Thinking of entering the Animated Histories Film Festival and wondering where to start? Or just missed out on our summer tour with the Aardman Academy and wanting to learn a bit of stop motion animation?
Then you are in the right place.
We have worked with some amazing animators to create a few short tutorials to get you started, and pulled together some great resources and even some lesser known histories to use as inspiration.
Have fun 😊
Still want more – check out Aardman Academy courses.
“An easy to use stop motion animation app from the world famous Aardman studios, creators of Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph and Chicken Run. Perfect for absolute beginners and pros alike, Aardman Animator has been tried and tested by the experts at Aardman. It’s simple to use, making it easy and fun to bring your own stories to life!”
Music and sound can add to the drama of your stop-motion animation, helping to build tension or create comedy. However you need to be careful that you have the right permissions to use the piece you have picked, which in some cases means asking the artist or their management. Sites like Premium Beat are good resources for soundtracks, as well as music libraries built into certain editing platforms. You can also record your own music and sound effects to avoid any of these questions. Before submitting ensure you have the permissions needed or ownership of the soundtrack.
Ideally you can use photos, drawings, or illustration that you have created and as such own, for your animation. However, if not you will need to think about image copyright. You will need to establish the source of the image and check it’s usage, some images are creative commons, others you might need to purchase a license to use, whilst some you will not be able to use at all. You should also avoid using images that show any brand logos.
When telling a story through any medium it is handy to storyboard it first, this can be written or drawn out to help you stay on track and know where you are going. Check out a template you can use below.