Stopmotion Explosion

When people think of our family, they often think LEGO. So naturally, when we had the opportunity to review a Stop Motion Animation Kit, the kids couldn't wait to start creating video masterpieces with the one hundred thousand tiny bricks that we own. (Nope, that's not an exaggeration.) Of course, you can create a stop motion clip with absolutely anything you can think of, but since we joke that our kids bleed LEGO, it's no surprise that every video is based around those colorful bricks.

Our family was first introduced to Stopmotion Explosion a few years ago. My kids knew a little about how stop motion worked because their dad had dabbled in it a little, but they had never tried it themselves. All it took was receiving one of the animation kits for my kids to fall in love with the art of stop motion. 

Over time, their videos became few and far between until they stopped creating them all together. I heard excuses that they didn't have the proper location to film or that the camera was difficult to use. Somehow, they lost that enthrallment with the process. That is until I informed them that we might get the new animation kit. You see, my oldest son had already been eyeing the new kit with the upgraded camera and insisted that he wanted to get back to stop motion, especially since his dad had made a fancy table for a LEGO city last year that would be perfect to use. 

Here is everything you can find in the animation kit:

• Camera -- 1080p HD; Windows and OS X compatible; manual focus down to 3cm; internal microphone; full control of exposure, color, and white balance; fully-rotating head; multifunctional clip
• StopMotion Explosion Animate Anything and Make Movies book -- This 290+ page book contains everything you need to know to make stop motion films. It gives detailed step-by-step directions for screen writing, video editing, and audio recording. It includes tips on lighting, set design, composition, animation, securing objects, special effects, and more. 
• StopMotion Explosion software disc -- The disc contains necessary files for making a stop motion film. The SME (Stopmotion Explosion) software is used for capturing the images. Audacity is used for completing audio editing. There are also sound effects, clips, and extras included.
• Quick Start Guide -- This small booklet explains stop motion in simple steps to help you get started creating. It also contains answers to common questions and links to additional materials. 

Like I mentioned, this kit has been altered from the one we received three years ago. (You can read that review here.) I personally don't remember a Quick Start Guide, but my family does. Unfortunately, I do not know where our original copy of the guide is, so I cannot use it as a comparison reference. This colorful guide though is perfect for a brief overview that highlights the main points you need to know. There are also instructions for accessing the contents of the software disc, if you do not have a CD-ROM drive.

This Stopmotion Explosion, by Nate Eckerson, is the fifth edition of the book. It is nearly identical to the third edition from our other kit with a few small changes. The digital camcorder section has been replaced by information on mobile device options, the explanation for FrameByFrame software has been replaced with SME Animator software, the black-and-white pictures are a little brighter and easier to see, the format changes on a few of the pages, and other small difference can be found.

The camera is the biggest and best improvement in this kit. Many of the issues we had with the first camera are nonexistent with this one. The clip is easier to attach to objects to hold the camera. The previous dial was very difficult to turn and would shift  the camera in the process, whereas this one is much easier to focus while keeping the camera steady.

The quality of the new camera is definitely better now, too. This one has 1080p capabilities while its predecessor maxed out at 720p. The new one has a wider angle and adjusts to light better. In fact, you can observe some of those differences in the GIF below. The old camera is on the left; the new is on the right. Notice how the old camera doesn't show a picture on the screen without an extra light source, whereas the new one adjusts to either lighting option.

Here is another comparison of the two cameras. The top left shows the old camera without the light; the top right shows it with the light. The bottom left shows the new camera without the light; the bottom left shows it with the light. The pictures are straight out of the camera, completely unedited except to create the collage.

Making a stop motion film is a lot of fun, but it is work, too. Not only do you have to take multiple pictures of characters or objects in different positions, you have to make very small movements with them. Place your object (in our case, a minifigure), take a picture, move it slightly, take a picture, move it a little, take a picture . . . It can almost seem tedious, but those minuscule movements help the video flow at a normal pace without being choppy and confusing.

