CLAY ANIMATION

Marybeth O’Brien
Grade 4 Teacher
Huntington Elementary School
WHAT IS CLAYMATION?

 Claymation is the generalized term for clay

animation a form of stop animation using clay
 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-animation.htm

 The term claymation was coined by its creator,

Will Vinton, owner of an animation studio that
worked with clay artists to create clay animation.
 Claymation involves using objects or characters
sculpted from clay or other moldable material,
and then taking a series of still pictures that are
replayed in rapid succession to create the illusion
of movement.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-raisin.htm
HAVE YOU SEEN?
WHAT GOES INTO ANIMATING CLAY?
 Artists sculpt the characters out of clay and often
support the sculpture with wire molds underneath.
 To create the illusion of movement, the position of
the sculpted characters is altered slightly in every
still photo, or frame.
 Claymation generally requires a storyboard or
background for the characters to be set against and
to develop what they will do or say.
 Depending on the length of production, the same
character may need to be sculpted hundreds of
times.
PRINCIPLES OF CLAYMATION
 Camera and Lighting positions must remain
constant
 Clay movements should be minimal within
each picture
 Human hands must not appear in pictures
 The simpler the scene…the more noticeable
the clay animation becomes
 Hard work will produce a magnificent
creation, but the size of the video may only
be a BLINK!
 300-600 pictures creates a 45 sec-1 min
video
PURPOSE OF CLAYMATION
 The purpose of this Clay Animation project is
for students to work cooperatively in the
presentation of a classroom curriculum topic
utilizing lab hardware (computer, camera)
and software (Image Blender) while referring
to the Classroom Applications Guidelines
sheets demonstrating capability of following
directions. It’s very important to have a good
time doing this!
EQUIPMENT
 Backboard/Poster Board
 Modeling Clay
 Toothpicks for Body Part Support
 Fishing Line
 Sequins, etc. (decoration)
 Styrofoam
 Digital Camera
 Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, etc
 Movie Player Program
 Computers
A FEW TIPS FOR THE TRADE
 Do not huddle around figures (may leave
shadows)
 Make sure figures aren’t too heavy
 Toothpicks are helpful to support figure body
parts
 Fishing line VS string so that it is invisible
 Slow, gradual movement of figures
 Take many pictures 200-600!
 Simple and few characters (too many to
move gets complicated)
A FEW THEMES OF INTEREST
 Bean plant growth over time
 Bird nest building progress
 Student change during school year
 Science:
 Food chain
 Forest procession
 Water cycle
 Solar System
 Butterfly metamorphosis
 Social Studies:
 Pioneer and Indian Thanksgiving
 Story of Rosa Parks
 ‘I Have A Dream’ speech
 Geography Around the Word
LET’S GET STARTED
 1. Select two or three students to work on your Clay
Animation with. Be sure to select partners that you are
able to work well with.
 2. Collaborate with your partners to come up with a well
thought out storyline for your animation. The storyline
must have a beginning, middle, and end.
 3. Create your background scene using ONE (1) poster
board. Your background should not be a quick scribbled
picture but a well planned and thought out scene that
coincides with your storyline. ALL group members must
work on the background scene cooperatively
 4. Create your clay figures. Do not waste modeling clay or
leave any mess for someone else to clean up. Your
characters must have been approved, created by all
partners, and done with care.
MORE STEPS
 5. Make many small moves with your figures and
step back when taking the pictures so that you
do not create a shadow on the picture
 6. After completing all of your shots transfer
your pictures to the H: drive once you are signed
on as Hunt Student, place them in the file
named Obrien, then Claymation Pics and create
a new folder with your project name on it.
 7. Open your pictures in MovieMaker. You will
need to search for your folder on the Server.
Create your animation according to the Movie
Maker steps.
HOLLYWOOD QUALITY
 You need to be ready to start taking pictures at
the beginning of the class time so that you are able
to take all of your shots and not have to start again
on a different day. Your animation will not move
as smoothly if you have to stop in the middle of
shooting pictures.
 Once the camera/tripod/background are in place,
don’t move them an inch! Animations look much
more realistic if the background and camera are
not jumping back and forth
 Turn on ALL of the lights in the classroom so that
you will have plenty of light to see the animation
activity
 …WATCHFUL EYE AND
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
 Take turns taking pictures and moving the characters so
that each member has the opportunity to do all of the jobs

 Make MANY SMALL moves with your characters. No big

movements that jump your character from point A to point
B. You want 50 pictures not 15. The more pictures that you
have the better your animation will be.

 Finish up at least 5 minutes before the end of class so that

your pictures can be transferred to your folder. Do not
leave until your pictures are transferred. We don’t want
your animation lost

 Clean up all of your mess. Throw away your background,

save whatever clay that can be reused.
 ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
4 3
Organization Animation is well organized with a
beginning, middle, and an end that
explains concept very well
Content Covers topic in-depth. Subject
knowledge is expressed well
Materials Materials are totally prepared and
ready at the beginning of class on
assigned day
Cooperation Group members worked well together Group members had one
with all participating in all areas of or two minor issues
project
Hardware Students followed direction on
Classroom Applications Guideline
sheets for camera, computer, and
Server use
Software Students followed direction on
Classroom Applications Guideline
sheets for steps on using Video
Blender, saving to the server, and
burning one copy for the group
2 1
Animation is thought out Animation is weak in Animation does not flow
but is missing one of the attempt to show any of with a beginning, middle,
expectations of the expected beginning, or end and does not
beginning, middle, end, middle, end, or concept effectively teach a
or teaching a concept concept
Topic includes much Topic includes some Content is minimal OR
knowledge about the information about the there are several factual
topic. Subject knowledge topic but there are 1-2 errors.
appears to be good. factual errors.
Materials are prepared Materials are not Group is not ready to
with one or two minor prepared at the begin project within a 10
fixes beginning of class and minute time period of
project must be started class beginning
5-10 minutes late
Group members had Group members had so
several issues during the many issues that teacher
during the preparation of preparation of project had to step in on several
project that required teacher to occasions to get project
step in accomplished
Students followed most Students required help on Students do not rely on
of the directions from a couple of uses of their Classroom
Classroom Applications equipment and were not Applications Guidelines
Guideline sheets for relying on Classroom sheets and are looking
camera, computer, and Applications Guidelines for constant help from
Server use sheets teacher or other students
Students followed most Students required help on Students do not rely on
of the directions from a couple of steps of their Classroom
Classroom Applications Video Blender, saving to Applications Guidelines
Guideline sheets for the server, or burning sheets and are looking
steps on using Video one copy for the group for constant help from
Blender, saving to the and were not relying on teacher or other students
server, and burning one Classroom Applications
copy for the group Guidelines sheets