Stop-Motion Film Making Class for High School Homeschoolers
Do your homeschooled teens throw themselves into a chair & complain at the mere thought of having to complete a “fine arts” requirement for high school?
How about having them do a Stop-Motion Film Making class for a fine arts credit instead?
This Stop-Motion Film Making class is a great way for a technology-minded homeschooler to earn his or her fine arts credit.
We have required a fine arts elective for each of our kids to graduate from our homeschool.
When it came time for my son to choose his class, he wasn’t exactly excited about the prospect. He is more interested in technology than in painting or music.Â
However, he has enjoyed creating movies with his sisters, so I suggested a Lego stop-motion movie making & movie history class. He readily agreed and even enjoyed the class!
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Here are the resources we used in our Stop Motion Film Making Class.
Required Resources
Brick Flicks: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Your Own Stop-Motion Lego Movies by Sarah Herman
Screenwriting for Dummies by Laura Schelhardt (This title has a newer edition from 2021 which may have some slight variations from the older edition we used)
Film History Video Series by Crash Course
Film Production Video Series by Crash Course
How to Make Stop-Motion Videos (52 Things) by Science Film Making Tips
Optional, but Helpful Resources
KLUTZ Lego Make Your Own Movie Activity Kit OR KLUTZ Lego Minifigure Photography Activity Kit
The LEGO Animation Book: Make Your Own LEGO Movies! by Dave Pagano
Resources for extending the study beyond 16 weeks
Stop Motion Filmmaking: The Complete Guide to Fabrication and Animation (Required Reading Range) by Christopher Walsh
Stop-motion Animation: Frame by Frame Film-making with Puppets and Models (Basics Animation) By Barry JC Purves
This stop-motion film making class is designed to be completed three days per week for sixteen weeks.
At the end of the stop-motion film making class, the student will turn in a completed stop-motion movie one to two minutes in length.
My son used a regular camera on a tripod to create the images.
He imported them into Movie Maker, which is a free Windows app. There are also apps like Stop Motion Studio that will let you create stop-motion movies with a phone or tablet that you might want to research. Check out these top apps lists:
6 Free Apps for Stop Motion by Brickology
15 Best Stop Motion Apps by Techigem
His movie turned out to be exactly one minute in length. It takes a lot of pictures to get a minute of stop-motion video, but the end result turned out to be well worth the effort!
Are you looking for more ways to incorporate LEGOs into your curriculum or co-op classroom? Check out these fun lego activities from Saving Talents that are especially good for your elementary and middle school age kiddos.
Download our 16 week schedule for the Stop-Motion Film Making Class in the HHO Shop
This is a “on your own” style class with a daily assignment schedule.
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