The video below was created by my 11-year-old. While the ending has a bit of that choppiness I referenced, it's not because of her movements, but more so because she chose a minifig with little legs which are stationary compared to the regular legs which move independently. Also, I love the faces she chose. Her character experiences happiness, surprise, and anger.

At that point, you can export the pictures into a video and leave it like that. Most of my kids are happy with this silent films, but my oldest likes to create complete projects. He follows these steps:

1. Take pictures.
2. Export the pictures as a video file. 
3. Open the video in Windows Movie Maker (or another video editing program).
4. Record audio and add effects (credits, fade in and out, text, color balance, etc).  
5. Process the file to save as a video.

There are many tutorials both in the book and on the Content Hub on the Stopmotion Explosion site. For instance, my 13-year-old son followed the directions in chapter 10 The Art of War to make his lightsabers glow. He remembered other tips from last time, like how to make a smoke cloud and how to add a combination of sound effects from the software disc and recorded by himself.

The company recently released their own iOS app called Stopmotion Explosion Animator. You can quickly create videos with a phone anywhere you are. My husband downloaded the app and was immediately taking pictures. He said that it is straightforward and easy to use. While the app itself is free, there is a charge to unlock the exporting of the videos. Without that option, you can view your videos only within the app.

Speaking of my husband, when the kids were brainstorming ideas for their films, he told them that they didn't always have to make long videos, but could create short clips also. He made this water drop as an example. He held up two blue studs under a tower of other colors. He would take a picture after removing each stud. Then he edited out the colored ones. All that remains are the blue studs falling and splashing into droplets.  I find it a bit mesmerizing.

One thing that I love about stop motion is the creativity involved. It's fun to see the different things my kids (and husband!) create. My 9-year-old has many Creator 3-in-1 LEGO sets that he builds and rebuilds. He used the Tropical Island for his video.

You can change the frames-per-second to slow down or speed up the video. We talked about how quickly it's built and camera placement. I love little details like the man waving and parrot moving.

Here is another one from my 7-year-old this time. My favorite parts are all the people running away and the house getting knocked down.

Since I did not make any videos myself (no fun, right?),  I asked my husband for some feedback on the kit. Here are some issues he mentioned:

"If you decide to delete a frame while taking shots, it does not delete it from the folder. 

This is affected when the program crashes and you have to import frames and select all. 

You then import all the frames you don't want back into the movie. At this point, you have 

to go back, find them, and delete them again. Also, I found that if I tried to resize the 

view window for the software, oftentimes, it would 'zoom' the camera and show only a 

part of the image on the screen. The only way to fix it is to close the program and restart."

One more thing to note is that this camera, like the other one, defaults to 480p, even thought it claims to default to the camera's highest setting. The kids have taken many pictures in poor quality because they assumed everything was set up correctly. You can see that in some of the films. Another thing they're working to remember is to focus the camera on the most important object and remember to change the focus as the object moves. We have some fuzzy pictures and others with the focus on a random part of the frame. There are a lot of things to remember for stop motion! Mostly though, my kids aren't too concerned with making a "perfect" video. They just know they're having fun and that's what's important.

I am so glad that my family has starting doing stop motion again! I love see their creativity and personalities shine through in their films. They come up with such fun ideas. Sometimes they follow through the entire process, but most times they take dozens of pictures and leave it like that. We bought them a green screen because they want to change out backgrounds, so I'm excited to see what they'll create with that.

The Stop Motion Animation Kit is a great resource for stop motion films. The book is a wealth of information for each step and the camera changes are a huge improvement. I know that Stopmotion Explosion will be a part of our lives for a very long time.

You can connect with Stopmotion Explosion on the following social media sites:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

You can watch more exciting stop motion videos by reading the reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Things That Make Me Smile 11/3/17

Jake (11 1/2), Alyssa (9 1/2), Zac (8), Tyler 5 1/2), Nicholas (2 1/2)

Happy weekend! What a fantastic week it's been! Zac turned 8 years old, we celebrated 3 of the boys' birthdays with a party with family, and after 11 weeks I can walk! I still have a long way to go before my ankle  injury is fully healed, but we're finally seeing improvements. So much to be thankful for, so many Smiles.  

