PROGRAMME

DOCUMENTS:
Get Into Animation INTRODUCTION
SIX SESSIONS FROM STORY TO SCREEN SESSION 1
• What makes a
successful animation?
SESSION 2
SESSION 3 HOW CAN WE • What styles of stop motion
animation can we use?
MAKE OUR MODELS?
SESSION 3
• How can we make
our models?
SESSION 4
• How can we capture
our animation?
SESSION 5
• How can we add sound
and edit our animation?

See, think, make. SESSION 6

Learn • How can we showcase,
share and celebrate
intofilm.org our film?
VISUAL GLOSSARY

Into Film is a trading name of Film Nation UK. Registered charity no. 1154030. © Into Film 2020. All rights reserved.
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Teachers’
Activity outlines
notes Session 3 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

How can we make our models?

This session we will begin to make the models and sets needed for
animating. We will look at how models are designed and made for
claymation, paper cut-out, silhouette and pixilation animations and
consider some top tips for model making.

Suggested timings:

If you have… Steps Slides

20 minutes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14

40 minutes All 1–14

60 minutes + All All

Essential life skills

PROBLEM SOLVING TEAMWORK COMMUNICATION ANALYTICAL

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
• Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen –
Session 3 PowerPoint presentation
• Get Into Animation: Visual Glossary PowerPoint presentation
• Model making top tips worksheet (page 7)
• Modelling clay
• Coloured paper or card
• Black card
• A lightbox
• Coloured pens/pencils/paint
• Coloured acetate or tissue paper
• Top Tips worksheet (page 7)
• Storyboard template (page 8)
• Planning worksheet (page 9)

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 2

Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Activity outlines Session 3 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

SESSION 3: HOW CAN WE MAKE OUR MODELS?

STEPS:

1. Slide 1 is the title slide for this session.

2. Slide 2 introduces the key question for this session, how can we make
our models?

3. There are clips of four different animation styles on slide 3; these

include silhouette, claymation, paper cut out and pixilation. Play each
clip to your group and ask them if they can identify how the stop motion
animation was made and if they can match the clip to the type of
animation. There are brief descriptions of each type in the slide notes.

Claymation:

4. Play the animation titled Model making on slide 4 and ask members
to listen carefully to the information it gives and note it down on their
copies of the Model making top tips worksheet. Discuss the tips
together and ask learners:
a) Why do they think it is important to build strong models with a
flat base?
b) How do they think the lip synching and blinking effects are achieved?
Individuals can add further details to their copies of the top
tips worksheet.

5. Use slide 5 to explain to members that claymation is a form of stop

motion animation using modelling clay. This style uses 3D models and
sets to achieve its animated effect.

6. Play the video Claymation on slide 6 and ask your group to listen out
for the tips they are given. Discuss the top tips that they heard and
encourage members to write them onto their versions of the Top tips
worksheet.

7. Display slide 7, which gives two examples of stop motion animation sets.
On the left is a still of a student-made film set and on the right is a clip
of an Into Film set visit for Shaun the Sheep: the Movie. Ask members to
look carefully at each set and identify which parts of the sets are made
using modelling clay. Ask them if they can see any other materials being
used and the possible reasons for this?

8. Use slide 8 and ask members to discuss in small groups the materials
they could use to make their models (other than modelling clay) by
referring to the top tips that they have collected and looking back at
last week’s completed Planning worksheet to help them identify the
models they will need to build.

Further tips for claymation:

A quick tip for creating modelling clay characters is to keep them
strong and simple – you do not want pieces falling off as you are
adjusting their limbs.
Younger students may try to shape their characters flat onto the
table – this is fine for lightweight paper cut-outs but will make clay
characters too flimsy.

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 3

Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Activity outlines Session 3 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

SESSION 3: HOW CAN WE MAKE OUR MODELS?

STEPS:

Further tips for claymation:

Start models off with blocks or round balls rather than thin strips
and encourage students to build models with a flat round base.
Thin legs can be a weak area that might see your characters
topple over.

9. Slide 9 explains to members that cut out animation uses 2D models cut
out of card. You may wish to play the exemplar of a cut-out animation
on slide 3.

Cut-out:

10. Play the animation titled Cut-out on slide 10 of the presentation and
allow your group time to discuss and write the top tips on their copies of
the Top tips worksheet.

11. There are examples of cut out animation sets on slide 11 in addition to
questions to discuss with your group. The clip on the left is from the
short The Storyteller by Nandita Jain and uses colours to create depth.
The clip on the right is from the short Miss Todd by Kristina Yee and the
cut-out characters are placed on 3D sets.

