February 3, 2016. Johnston, RI. Back by popular demand, Media Smart Libraries ran its second Stop Motion animation workshop at the Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library facilitated by Bonnie Epstein, Executive Director of Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art (RIMOSA). Like our first Stop Motion workshop, this evening was filled with creativity, exploration, and fun for our school and public librarians.
The workshop began with an overview of animation types, including hand drawn, paper cut, pixilation, and object. Epstein explained the differences in animation media by showing video clips and shared tips and tricks on how to achieve each animation effect. She also provided examples of how she structures her lessons with students, which included rotating which student was the “director” of the movie and operating the camera.
Next librarians split into groups and chose which animation type they wanted to try out. Armed with tripods and iPods with the Lego Movie Maker app, they got to work testing out their new skills and modeling the group structure explained by Epstein. The short films produced were hilarious and thoughtful, and the group enjoyed showcasing their work at the conclusion of the workshop. Many participants were amazed at how easy the process was and discussed the possibilities for collaboration and programming in their libraries. To see examples of the videos created during this workshop, visit our youtube page.
RIMOSA is available to facilitate stop motion workshops (visit their website for pricing and details) and be on the look-out for new Stop Motion Library programs in your community!