1. Jake: "You know why I don't like birds? Because they're foul." (fowl)

2. Nicholas, in the middle of the night: "Mommy, can I hold you?"

3. Nicholas: "Zachy, you want to be my bess fwend?"

4. My birthday boy.

5. Jake, making up a joke: "Knock, knock."
Me: "Who's there?"
Jake: "Archibald."
Me: "Archibald who?"
Jake: "Archibald and have no hair?"

6. Nicholas, running into the room with a big smile: "Hi, Mama! Nuffing in my mouf!" (He had just sneaked chocolate from the pantry.)

7. Alyssa, writing a story: "The girl in my story speaks fluent Scottish."

8. Zac's LEGO creation.

9. Nicholas, handing me a LEGO Duplo boy: "He sad. He miss his daddy."

Me: "Aww, he misses his daddy? Do you miss your daddy, too?"
Nicholas, looking out the window: "Oh, where my daddy? I love my daddy!"

10. Zac, making up a joke after eating cantaloupe: "What do you call melon bread?"
Me: "Hmm, I don't know."
Zac: "Cantaloaf."


What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 8/25/17

Jake (11 1/2), Alyssa (9), Zac (7 1/2), Tyler (5), Nicholas (2 1/2)

Happy Friday! I am still recovering from my high ankle sprain, so this week was also spent on the couch being taken care of by my family. I experienced some secondary effects of the injury, like a pinched nerve that resulted in sciatica that traveled all the way to my toes. That pain was worse than the sprain itself. My dad came over multiple times during the week to adjust me. How many people can say that their chiropractor comes to their house? :) Everything is now back in place and I am continuing to heal, slowly but surely. 

1. Tyler: "I'm hungry, but I'm stuffed at the same time."

2. Jake, while listening to a Rush Revere audio book, in reference to a poop deck: "I thought it was called that because that's where seagulls go to the bathroom."

3. Zac made a LEGO putt-putt golf hole.

4. Me, at the end of the day: "Who picked out Tyler's clothes today?"

Tyler: "I did."

Me: "I just realized you're wearing Nicky's shorts."

Tyler: "No wonder they feel so weird!"

5. Tyler, about the multi-colored bruise across my foot and ankle: "That looks so cool! It's awesome!"

6. Zac, because Leighton and Nicholas were running errands for a couple hours: "Is Dad on his way home? I can't wait to see Nicky again."

7. Zac, playing hide 'n seek: "Nicky, where are you?"

Nicholas: "I under table!"

8.

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 6/23/17

Jake (11 1/2), Alyssa (9), Zac (7 1/2), Tyler (5), Nicholas (2 1/2)

Happy Friday! This week we celebrated our 14th anniversary and Father's Day, did some major yard work, spent time with out-of-town family, and had many Smiles.

1. Jake: "Did you know that taking candy from a baby isn't exactly easy? I mean, they scream."

2. Tyler: "When can we do that?"

Me: "Whenever, I guess."

Tyler: "Right now! Right now! Right now!"

Me: "Well, not right now--"

Tyler: "Today! Today! Today!"

3.

4. Tyler, adding ice cubes to soup: "I just colded my broth."

and later . . .

5. Tyler: "With you hotten your water, please?"

6. Jake: "Nicky, do you want to go see Papa tomorrow?"

Nicholas: "I go Papa now!"

7. I walked into the kitchen and found these LEGO creations sitting in the counter. I assumed they were for me. Come to find out, the boys built them for Alyssa, because she made a big fruit salad for them. Flowers and hearts to show their appreciation

8. Zac, about a Lego set: "Do you think Hulk was a good choice for Dad? 'Cause Hulk is strong and Dad is strong."

9. This year's Father's Day questionnaires

10. Tyler: "Alyssa! Mom has your archenemy--mustard!"

Me: "Archenemy? How can mustard hurt her?"

