Clay Animation: Creating Video by Sequencing Images of Clay Characters
Laurie Tweton, a middle-school health teacher we have worked with, has become an advocate for student projects based on a technique called clay animation. If you are unfamiliar with the role clay animation might play in classrooms, you may be surprised to learn that you have experienced clay animation projects in another setting—the movie theater. Clay animation has been used to produce several recent full-length movies. In the hands of students, it is a method for generating short videos that serve as the culminating and focusing activity for various learning experiences.
During a typical clay animation project, small groups of students work to create clay characters and use these characters to tell a story or convey a message. The range of possible topics is unlimited. The characters could be genes and the story could be meiosis, or the characters could be historical figures and the story the portrayal of a historical event. For one such project, the multidisciplinary middle-school team Laurie works with selected the theme of “Respect,” and individual student teams worked on projects involving respect for self (for example, smoking), respect for others (for example, racism), and respect for the environment (for example, recycling). The student projects concluded with the planning, production, and sharing of one- to two-minute public service announcements based on clay animation movies. The middle-school team approach allowed the teachers to schedule large blocks of time on specific days for the clay animation project.
The team of teachers Laurie works with is associated with the areas of math, language arts, health, and science. All of these curriculum areas were represented in the work of students. Part of clay animation projects involves the development of the sets within which the clay characters “perform.” The sets, characters, and props should be in proper proportion. If the three-inch adult character is assumed to represent a six-foot-tall adult, how tall should the clay character representing an average fourth grader be? What would be proper dimensions for the door? Students were expected to perform such calculations. Students were also expected to develop outlines for their projects and to submit written scripts. Developing and evaluating the written products represented the language arts component. The areas of health and science provided the content background for the student projects.
Once students have completed their research, developed a story line and script, and created their stage, characters, and props, it is time to create the animation. Laurie describes the process as take a picture, move a little, take another picture. Characters and props are positioned on the stage. The digital camera or digital camcorder used to take a picture is positioned on a tripod or in some other secure position. A digital camcorder capable of taking and storing individual pictures was used in the “Respect” project.
Once a picture has been taken, the characters are moved. The animation process requires that only a small change be made between pictures. It takes students a while to understand the subtleties. Laurie tells students to anticipate taking 100 to 200 images to create their short movies, but she also says some experimentation always seems to be necessary.
Once the images have been collected, the images are brought into iMovie. iMovie not only allows the images to be sequenced, but also allows the eventual addition of narration or possibly a musical background and titles. To complete the production process, the components are saved as a QuickTime movie. If you are interested in trying clay animation with your students, here are some of the key areas to consider:
• Classroom clay animation movies are likely to be brief. Instead of an elaborate plot, these movies are likely to have a central message. What will that message be? The creation of a storyboard—a series of simple sketches depicting the major action sequences to be animated—can be a helpful planning activity.
• Characters are created from clay because the material is relatively inexpensive and easy to shape. Some animators use special tools to shape the clay. For more elaborate projects, clay is shaped over a wire skeleton called an armature. The wire (sometimes heavy “pipe cleaners”) makes it easier and quicker to pose the characters for the many pictures that must be taken. Sources for clay, armature material, character details (for example, eyes), and other clay animation products can be found on the Web (see the resources listed at the end of the chapter). A small industry has sprung up to meet the needs of teachers and hobbyists interested in this method for creating movies.
• The stage, set, or background for a clay animation project can be created in many ways. The figure you have attached shows a black background that focuses attention on the characters and props. Backgrounds can be painted or created from photographs. Props can be fashioned from clay or construction paper, or they may consist of small objects such as toys. A lighting source for the set should also be considered.
• The many pictures used to create an animation can be captured in many ways. We have already mentioned the use of a digital camera or a digital camcorder. Another way to capture images is with the type of simple and inexpensive video device used to feed a digital signal directly into the computer. This type of device typically is used in videoconferencing, has no storage mechanism of its own, and can be accessed by software that allows individual pictures to be captured. These devices and software can be purchased for under $100.
• In addition to video, clay animation can also be used to produce animated GIFs and simple animations. In addition to the “Respect” project, Laurie’s students have recently completed projects such as these:
“Dare to Be Different”: Three figures jump off a cliff on a dare, while one shakes his or her head and walks away.
“Terrorism”: A plea for international unity.
“Say No to Drugs”: A young person refuses to respond to the suggestion that drugs are the way to have fun.
“Please Buckle Up”: A car accident results in injury because of failure to use seat belts.
“Stamp Out Pollution”: A comment on factory waste.
One observation teachers often make in working with such projects is that some students who often go unnoticed have a rare opportunity to play a central role in a classroom activity.
Sample Clay Animation Set, Characters, and Props
Interview with Laurie Tweton [video]
