Stopmotion Explosion REVIEW

Guide Book

They say there is a first time for everything, right?  Well, I must say that reviewing the Stop Motion Animation Kit from Stopmotion Explosion hit it out of the park for my son!  I remembered that he had taken a class at our local library on videography but I did not realize that they had worked with stop motion.  He was SO EXCITED to be able to review this product.  In the kit, we received a quick start guide, the Stopmotion Explosion guide book (294 pages), CD-Rom program disc (animation software, Audacity program, and many extras including some sound effects), and a full HD 1080p camera.  Everything you need to get going is included in the kit.  You will need internet access to use the online content that includes step-by-step video tutorials and sound effects.

System requirements are a computer running OS X 10.7+ (MAC) or Windows 7 and newer (the computer we used had Windows 7).  If you do not have a CD-ROM drive you can access the contents on the CD disc online at the link given in the Quick Start Guide.  With the included Quick Start Guide you can be up and going in a very short time.  

The Quick Start Guide gets you up and going fast.

The Stop Motion Animation Kit is recommended for ages 13+ but younger children with good computer skills and/or additional help from an older sibling or parent can also successfully use it.  The online video tutorials are VERY helpful.  Just what is stop motion anyway?  It is basically taking a series of pictures and stringing them into an animated movie.  The process can be a little challenging and the editing a little frustrating, but the end result is so worth it.  To be able to view a movie that you created from scratch is pretty cool.  There is even an app that you can download and use to create a movie clip on your phone or tablet.  From what I can tell you can create but not edit from your phone.  I'm guessing you would take the created file and import into your editing software like Movie Maker.

Free App download

The instructions guide you through how to go about editing your creation(s).  If your computer doesn't already have Movie Maker on it you can download it yourself for free.  We learned online that Movie Maker 6.0 is the better one to use because the newer version for Windows Live isn't as versatile.  Audacity is an audio editing program and it is available and loads from the included program CD (or as a free online download).  In the "What's Next?" chapter it discusses how you can take it to the next level with better software (which of course isn't free).  Please note that with all that is included and with the free downloads available, you can create wonderful movie animations.  The lack of quality of our sample videos in this review is due to the technical difficulties we had (with our computer) and the fact that he forgot to add brighter lighting when filming.  The guide book stresses how important good lighting is to the quality of the finished product.

He needed much better lighting here.

Creation in the making

Since my son is older and had a little experience I just turned him loose with the product.  There were some technical difficulties along the way (our computer, not the program), but he managed to get things done.  We lost his original creation which was awesome so I'm sad about that.  We had to start over and ran out of time for more edits.  I will definitely take the time in the future to look at this more in depth and make my own movie!  I think the amount of instruction given with the guide book and especially the online videos is terrific.  It all takes time to review, but the instructional videos are wonderful. These are some sample practice videos he created.

Be sure to check the CD-ROM contents out because there are extras such as sample movies, sound effects, PDF version of the Quick Start Guide, and a PDF of a blank storyboard sheet.  Again, there is also plenty of material available online through their website and links provided in the guide books. Here is one of my son's final creations.  Not his best, but we didn't have time to redo after he lost his best one.

There are 17 chapters covered in the Stopmotion Explosion: Animate Anything and Make Movies guide book that include:

1. How Movies Work
2. Animation Actors
3. Creating Stories
4. Building Sets
5. Cameras
6. Lighting
7. Composition
8. Animating
9. Flight
10. The Art of War
11. Sound
12. Video Editing
13. Files and Formats
14. Frame Conversion
15. Sharing Your Animations
16. Animating with DSLRs
17. What Next? (suggestions on how to take it to the next level)

It's easy to see that they have all the basics covered for you to have success in creating stop motion videos.  The included stop motion camera makes this kit such a great deal for your little creation artist.  We definitely give the Stop Motion Animation Kit a double thumbs up!!  We are hooked and look forward to creating more stop motion videos.  In the words of my son, "It was a really good program."

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