Alyssa: "I hurts my taste buds."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 6/2/17

Jake (11 1/2), Alyssa (9), Zac (7 1/2), Tyler (5), Nicholas (2)

These two weeks we spent on vacation were amazing. The kids (and us, ha!) had been looking forward to going to LEGOLAND Florida for so long. (Here's how we surprised them!) We were able to go two days and could easily have gone a third, because there's just so much to do. We also experienced the Orlando Science Center, did a lot of swimming (pools, splash pad, water slides), went to the beach, toured Hope Children's Home (where Leighton grew up), did some geocaching, visited with family, and so much more. We stopped in Gatlingburg, Tennessee for a couple days on the way home and did some hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Such a busy, fun, memory-filled week. The Smile list is endless this week, but here are a few of my favorite quotes.  

1. Nicholas calling his bathing suit his baby soup.

2. As we were leaving the pool, it started to rain. We began running back to our room, but Alyssa got tripped up.
Alyssa, shouting: "Don't wait for me! Save yourselves!"
Jake: "Never leave a man behind! Let's go!"

3.

4. Alyssa: "It feels like I've known myself my entire life."

5. Tyler, looking at a giant hypnosis wheel: "Whoa! That's a huge lollipop!"

6. Tyler, frightened: "Ah, a mosquito!"

Alyssa: Tyler, mosquitoes are harmless. All they can do is suck your blood. "

7. Tyler: "It's called an accididnt, so you didn't do it."

8. Alyssa, as we were packing up to leave the resort: "Do you think if I put a sticky note with a Bible verse on it, they'd read it? I'm going to do John 3:16."

9. Zac, after we got home: "Our van looks so regular without the topper." (car top carrier)

10. The kids thanking us 5.2 million times, give or take, for taking them to Florida.

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 2/10/17

Jake (11), Alyssa (8½), Zac (7), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (2)

This week we set up a surprise for the kiddos. We created a detailed treasure hunt that involved finding puzzles pieces  and assembling it for a hidden message. The surprise ended with checking the calendar where it was written that we are going to Legoland Florida for our vacation this year.  It was so much fun! The first 3 Smiles are quotes that I heard after they figured it out.

1. "I'm shaking with excitement!"

2. "I wish I could do a backflip because I would do 10 of them!"

3. "This is going to be the best vacation ever!"

4. Jake: "Girls wear way more clothes than boys. They wear like 7 layers at a time."

5. Alyssa, running around from Zac and cuddling up next to me: "You can't hurt me! I have a force field!" 

6. Jake's Lego laundry and washing machine creation.

 

7. Tyler: "Mama, can you get as much energy as you want?"

Me: "Ha, no."

Tyler: "No? Well, when does it stop."

Me: "When you have kids."

8. Alyssa: "It's so much fun having a baby brother!" 

9. The blessing we received from a stranger.

10. The song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" from Frozen was playing in the living room: ". . . It's just you and me, what are we gonna do?"

Jake, popping his head around the hallway corner: "They do know it's you and I, right?"   


What made you Smile this week

Blessing from a Stranger

We were at the store today when I noticed an older lady smiling at our family. She had just stopped in the middle of the aisle and was watching as the kids talked and laughed together. I caught her gaze and returned her smile. We moved on, but she stood there, smiling still. 

A few minutes later, I was kneeling down looking at something on the next aisle over. She walked up to me, bent down, and placed money in my hands. She explained that she had a daughter and son-in-law who had 5 children--4 boys and 1 girl--who live in Washington. Our family reminded her of her own that she loves and misses so much and she wanted to bless us because of it.

Fast forward one hour and another store. We were standing in line at the checkout at the thrift store when one of the kids noticed a large bag of Legos. I looked at the price and determined that it cost too much. Immediately, our cashier offered them to us for another amount--40% off. I shop at this store often and have never once seen them change a price. 

Never.

Until today.

Here we are now with thousands of new Legos, paid for mostly by a complete stranger (and made possible by another). I am humbled by her generosity and hope to be able to bless others like that one day. 

Too often we talk about the negativity, but there are still nice people in this world. 