12. Display slide 12 of the presentation and ask members how they
can produce their models to imply perspective and depth of field.
Encourage learners to add tips onto their worksheets.

Further tips for cut-out animations:

Paper figures might be easily broken by the time the whole class
has animated with them, so try to use thin card or reinforce
coloured paper with card.
Draw characters with long arms and legs; these can then be cut
out and reattached at the joints with adhesive putty or split pins
ready to animate. Remember, when using adhesive putty, less is
more. You don’t want to be able to see the putty past joints as you
move your character, so be quite strict with the amount you use.
Unlike claymation, anything you make using paper cut outs will
be in 2D. If you have time, you could make profile and front-on
versions of the main characters and models to add depth to your
animation.
A good cheat is to put detail on both sides of your model, so that
one model can be used for the front and back of a character. has
animated with them, so try to use thin card or reinforce coloured
paper with card.
To give the illusion that a character is turning to the side, simply
swap your front-facing character for the side profile.

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 4

Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Activity outlines Session 3 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

SESSION 3: HOW CAN WE MAKE OUR MODELS?

STEPS:

Silhouette:

13. D
isplay slide 13 and ask members to work out how they think silhouette
animations are made. You can refer back to the exemplar clips on slide
3. Ask them to look at the photograph on slide 13 and identify where
the camera is whilst animating.

14. Slide 14 has the animation Silhouette for you to watch with your group.
You may wish to play the film more than once so that members can
consider the top tips and write them down on their worksheet.

15. There are examples of silhouette animation sets on slide 15 for

young people to think about how sets are constructed for this type
of animation.

16. Display slide 16 and remind members that, like cut out animation,
silhouette animation is 2D but uses black card for making models.
Ask them how they plan to introduce colour to their scene.

Further tips for silhouette animation:

Using a lightbox can create a very dramatic and filmic aesthetic
for your animation. Lightboxes can be bought cheaply but it may
be worth checking with your school art department as they may
already have one or two.
For a bold and eerie animation, use black card to create silhouetted
characters, backgrounds and sets.
Any details, character features and definition should be cut out so
that the light can shine through the card.
Cut out windows and cut around doors (leaving the hinge attached)
and have your characters move through houses by moving them
behind the card.
Coloured acetate and thin tissue paper can also be used to add a
little colour to your animation.

Pixilation:

17. There is a summary explaining pixilation on slide 17.

18. On slide 18 there is a short video which explains what pixilation is and
provides tips which members can add to their top tips worksheet.

19. Slide 19 has an example of pixilation, which is creating stop motion

using humans. Play the youth-made short The Boy Who Stayed In and
discuss with your members how they think this technique was achieved
by the young filmmakers.

20. Watch the clip from an interview with Stanley Pickle filmmaker by Vicky
Mather on slide 20 where she explains how the film was made and
discuss withhow the set was made to suit this style of animation. Ask
your group to listen carefully and to add any tips to their worksheets.

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 5

Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Activity outlines Session 3 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

SESSION 3: HOW CAN WE MAKE OUR MODELS?

STEPS:

21. Slide 21 has two short clips from animations so that your group can see
a range of sets used for making pixilated animations.

22. Slide 22 poses questions for your group to consider before they
attempt pixilation. Discuss together and add any further notes to their
worksheets.

23. Slide 23 sets the question for the next session in this series.

Further tips for pixilation animation:

Click on this link for more tips: https://www.intofilm.org/news-
and-views/articles/animate-fotm (c) Into Film, 2018.
All rights reserved.

Characters:
If your club are all working together on one storyline then there will likely
be instances where one character is in multiple scenes. The easiest way to
account for this is to ask one group to produce the character designs and
then use a colour photocopier to make duplicates of the character. The
copies will need to be cut out and hinged in the same manner as the rest of
the models but this will save you time in model making and ensure that the
characters used across the groups look the same.

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 6

Worksheet

Model making top tips

Model Tip 1
making
Tip 2

Tip 3

Claymation Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

Cut out Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

Silhouette Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

Pixilation Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 7

Worksheet

Make a Storyboard template

NOTES: NOTES: NOTES:

NOTES: NOTES: NOTES:

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 8

Worksheet

Planning your film

Now we’ve thought about all the things we need to make a film,
fill out this table with all of your ideas.

Main character Other characters Where is it set?

What type of film is it? What is the challenge or How is it solved?

problem in your film?

What happens at the end?

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 9