This week, I have been focussing on creating and finishing the stop motion to portray the story I shared last week. I had tried to make the stop motion the previous week, but it didn’t go to plan, and my setup kept moving, so most of my images were out of focus or in the wrong position.
As my schedule this week was relatively quiet, it would be a great time to carve out a few days to complete it. I spent most of the first day creating the props and taking the images, and doing a rough storyboard so I had somewhat of a plan of the images I was going to take.
Th image above is what my desk space has looked like for a while now. I finally invested in a better camera stand, and although I could have done with more space, the photos turned out okay. There were a few images that were out of focus, so you’ll notice some gaps in the outcome, but for the most part, I’d say this was a successful attempt at creating a stop motion. Below is an image of the set-up. As you can see, it’s a much better set-up than a tripod taped to a table and held down with some heavy books!
I then spent the second day working on putting the stop motion together. And now I realise why they make stop motions very short and straightforward. I took over 200 photos, and although not all of them are included, trying to piece them together and get the timings right took the best part of 24 hours. Putting the voice-over and the images proved unbelievably complicated. I was working in milliseconds most of the time, and in the end, it could still do with more tweaks. I created this on Photoshop and wonder if there is software that makes this easier. Most of my time was spent adjusting each slide by tiny amounts, and each time I changed something, somewhere else went askew. It was pretty frustrating in the end, so I ended up with this version. It’s not perfect, but it’s close enough for this assignment.
I also had to rerecord the story numerous times. I couldn’t figure out the ending line, and it didn’t flow as I had wanted to. This recording is by no means perfect, and I was ill with a viral thing at the time of recording, so my voice doesn’t sound as jolly as I had wanted. I know we still have some more time before the deadline, but I wanted to focus on putting together the proposal for the installation exhibitions in the final two weeks. As this is the culmination of the last few weeks’ work, I wanted to ensure I had enough time to do it justice.
Plus, I had already spent too long working and reworking the animation and the voice-over. I would recruit voice actors/actresses to read the stories in the real-life exhibition. They’re better trained in reading from a book. They’d make the story more engaging, and as this would be recorded in a studio, the sound quality would be much better. I recorded this on my phone and ran it through Adobe Podcast to remove the background noise and make it flow a little better.
As this is the week we are focussing on feedback, I’ve sent it to a few of the parents at school who have seen the tree and are aware of the project I am trying to create. This is what they have said:
“I think the tree is great and a heap of fun. I thought it could be a little bigger, but I know you were limited by school. I also think it’s a shame you can’t see the internal structure, as this was a work of art. I think someone who hasn’t seen this develop wouldn’t know that inside the cardboard bark, there is a bunch of recycling that the kids help to put together. This would be a great installation if you could find a way to show the inside. I can also see this displayed somewhere, like a park, where it would get people talking about sustainability and what trees mean. I know trees aren’t the focus of this installation, but I can see your idea working on a grander scale. I think the tree is great, but as you’re focussing on recycling, I wonder if a tree was the best representation. I’m unsure what you could have done instead of a tree, but it’s just a thought. Saying this, I see how you’ve tied in the tree with your story. Your stop motion is fun, and the Christmas story is lovely. I look forward to seeing how this is integrated into the tree. Overall, I think it’s a fun way of engaging people in these tough topics like sustainability and the future of our planet. I would take Eva and Rae to the installation because they’d love the stories, and I would be interested to see how you cover other sustainability-related topics.”
Amy
“It’s a super fun way to get kids talking about recycling. If Isadora had been involved, she would have had a blast. Making stuff like this is right up her alley. I’m sure the older kids took something home from this project, even if it’s just to see cardboard in a different light. I think your idea of shaping the story around the location of the real-life installation is fun and would make people feel like a part of the artwork. I agree with Amy that it’s a shame we don’t see the inside of the tree, as I can only imagine what junk has been stuffed in there. Little peepholes would have been a fun idea. So, this would be something to consider for the final pieces you both make. I can also see what you mean about the stop motion in that there could be some minor tweaks, but considering you’ve done this at home with basic equipment, imagine what you could create if you had a bunch more time and a whole studio! It’s super fun though, and a great idea.”