It doesn't always mean giving money. It could be a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand. 

Be those nice people.

Things That Make Me Smile 1/6/17

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (7), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (2)

This week, I took Jake out for his special day, we celebrated the New Year with family, and we tried to reclaim some order after the craziness of the holidays. 
 

1. Tyler, pretending to cook in the bathtub: ". . . You put it in the oven for 100 seconds. Then you put it on the table, because it's hot. When all the hot gets out, it's warm. Then you eat it!" 

2. Tyler: "My heart is beeping fast." 

3.

4. Me, sternly: "Zachary Allen Leaf."
Zac, excited: "That was the first time you've ever said my whole name when I was in trouble! Yessss!"

5. Alyssa: "Aw, it's like Nicky is a little human . . . well, that came out wrong." 

6. Zac: "I've heard before that a rooster makes half the egg and a hen makes the other half. That's weird."

7. Me: "Look. They already have valentine's stuff out."

Jake: "These stores jump through holidays too quickly." 

8.  Jake saved up his money to buy the LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon.

9. Nicholas was playing in a kitchen drawer and found our ice cream scooper. He immediately got excited and said, "Papa. Papa. Papa," because my dad gives the kids ice cream every Friday night.

10. Jake: "I write better than her."

Me: "I write better than she."

Jake, disgusted: "Better than she?"

Me: "Yes, because you're actually saying, 'I write better than she writes.'"

Jake: "Oh. That's where I draw the grammar line." 


What made you Smile this week?
 

Things That Make Me Smile 11/25/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (7), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (1½)

1. Jake: "Do you know why you're so beautiful?"

Me, humored: "No."

Jake: "Me neither. Probably because you're a mom."

2. Tyler: "I can't find the Duplo guy Red Hat. He's the one with the red hat."

3. Zac: "Nicky is a super hero. He can hypnotize people with his cuteness."

4.

5. Jake: "Nicky's going ni-night? Jee-Jee (what Nicholas calls Jake) doesn't want Nicky to go ni-night."

Me: "But Mama wants Nicky to go ni-night."

Jake, joking: "Is Mama in charge?"

Me: "Yes."

Jake: "Well, that backfired."

6. Tyler: "Mama, I didn't dream anything last night. I wasn't closing my eyes."

7. Zac, spinning in circles: "This feels so weird, but it's so worth it!"

8. Thanksgiving LEGO decorations that the kids made.

9. Tyler: "Ugh! Jacob! Don't bump me!"

Jake: {excuses, excuses, blah blah blah}

Me: "Please just apologize."

Jake, to Tyler, smirking: "Sorry that you were in the way."

10. Alyssa: "I lost my appetite, but I'm still hungry."

11. Jake, about Nicholas: "He's so cute that I just want to hug him until his backbone breaks!"


What made you Smile this week?
 

Things That Make Me Smile 11/17/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (7), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (1½)

Happy Friday! Has anything made you Smile this week?

1. Zac, holding his LEGO phone creation: "Mom, I can take pictures and rate them. I just took one of you and wrote 'the beautifulest girl in the world.'"

2. Me: "Are you Mama's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Are you Daddy's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Are you Gramma's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Are you Papa's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Well, whose boy are you then? Aren't you Mama's boy?"
Nicky: "No. Papa."

3. I was going to wash Nicholas after breakfast, but he "hid" from me.

Me, teasing: "Nicky, where are you?"

Nicholas: "I un know!" (I don't know) 

4. I clean my wedding ring every Sunday morning before church and leave it on the bathroom counter until I'm completely ready, so it stays shiny even when I wash my hands throughout the morning. I forgot to put it on this week until we were about to pull out of the driveway. I mentioned it to Leighton. He teased me about it before running in to grab it for me. Jake was very concerned and told me, "You have to wear it! Otherwise someone's going to come and try to marry you." 

