VSP - Final Project / Stop Motion

3.11.2023 - 1.12.2023 (Week 10 - Week 14)
Chong Hui Yi / 0363195
Video & Sound Production / BDCM
Final Project / Stop Motion

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Final Project: Stop Motion

Fig. 1.0 Final Project Proposal

Once I had a rough idea for the story, I decided to give it a try by shooting with my phone first. This helped me get familiar with the process and also allowed me to estimate the approximate duration. Since I was shooting at home without any professional equipment, the lighting was quite poor.

Fig. Testing

Before officially starting the shoot, I prepared various props and materials, including Lego store setups, a road made by connecting two A4 sheets, a tripod, a clay character, and a toy car. Towards the end of the shooting setup, I placed a white plastic board to block the chaotic background.

Fig. 1.0 props and materials

I used the camera on my phone for the shoot, utilizing the professional mode. The settings can be seen in Fig. 1.3.

Fig. 1.0 Shot by phone

During the shoot, I was really afraid of accidentally shifting something and having to reshoot, but fortunately, it all went smoothly in the end. Next, I imported all the photos into Premiere Pro for some basic editing. Since my camera's shooting size is only 3:4 or fullscreen, I needed to cut it into a 16:9 aspect ratio in Premiere Pro. 

I chose Premiere Pro for editing because I am more familiar with how to add sound effects and utilize those features compared to After Effects.

Fig. Stop Motion (no sound effects & music)

I found free sound effects on Pixabay and Freesound, downloaded them, and imported them into Premiere Pro

Fig. Sound effects

Fig. Adding sound effects

At the end, I added music 'Final Credits' and included text to make the video more humorous, serving as a reminder for people not to always look at their phones while walking. And that's how I completed my stop-motion project!

Final Outcome:

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/B0C-TNNyAVA?si=_Sxu56MuCHQgEWrC 

Fig. Final Stop Motion

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FEEDBACK

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REFLECTION

The stop-motion project has been the most enjoyable in this module for me. It doesn't require intricate editing skills or the need to scout for materials like shooting a TikTok video. I can create fun stories using clay and Lego, and I really love it! After trying it myself, I now understand how challenging it is to create smooth stop-motion animations like those I've seen online, and of course, voiceovers are crucial. Having a remote control and tripod for shooting makes the process much easier.

I believe patience is crucial for stop-motion. Adjusting positions slowly and capturing each frame is essential, and to achieve smoother motion, you need to capture even more frames. However, I feel I may have taken too few shots in the latter part of the video and regret it a bit.

Creating a short 30-second film requires so many photos. I can't imagine the time and effort needed for those online stop-motion videos that are over 10 minutes long—I truly admire those creators. It's through this final project that I discovered Pingu, the stop-motion animation I watched as a child, and it's truly magical.