Stopmotion Explosion (A TOS REVIEW)

I have always thought it would be fun to get the kids into stop motion videos, but we've never really had the resources to do so. Well, I was thrilled to be chosen for the Stopmotion Explosion crew review! We received the full Animation kit, which gave us all we needed to get started. This kit made it so easy to make a video in just a few hours (minus the sounds and movie editing), all we had to add were the props and backgrounds.

 Our kit came with all that is pictured here...

• 720p HD video camera with internal microphone
• The Stopmotion Explosion, Animate Anything and Make Movies book
• Software CD
• and quick start guide for getting the software installed

 We also had access to many online video tutorials at the Content Hub.

The Stopmotion animate anything book is a real gem, full of a lot of great information. It has chapters covering the history of movies, creating stories, lighting, animating, editing, and more. It is very handy, with a lot of great ideas for getting going with a great film. We didn't read the book cover to cover, but we used it as a reference as we were going through the movie making process. 

As soon as we opened the box, the boys got to work digging in the LEGO box and building. They wanted to get started. As they were doing this I was able to install the software onto the computer very quickly, and we had it all up and running in just a few minutes. I kept asking what their story was going to be, but they wouldn't tell me. They wanted it to be a surprise. Maybe it was a surprise for them too because they didn't write a script or anything. I like how the book suggests:

"Lest you turn to the good ole' excuse: "I don't need to write anything! It's all in my head!", there are many reasons why you should get your story on paper in some form before you start animating."

I made these suggestions, but they were just too excited at first so I just let them go to see what they would come up with.

Getting the LEGO creations ready

They were ready to start shooting so I made a background with a mini easel that we use for school, and clipped some butcher paper to it. We put it right by the large window in our dining room table for the best lighting. The book also suggests not to use the dining room table, but a separate table so that you can leave it up for several days. This is very good advice, but we just don't have the space so we had to make due, and set it up when the boys want to make a video.

Setting up the scene, and getting to know the program

The boys worked together so well on this video. Aaron would set up for the next picture and Aric would push the buttons. I was really happy to see this for a good portion of an afternoon. I love finding things they enjoy doing together (because it's not a lot), and this is something I think they will do often.

Building each frame takes a long time!

That brings us to their very first video. It has no sound, and it's very short. They have a few more in progress, but nothing else was complete yet before this review.

What do I think? I think this is a great kit, and if I had known about it before probably would have considered this a great birthday present or Christmas gift. Or, if you have an elective that involves movie making or science STEM activities it would be a great fit too. I loved the ease of getting the whole thing set up so quickly, and the book is a great treasure trove of information. The camera that comes with this kit isn't the highest quality but it works for anyone who is just wanting to play with the idea of stop motion movie making.

If you want to see what others have to say about Stopmotion Explosion you can click on the banner below. I think most had some great things to say about it, and there are a lot of other fun videos to watch!