5. Alyssa, about Nicholas: "He's like a super hero with his cuteness."

6. Zac: "Mom, did you know your eyelashes are as long as a Lego?"

7. Tyler: "Mama, how many more years until Christmas?" 

8. Zac, at dinner: "I get to sit next to you? Ooh, I get to sit next to the pretty girl!"

9. Our pile of Leafs.

 

10. Tyler, to Nicholas: "Baby, I like you."

 

11. Tyler: "What's the name of this Lego piece?"
Me: "Turntable."
Tyler: "That's right! How did you know?"
Me: "Because I'm so Lego savvy."
Jake: "What does that mean?"
Me: "It means I know about Legos."
Tyler: "You're so 'I know about Legos'? That's weird."  

What made you Smile this week?

 

Things That Make Me Smile 10/7/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (6½), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (1½)

1. Tyler, about his Lego creation: "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

Me: "It's a boy."

Ty: "Yeah, 'cause it's bald . . . just like my daddy."

2. Zac: "I can't believe we have a spork! I always wanted one of those."

3. Tyler, looking at pictures from vacation 2 years ago: "Aw, that's when I had my Spider Man bathing suit. Now I have a Ninjago one. Can I wear the Spider Man one again?"

Me: "No, that one's too small for you, honey."

Tyler, annoyed: "Huh? Why do they shrink?"

4. Taking the kids to LEGOLAND.

5. Me: "So, what do you think, french bread with dinner tonight?"

Alyssa and Zac: "Yes!"

Jake, making a face: "Eh."

Me: "You don't think that goes with soup? What do you want? Rolls?"

Jake: "Yes . . . I just don't think syrup goes with chicken noodle soup very well."

Me: "Not french toast. French bread."

Jake: "Oh! Yeah! I love your french bread!"

6. Zac, about Nicholas:"Mom, thank you for having a baby that's so cute."

7. Zac: "Mom, will you help me? I need to write the differences."
Me, looking over his math paper: ""Ok, you did."
Zac: "But I need to write the differences."
Me: "The differences?"
Zac: "Yeah."
Me: "And what are they?"
Zac: "Well, this side is even numbers and this side is odd numbers."

8. Tyler: "Mama, I love you."

Me: "And I love you. Lots."

Tyler: "I know."

9. My Dad: "What do you mean, jellybean?"

Tyler: "I'm not a jellybean."

My Dad: "What are you then?"

Tyler: "Sometimes, I'm a human."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 9/16/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (6½), Tyler (4), Nicholas (1½)

Happy Friday!

1. Zac, after vacation: "I'm so happy to be home!"
Me: "Aww, why's that?"
Zac: "Because I looooove home."

2. Me, after vacation: "Are you happy to be home?"
Tyler, nodding: "You know why?"
Me: "Why?"
Tyler, smiling: "Because now we have a bookshelf."

3. Zac, after I told them we bought tickets to LEGOLAND: "I'm so excited my brain is going to pop out!"

4.

5. Me: "Your dad loved me even before he knew I could cook."

Jake: " Yeah, and now he reeeeeaaaallly loves you even more. I'd better marry someone like you or else I'm not going to survive . . . I know! I'll just come over here for dinner. And I'll repay you. You know how?"

Me: "How?"

Jake: "I'll bring your grandkids with me to your house."

6. Tyler: "Is there any plums in this orange juice?" (aka pulp)

7. Tyler: "Why is it called hangman? It should be called hang the man."  

8. A child in our class at church, about a game based on speed between the boys and girls: "They're cheating! They're doing it faster." 

9.  Jake got to go hunting with Leighton and shot his first deer.

 
10. Jake: "I'm so glad there's a Wednesday between two Sundays."

Me: "Why's that?"

Jake: "Because if there weren't, it would feel like forever until I got to go to church again."


What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 5/20/16

Jake (10), Alyssa (8), Zac (6½), Tyler (4), Nicholas (1)

I promised last week that I would get an extra set of Smiles up within the week. I may have barely made it with only one day to go, but I made it! And another new list will up tomorrow, too. So much Smiling going on!

1. Jake: "When I grow up, do you think my family should come to your house on Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, or what? I think it would be good if we came over 2 days a week--as long as you don't spoil my kids as much as Gramma and Papa spoil us."

