NEW DEADLINE IS AUGUST 21, 2022!

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SCI-FI is the theme for STOPMO JAM 4! We're breaking out the X Files: Aliens! Spaceships! Robots!

So what is a STOPMO JAM?

It is a series of short animated ideas that all relate to the theme. We've done Spring, Run and Halloween thus far. This time, it's Sci Fi!

Puppets can be made of clay, paper, foam, wire, sand, whichever materials you can utilize to create your design but it must be stop motion animated. Sorry no LEGOs, action figures, toys, or store bought items are allowed UNLESS it is modified (painted, covered with paper or clay, etc). The goal is to make a hand-made experimental film. Stop motion puppets, 2d cutouts, sand, painting, pixelation*, all hand-made animation techniques allowed.

*animating your hand interacting with a puppet is ok

IMPORTANT: Your Jam must start and end with the camera lens obscured. See this similar idea here in this VIDEO from LAIKA (but it doesn't have to be characters fighting). You just need to cover the camera lens at the start and at the end of your shot. This will help when I edit all the Jams together.  

Once you are completely finished with your Jam, upload it to online storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer and send the link to my INBOX.

If you have any questions, post them below.

 

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Important Technical Requirements!

For your Jam to look its best, please adhere to these guidelines.

Shot Length: up to 20 seconds maximum

Frame Rate: 24 fps (not 23.96 or 30 or 29.97....24 please!) 

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 @ 1920 x 1080

Finished Animation: export to Quicktime (H264 is good)

Add your own Sound FX and/or music. Make sure you have the rights to it. Better yet, record your own! 

DEADLINE is now August 21, 2022. This may seem like a long ways away but for stop motion people, it's just around the corner. Remember, you have to build and animate everything yourself. You could easily spend months just building a puppet. Start thinking of your idea first, once you have nailed it down, get to work. If you have any questions, send me a message thru SMA.com or better yet, reply to this thread. Content must be ok for kids to watch.* I reserve the right not to include your animation if it doesn't fit into these guidelines. Ok go make something!

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  • Question for the group - I am too new to know the protocol in regards to how this plays out as a group. Do we grab the subject and then we all stick to our reclusive idiosyncratic hermiting and dash off to our caverns to make our efforts into reality, or should we share progress and aspects of it as it unfolds? More in the light of sharing, I am not after praise, per sé, but we may end up collectively building up steam to July.
    • Some do, some don’t, it’s all up to you :)
    • Well, yes, with the understood option to do so, ha ha! I plan to attempt to take 3D printing and apply it into the workflow if I can pull it off.
    • That will be interesting, James. I have done some 3D prop printing for videos. What are you planning to use t for?
    • Greetings sir! Well, aside from the maquette and actual small props, I am going to see if I can print a test mould for boots and see what happens. Direct from printer to making boots. But I am going to order some flexible resin and see if I can get some good results for that as well. PS- Posted a new pic for the progression so far.
  • Here’s an example of how to approach the transition in your Jam. The action doesn’t need to be battle-related, but the transitions will work in the same way, with your character/prop/set piece filling the screen at the start and end of your Jam. https://youtu.be/BwRbPXU0ACs
  • So many ideas so little time. Must keep simple must keep simple! I have never had a camera move in a shot so maybe I can work that in this time.
  • Great choice of theme! Just one problem... how to keep it simple? So many possibilities...
  • Excited!
  • Great!
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STOPMO JAM 4 Behind the Scenes!

Post your behind the scenes photos here. I took a couple of snaps from the Robot Dance Title sequence. I made the puppet out of Sculpey and Armature wire in about a week. Animation took 5 days and Rig removal took about the same. It was very last minute as I was extended on Pinocchio by 6 weeks which cut into my time a bit, but I got 'er done! Please feel free to post your pics and share your experience.

Read more…
41 Replies · Reply by Steve Copeland Dec 22, 2022

15 Weeks Left to finish your Stopmo Jam

It's been a little quiet, so I thought I'd check in to see how everyone's progress is going? Need more time or is July 10 still doeable? I am in the final weeks of Animation on Wendell and Wild, so I haven't had time to work on mine, although I usually do the Titles. Anyway, let me know how it's going or if you have any questions.

Read more…
24 Replies · Reply by Emily Myers Jun 9, 2022