Animating the Story (What I Did)

Animation:  A whole bunch of pictures of figures slung together to make it look like they are actually moving.

Something that can help you do your animation is a storyboard.  A storyboard is a row of boxes with lines underneath to write the action.  You draw a picture of what happens in the box.

Here is an example:

In order to make a good video and plan ahead, you should think about the different parts of a story.

• Main characters and supporting characters
• Villain or antagonist
• Plot - main action of the story
• Setting & props
• Theme and main idea

In my video of Darth Vader slipping on a banana, these are the main elements of the story:

• Main characters and supporting characters - Darth Vader is the main character and the figures he fights are the supporting characters
• Villain or antagonist - in Vader Slips, the main antagonist is the banana!
• Plot - Vader fights them, then slips on the banana
• Setting & props - no setting, just a blank wall; the props are the weapons
• Theme and main idea - that Vader can defeat everyone except a banana.

Giving credit is thanking someone for their ideas.  I found some ideas but used them to make a something new.  It is important to not steal other people’s ideas and to give them credit.  Thanking and naming someone who helped you is an important part of movie making.  The people who helped me the most were my mom, my brother, and some books and videos.  The ones I used are included on the beginning entry of my blog.

After you've made your movie, it is helpful to consider what you could have done better.  You can also talk to people after they've seen it, asking them what could be better in the future.