2. I was getting ready for church Sunday morning when Zac popped his head in bathroom and said, "Hi pretty lady!"

3. Tyler picked me "beautiful flowers."

4. Tyler, eating colby jack: "It's a good thing this isn't sharp cheese. That would hurt me." (sharp cheddar)

5. Alyssa, after helping me make and can two batches of jam: "One of my favorite things to do is help you."

6. Tyler, about the jam: "I want a whole bowl of it!"
Me: "You're not going to have a whole bowl of it."
Tyler: "Can I have a whole bowl with a little bit of it?"

7. Tyler: "Mom, I love you and Gramma and Great Gramma and even Alyssa."

8. Jake created a LEGO Game Boy (just from looking at a picture of a real one). He made Super Mario on the screen and even added "batteries" in the back.

9.  Me: "Have you ever heard 'two wrongs don't make a right'?'"
Jake: "But two nots make a yes. (double negative) So what's the difference?"

10. The kids and I were doing a school lesson.
Me: "Sometimes we say things we wish we hadn't. When you do, what are some things you can do or say to make the other person feel better?"
 Zac: "I'll give you a million dollars if you stop crying."


What made you Smile this week?

LEGO Stop Motion

LEGO. If ever there was a review that my kids immediately fell in love with and wanted to use all the time, you can be sure that there is LEGO involved. To say that our family is obsessed with LEGO may be an understatement, ha. Our newest hobby has been using the tens of thousands of tiny bricks that we own and transforming them into stop motion videos using the Stopmotion Explosion Animation Kit.

My husband has always been a fan of  claymation, and in turn all kinds of stop motion films. He played around with some LEGO stop motion using a simple app a while ago and piqued the kids' interests, too. He made a couple short clips and left it at that. All it took was this kit from Stopmotion Explosion to rekindle the stop motion excitement.

The kit includes everything you need to create your own stop motion videos.

• Camera -- 720p resolution; Windows and OS X compatible; manual focus; full control of exposure, color, and white balance; tripod or table mount; fully-rotating head. 

• Stopmotion Explosion Animate ANYTHING and Make MOVIES Book -- This 290+ page book contains everything you need to know to make amazing stop motion films. It has detailed step-by-step directions for screen writing, video editing, and audio recording. It gives tips on lighting, set design, composition, animation, securing objects, special effects, and more. 

• StopMotion Explosion Software Disk -- The disc contains necessary files. The StopMotion Explosion software is used for capturing the images. Audacity is where you can complete the audio editing. There are also dozens of sound effects clips and extras.

We had gotten home very late the day our kit arrived. Normally, we would have put the kids to bed and shown them the contents of the package in the morning. Since we knew they would be thrilled to get it, we let them open it that night. (Ok, maybe my husband and I were just as excited as they were, ha.) There were squeals of delight. They couldn't wait to start playing around with the program.

My husband installed the software and made a quick test video to see exactly how this one works. Jake, our 10-year-old, wanted to start immediately, but we made him read the first few chapters of the book before starting, so he understood more. Of course, he flew through the beginning of the book and got busy creating his own stop motion film.

We had planned to borrow my mom's collapsible photography studio for the videos, but we hadn't expected the kit to arrive as quickly as it did and had not gotten the studio at that point. Jake didn't care about a distraction-free film and simply set up his scene on the kitchen table. As a result, his first video was dark and had the cord from the camera across all the images. I pointed that out to him and he made sure to watch out for it the next time. His first few videos were like that; I'd mention an aspect of his video that could be better, and he'd change it for the next time. 

He made this fishing video after a couple weeks of playing with the program.

He watches that video now and can point out things he'd like to do differently. For instance, the camera wasn't straight, which made the video tilted. Also, the scenes change quickly. When he added the audio after the pictures were created into the initial film, he realized he didn't have much time to say the things he wanted to.

