Online Animation
Activity 1: What will you Animate?
(15 minutes)
What would you enjoy making a short animation about? If you’ve already Sketched out a Story, you could animate the story from your storyboard. If you don’t have a storyboard yet, brainstorm some ideas for you animation.
Having trouble thinking of ideas? What if you made an animation about…
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A time when you overcame a challenge
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A funny story that your family likes to tell about you
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All the things that make your Club great
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An alternative ending to your favorite book or movie
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Your advice to young people thinking about joining the Club
You don’t have to write out every word for your script, but it might be nice to think about:
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Setting: where does your story take place?
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Characters: who is in this story?
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Plot: How does your story begin? What happens in the middle? How does it end?
Activity 2: Animate It!
(45 minutes)
Open the online animation program PowToon. Sign up for a free account here or use the following account information to login here:
Email: BGCAmediamaking@gmail.com
Password: BGCA
If you're using a mobile device instead of a computer, download one of these free apps:
Toontastic for an ipad
Telestory for iphone
Animator: Make your Cartoons or Draw Cartoons 2 on Google Play
You can get familiar with PowToon by using one of their templates. The key to figuring out any new program is playing around and experimenting with it as much as possible. If you like to learn a little before diving right in, or if you get stuck while using the program, PowToon has a lot of tutorials. Try to animate a short story, holiday card, or message for a friend!
Activity 3: So Far...
(20 minutes)
Instead of waiting until you’re completely finished to show off your work, it is a good idea to ask friends for feedback on what you’ve done “So Far.” When you have made some progress on your animation, share it with someone else. You might ask, “What do you think about . . . ?” or “Do you think it would be better if . . . ?” Use the suggestions and ideas to edit your animation.
Activity 4: Is this how all animations are made?
(15 minutes)
How did your animation compare to other animations you’ve seen? What’s the last animated movie you saw? Animation today is mostly digital, but people have been trying to make their drawings “move” for hundreds of years. Check out the History of Animation to see how animation has changed over time.
If you're liking Powtoon, keep working on your animation! If you really like to draw, you could try out the old-school animation technique of making a flip-book. Want to try it out? Check out this tutorial on How to Make a Flip-Book. If that sounds like too much drawing, maybe you'd prefer Claymation, Stop-Motion Animation, or Film as ways of telling stories.
What You'll Need:
Use Powtoon to create an Online Animation
Activity 5: Showtime!
(time will vary)
Gather a group of friends and show them your animation! If lots of your friends are creating animations, your Club could set up a projector and host a movie screening.
Want to earn a few digital badges in video production? Send us a link to the powtoon video you created! Email the digital media you created to BGCAmediamaking@gmail.com