Clay Animation Project Basics

STORYBOARDING:

Storyboarding: go to our website and download our storyboard handout. Have students PLAN, PLAN and PLAN. Students can also build a mini flip-book that maps out the basic movements.

BUILDING:

Armature: Use armature wire to form a skeleton for the character. It will offer support for the clay and allow it to move more naturally. Otherwise the clay arms and legs will break off when they are moved. Twist the wire around itself, two strands thick, in order to make a strong skeleton. Try to get an “open twist” for the hands, feet and head.

Pipe cleaners are also excellent for using as armatures. Purchase the thicker wire pipe cleaners, but make sure that the “fuzz” does not easily come off. We have tried the “thick” pipe cleaners but found that the ‘thick’ referred to the fuzzy coating not the wire. Younger students work much better with the pipe cleaners, as they are easily twisted and wound into shape.

Clay: Oil based clay is the best for animation. It does not dry out in the air and stays pliable for days. The best brand is called Van Aken Plastalina, which is also sold under different brand names such as “Claytoon Clay”. It comes in wonderful colors in smaller blocks and basic colors in much larger brick-sized blocks. It is relatively inexpensive and can be reused project after project. Van Aken clay is also non-toxic, a definite plus in today’s classroom! Watch for the very cheap “non-drying” clays as they do tend to become crumbly and dry, making animation difficult. “Claytoon” and regular Van Aken clay can be purchased at most art stores (Michael’s, etc).

Tools: We purchased clay tools from an art store and found that they were ideal. We also watched for sales on spoons, butter knives and pumpkin carving tools. Garlic presses, paintbrushes, playdough tools, and other texturizing tools are excellent for adding details.

SET DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION:

SETS: Sets range from the simple to the complex. A simple “light duty” set uses a table and flat background with construction paper or printouts of scenes. A somewhat more complex “medium duty” set uses three pieces of foam board purchased from an art store. The foam board has a matt black color, and was cut apart in similar dimensions to that of a science fair board. Limit the height to 1.5 feet, though. We used Velcro tape on the back to attach the segments together, and then taped construction paper onto the front as a decorated background. A much more complex “heavy duty” set uses a similar design, but is constructed out of wood. It‘s bolted together and held up much better than the other two sets. The basic set design is shown below; watch for gaps between segments.

Flat on the groundset up board

LIGHTING: Lighting can be quite difficult as the florescent lights used in classrooms can ruin the filming due to the reflection, fluctuation, and shadows it casts on the set. The best lighting, for $10.00 a lighting unit, was a gooseneck halogen desk lamp. It was an excellent source of direct light and easy to move around the set. We have also used clip lights from Home Depot and attached them to the tabletop or to the “heavy duty” set sidewalls. We attached dimmers to the light so we could adjust the intensity.

Cameras: We have used the Olympus C3000, C4040, Sony Mavica and an inexpensive ‘cam’ camera. The best one so far has been the Mavica. The floppy disks are easy to use, the settings are simple and the image quality was reliable. When using the Mavica, watch for the size of the images and set the camera to 640 x 480. Also, a floppy disk will only hold 20-30 images, often not enough for a complete shoot. The Olympus series used a SmartMedia card (or any digital camera that stores many pictures that must be downloaded later) and was excellent for taking a large number of images. Again, watch for the image size. You will end up with unmanageably large files that hard to work with when the image size is above 640 x 480.

Software: Software ranges from the inexpensive and simple to the more expensive and complex. We have used the Spin PhotoObject software that is sold with the Tech4learning Clay Animation Kit. It is very simple to use and produces a variety of file types. It does not allow for sound or much image manipulation. It is an excellent beginning level software. Jasc Animation Studio, sold with the Jasc software line, is much more complex, but it allows for sound and fancy image manipulation.

Software Options

AVI Constructor Kit software: PC platform

This software is well worth the $50.00 price tag. It is easy to use, once you read the directions, and has many more options for advanced users.

Graphic Converter Software: Mac or PC platforms.

We have not used it but other schools have used it for clay animation.

Spin PhotoObject Software: Mac and PC platforms

This is extremely easy to use, but it getting hard to find. Tech4learning.com was the last place we found that sold the software. A great pdf tutorial can be found at:

VideoBlender: Mac and PC platforms

This software now comes with the “Clay Animation Kit” offered by Tech4learning.com’s web site. We have found that it has some limitations.

Anasazi Software: PC Platform

This software is used by quite a few animators, but has a larger learning curve.

C-point Platypus Animator Software (shareware): Windows only

We have not tried this one yet. It looks like it would work very well.

BTV Pro: Mac Platform

Again, we have not tried this software, but it sounds pretty amazing. It is not a beginner’s software package! It is a shareware that runs $40.00 per license and must be purchased over the Interent.

Clay Animation Project Basics