Many children and teens have access to smartphones and tablets. Rather than just using them to play games or chat online let them break out their creative side by producing a stop motion animated movie. You never know you might even have the next summer blockbuster on your hands.
What is Stop Motion Animation?
Stop Motion Animation is the process of capturing objects one frame at time while moving them slightly between each frame. By using a Stop Motion App, the frames you capture can be played back in sequence at speed to create the illusion of movement.
Stop Motion Animation has been around for over a century. It is used all the time on advertisements, television, music videos and in films. Before smartphone and tablet apps, the frames were taken with a camera and downloaded to a computer.
Stop motion can be used to animate inanimate objects, drawings and animate objects, think of the mannequin challenge which was all the rage a couple of months back. This is a classic stop motion animation technique.
Apps to Create Stop Motion Animation Movies
We have done some research on the best Stop Motion Animation Apps currently available. Before downloading any apps do check that they are compatible with your device, what comes with the free versions and is there in-app purchasing and parental controls. And have a chat with your child about how and who they share their creations with.
Stop Motion Studio is a free app for iOS (Apple ) devices. It has parental controls that can be pre-set before your child gets started filming. It does have in app purchasing to enable extra functions for creating the perfect stop motion animation movie to share with friends, family or the wider world!
Lapse It is available for iOs and Android devices. You can download a free version to try out before you commit to the Pro version which has more fun features. It is simple and fast to use and learn. So you can produce perfect stop motion movies wherever you go.
I Can Animate helps you to capture frames on iOS devices. There is a one off cost of €2.99 and for that you get all the features needed to create an amazing stop motion film.
Clayframes works with Android devices and has a free Lite version that is worth trying before you buy the full version which is currently €2.39. It has many brilliant features to enable you to create a professional looking stop motion movie.
Making your stop motion animation movie
A few ideas to get started on your stop motion animation movie career include using Lego to create Brick Flicks, Paper cut outs, drawings on a chalkboard, whiteboard or simply on paper, your siblings, parents, pets or friends, clay or play dough, dolls and mini figures.
To get going, you should do a few trials with different objects, background settings, lighting and getting the focus just right.
I hope you enjoy seeing what your children can create. For more tips and advice on useful apps for children, teens and parents check out www.mykidstime.com