Anastasia
“Personally, I think the structure needs to be almost twice the size to have more impact. I’m shocked that only 9% of the tree will get recycled, but I’d be even more shocked if the tree were huge! I also love the stop-motion idea, but I agree that creating this when you have more time would make it smoother. I don’t think this is bad. I think you need to have those gaps filled a little bit. I also wonder if this story will translate to people of varying ages. Angelica would like it because she, like Otti, loves rhyming stories, but an adult without kids may find it a little cheesy. It’s a fun idea, though, and I think you’ve done well to persuade the school to be included and to display it. And I love that you worked with your brother. It must have been tricky, considering he doesn’t live in England. I would love to see what you both could create if you worked on an installation together!”
Laura
When I put it to the Whatsapp group I have with some of my coursemates, this is the feedback they had:
I agree with Laura that the installation itself needs to be much bigger. If this were to move beyond being a speculative project, then I would definitely get Marcus to come to the UK. His experience with building these huge structures would be invaluable. As he’s built structures much bigger than this, he would know how to make it more stable from the outset so we wouldn’t deal with dramas mid-way through the build. I think the installations need to be at least double the size of this tree, if not more, to make an impact. This would highlight how severe the facts are, as 9% of a bigger tree is much more significant to visualise.
I also agree that peepholes to see the internal structure would be a great addition. I had suggested this to the school after the build, but the school wanted to keep the structure whole, so we left it as it was. If we followed this same idea, and our final installation was encased like this tree, then we would definitely include viewing windows. The internal structure speaks more volumes when you can see the kind of material that we use. But this would obviously depend on the materials we use to build the artwork and how we manipulate this. Interestingly as well, this was brought up on the ideas wall:
I also agree with Brigitta that Santa needs to look more like Santa in the stop motion. I had thought about sticking items to him, but as I hadn’t done this with the other characters, I thought it would look odd. Ideally, I would have used a Santa toy or figurine, but I didn’t have one, and I didn’t want to go and purchase anything for this project. For the real-world installations, I would create the stop motions in a studio with the help of professionals. This will make the stories more engaging and impactful. However, I still intend to write all the stories as this is the skill set that I’m bringing to the project.
I think Safia raises a good point about the length of the stop motion. I struggled with this initially as my original story was much longer than this version. I simplified it extensively over the development stages and looked at the length of existing children’s stories. I remember that children’s picture books are not more than 1000 words from my undergraduate degree. The story I wrote is 962 words, so it falls well within this.
To make sure I had this right, I checked on the Penguin Random House website and found this:
(Penguin Random House, n.d.)
I also read that audiobooks are usually around 5 – 20 minutes. Beyond this, the children start getting slightly bored (Bradshaw, 2022). I think the timing works out great with this stop motion being just a little over six minutes. I played the story for my five-year-old daughter, who was engaged throughout. If I were to write a story for an adult and keep it to this length, it would still be about the right time. I want people to consider all aspects of the installations, and encouraging them to interact with the artwork for a longer time is never bad. So, I think six minutes is a reasonable length of time.
As we would use voice actors/actresses to read the stories, this will fix the issues I have with my voice. It’s annoying that you can hear I’m a little unwell. However, as I’m still ill and sound the same, I can’t realistically wait to get better to remake this. I don’t have the luxury of time. But if this became a reality, then this would be rectified.
I’m still waiting for Marcus to provide feedback on the stop motion. He’s currently busy with his work and commissions, so our communication is minimal. With Christmas fast approaching and the end of term, he and I will get busier, so I wanted to get as much collaborative work done as possible up until now. This way, I can focus on putting together the PDF and the presentation video ready for submission. There are just a few things I need to iron out with him regarding the installations, and whether we will do numerous guerrilla installations or one extensive guerrilla exhibition somewhere, so I’m hoping to get all this ironed out and explained in the PDF.
Final Outcome
References
Bradshaw, J. (2022). 15+ Best Audiobooks for Kindergarteners and Preschoolers. [online] Everyday Reading. Available at: https://everyday-reading.com/audiobooks-for-kindergarteners [Accessed 1 Dec. 2023].
Penguin Random House (n.d.). How to Write a Children’s Picture Book. [online] http://www.penguin.co.uk. Available at: https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/company-article/how-to-write-a-children-s-picture-book# [Accessed 1 Dec. 2023].
Ollie Goldson-Truman | MA Graphic Design | Falmouth University 