reminder of the process. The smaller the moves, the more natural your movie will be at the end. (related photos) If you choose to take photos using the suggested app, see more here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DzV3-1lnTQ

Once the photo shoot is complete, there are two ways to edit the film: 1. Through the application. Play the movie in the application by following the relevant buttons. Observe the speed at which the images are projected and with the tools of the application change the speed of playback / flow of the images until it is the one you want. 2. In a video editor for PC such as Videopad, Adobe Premiere and so on. Prerequisite for this is you know the basic video editing tools.

Once the film’s rhythm is finalized, add the sounds, music, and dialogs to the editing program or application by following the steps below. This is the stage where you synchronize the image with your sound to produce the final film. (related photos)

When the editing of the film is completed, you proceed to the last step, ie the export of the film. As you cannot share your movie while playing in the program or application, export it to the program or follow the steps of the application and then save it to your device files. It is recommended that you export your movie to .mp4 so that it can play on all the devices you want to project it (TV, PC, etc.)

Congratulations! You have completed your first stop motion animation movie! Do not keep it for yourself, upload it to your social media accounts, send it to your friends or screen it at home and elsewhere.

The present forms part of the project Animathesis, which is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture.