A summer animation bootcamp with real animators.
Why Stop motion animation?
The world around us is full of texture and movement. Stop motion animation teaches us to observe this movement and play an active role in creating visuals. In a world of AI generated art, stop motion encourages us to stop and use our hands to reflect on the world around us.
We learn about movement, textures, and using things from the world around us to create…anything! Stopmotion is limitless - you can recycle materials, create with clay, or even just cut out pieces of paper into fun shapes. There is room for imperfection making this artform very accessible to any level of artist.
What will we learn?
Part 1 — How We See: The Science Behind Motion
Incremental movement — how tiny changes create life
Character posing — expressing emotion through shape and silhouette
Lighting basics — keeping scenes consistent
Set and prop handling — avoiding “jumps” and “flicker”
Camera stability — the secret to professionallooking animation
Part 2 — Why Stop Motion Works
Persistence of vision — why still images appear to move
Frame rates — what makes animation smooth or choppy
Optical illusions — simple demonstrations that make the science click
Storytelling through movement — how animators guide the viewer’s eye
Part 3 — Create a Stop Motion Short to Take Home
1. Choose a character (clay, paper, toys, or a simple puppet)
2. Build a tiny set with props and background
3. Plan a microstory — 5–15 seconds of animation
4. Animate frame by frame using a professional stopmotion app
5. Add sound or music (optional)
6. Export their finished film to take home and share