There is much work involved in making a stop motion film. Not only do you have to take the pictures of the characters or objects in different positions, you have to make very small movements with them, otherwise, it moves too fast. Place your object (in our case, a mini fig), take a picture, move it slightly, take a picture, move it a little more, take another picture. It can almost get tedious. Jake's first few attempts were very fast-paced. He learned to make smaller movements and ultimately, better films. His fishing video is only 1 minute and 12 seconds long, yet there are 764 individual pictures that he took to make it.

There is much more to making a stop motion video than simply taking pictures after minuscule movements.

1. Take pictures.  
2. Export the pictures as a video file.
3. Open the video in Windows Movie Maker (or another video editing program. This is what it recommended it the book, though we used a more recent version.)
4. Record audio and add effects (credits, fade in & out, text, color balance, etc..) 
5. Process the file to save as a video.

Jake was shown how to do each step one time. After that, he was able to set up everything on his own with no issues. Making stop motion videos has been a big deal at our house the past 6 weeks or so. And it wasn't just with Jake either. Oftentimes, all the kiddos would work together to create something or just to simply watch someone else work. Each of the other kids (8 yr, 6 yr, 4 yr) has made his own videos. The younger ones haven't added audio yet, but even our 4-year-old loves setting up a scene and taking pictures. 

One of the things we told the kids is that we would do a stop motion of building a set. Of course, we couldn't just take apart a set we already owned. This was a great opportunity to purchase a new one! My husband and I picked out the corner deli, for a few reasons. For one thing, it will work perfectly with some ideas we have for future films we're planning to make.

The kids helped their dad build the set, and then he added in the sound effects by himself. He put it together one night after the kids had gone to bed. The two of us laughed at the different option that are included with the software.

This is the final video:

Another product that Stopmotion Explosion sells is ModiBot Mo. This little guy was created to pose in a variety of ways, more like a human. The mini figs are great for LEGO-lovers, but sometimes you want a more flexible leading character. ModiBot Mo is a fun option for films. You can even purchase an accessory kit that includes a sidearm, field knife, rucksack, treadsoles, headphones, and a baseball cap.

Jake read about Mo in the book and decided to build his own modibot using, LEGO, of course. I was quite impressed with his creativity and the flexibility of his guys. He used some of the techniques found in the book for his fighting sequence. See if you can spot things like an uppercut, left hook, or roundhouse kick.

 
While this program is fantastic, there are a few things that we have been less-than-impressed with, and they all have to do with the camera. First of all, the clip is not strong and doesn't attach well to things. It easily wobbles if there is movement near it. Secondly, it's difficult to focus the camera. Because of the design, the dial does not turn easily, which makes it hard to keep the camera steady as you focus. Once the camera moves even just a tiny bit, you have to realign it to keep your video smooth. Another thing that was disappointing is that there are no keyboard shortcuts. Many programs will let you scroll through the pictures with the arrow keys along with some other options. While you technically can grab the pictures with the space bar, if you stop to check your live view, you have to re-click with the mouse. There were many times when someone thought they were taking pictures while pressing the space bar, only to find out nothing was done. The final thing that could be improved is that even though the camera says that it defaults to 720p (the highest setting on this camera), it's actually using a much lower quality. Each time you open the program, you have to manually change it to get the 720p. All of our first videos were taken at 480p, because we didn't realize it needed to be changed.

Stopmotion Explosion does sell a higher quality camera that looks like it fixes many of the things I mentioned.

Camera issues aside, this kit is amazing. The book is a phenomenal resource for stop motion. The information in it is completely thorough and gives some fascinating tips like how to make an explosion with cotton balls, what sticky notes can be used for, when to use a flashlight, how to make a character fly, and so much more. I'm so excited to see how my kids improve by implementing more of the guides found in the book and seeing how they incorporate the sound effects.

I asked the kiddos what they thought of Stopmotion Explosion.

"It was awesome!"

"The best thing in the world!" 

"It was really fun to do it!"

I have a feeling that stop motion has become part of our lives for good. I'm so thankful we received this animation kit.

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If you'd like to see more reviews of this kit or watch some other fun stop motion videos, please visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.