Video and Sound Production / Final Project

26 / 04 / 2024 — 3 / 08 / 2024 (Week 01 — Week 15)

Kim Seoyoon/ 0357755

VSP 60104 / Video and Sound Production / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Final Project 

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INSTRUCTIONS 

Module Information Booklet

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TUTORIAL / PRACTICAL

Week 10: Stop-motion shooting practice

In week 10, we had a stop-motion shooting practice session where we replicated the scenes from existing stop-motion videos. We were divided into a group of 4 but eventually merged our group with others to work efficiently. 

Week 10 Brief

Below are the original clips of the stop-motion video that we were instructed to follow:

The Cost of the Call (Claymation)

Adopt Don't Shop (Paper Animation)

Fig 1.1 Assigned roles, Week 10

Before shooting, we assigned our roles according to each of the above. As instructed, we were required to prepare the props before shooting, so we separated our tasks into smaller parts of preparing the props. 

I was in charge of creating paper props for the couch including pillows and blankets, the wall of the living room along with the frames. Below is the final look of all of our props combined. 

Fig 1.2 Prepared paper props, Week 10

As we merged two groups into two, I took part in taking the shots using my phone camera for both claymation and paper animation while the other group used a DSLR camera for shooting. 

Fig 1.3 Shooting process on stop-motion app, Week 10

Fig 1.4 G3 Shooting practice, Week 10

After all of our shootings were done, we shared our final shots among the group members which will be used for editing practice for the following week. 

Fig 1.5 Shared Drive, Week 10

Week 11: Stop-motion Editing

 

Week 11 Slides

In week 11, Mr Martin taught us how to import taken shots into Adobe Premiere Pro and AfterEffects for editing– things like how to adjust the setting to fit the desired speed of the stop-motion outcome. 

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FINAL PROJECT 

Week 1 Exercise

In week 1, we were instructed to share 3 favourite Stop Motions rationales.

1. Fantastic Mr Fox, 2009

This movie has great use of various shot sizes, which utilize 4 different scales of puppets during the animation process. 

2. The House, 2022

This film consists of 3 stories happening at the same place in different timelines, including its own themes in each story. It also utilizes great lighting effects, soundtracks, and character design that enhance the overall storytelling. 

3. The Kite, 2023

This short film utilises various materials such as cotton, felt, and cardboard that resemble the soft and warm love of the grandpa and the grandson in the film. 

Planning & Proposal

Before beginning the stop-motion shooting session, we were instructed to propose our plan for the final project. 

As planned, I worked with my friend Ameera on the final project, and we came up with two initial topics for the storyline:

• Idea #1: Cycle of Life - A stop-motion animation showing the life cycle stages in nature.

• Idea #2: A Seed's Journey - A seed goes through several adventures to find its best spot to grow.

After some discussion, we decided to go with Idea 2 (A Seed's Journey) as our final topic with the style of a paper-cut animation. We divided the task into several things and she helped with sketching out the storyboard for the shooting. 

Fig 2.1 Storyboard sketches by Ameera, Week 12

Fig 2.2 Character Designs by Ameera, Week 12

Based on the design and storyboard, I took part in making the paper props for the stop-motion animation later on. I started with creating flat-coloured paper cuts and finalized with some colour pencils to add more details. 

Fig 2.3 Prop-making process, Week 13

Fig 2.4 Finalized Props, Week 13

Stop-motion Shooting

On week 13, we had our stop-motion shooting in the campus studio and took 3 scenes in total. After the shooting, I made additional intro shots for the title of the animation. 

Fig 3.1 Stop-motion cuts, Week 13

Fig 3.2 Intro cuts, Week 14

Editing & Sounds

For editing, we separated our task into editing cuts & sound effects/ voiceover & lighting. I was in charge of editing the taken shots into a video with sound effects. 

Fig 4.1 Stop motion drive, Week 14

Firstly, I imported the sequence files onto Adobe Premiere Pro with the settings below:

Fig 4.2 Importing sequences on Adobe Pr, Week 14

After importing files, I applied the "fit-to-scale" effect from the effects tool so that all of the images fit the fixed screen size. After that, I nested each scene to edit the timings of each cut in a separate sequence folder. 

Fig 4.3 Sequences & adjusting timing, Week 14

For sound effects, I used Pixabay to collect different sound effects needed for each scene. 

Fig 4.4 Sound effects folder, Week 14

As our group's animation topic was inspired by The Amazing World of Gumball's "I'm On My Way", we used the same song as our background music. 

Fig 4.6 End Credits, Week 14

To finish up with the editing, I created an end credits roll using the keyframe tool. 

Final Outcome of Stop-motion Animation

Final Project Slides

A Seed's Journey