On Thursday mornings at Sag Harbor Elementary School, students in grades three through five can spend time before the school day starts in Claymation Club. The club, run by art teacher, Lisa Miller, teaches the participants about Stop Motion Animation.
Stop motion animation is a filming technique that uses individually photographed frames of physically manipulated objects. To see the stop motion filmmaking technique in action, the students referenced two films, “Wallace and Gromit” and “Chicken Run.”
Inspired by the films, the club participants were challenged to construct their own short films. “The students have been doing a fantastic job in the creation of their short stories, construction of wire-and-clay characters, and the assemblage of 3D backdrops,” said Miller.
Working together in small groups of their choice, the students also learned introductory editing software called Stop Motion Studio. “Many students have chosen to extend their club sessions to learn how to integrate sound effects and background music during the editing process,” said Miller.