FROM TEXT TO VIDEO 2. module 20 students with teacher 90 minutes Maximum number 20 students with teacher Duration 90 minutes Materials needed Tablet or smartphone or PC with integrated webcam; “stop motion studio” app ; A3-size background image (to draw or print); images of characters and objects (to draw or print); adhesive tape to create the reference space to correctly position and frame the background; printed sheet to be filled in with the students' names and title of the short film; pens; short story or tale to analyse to make the video. Before starting Cut out the printed or hand-drawn images. Print out the sheet to be filled in with the students' names (a set every 3 students). Choose a background music to be used for the video.

Getting started Preliminary phase: the students read and understand the structure of a text selected by the teacher. To make it easier for students to comprehend the text, a “Reading comprehension worksheet_n1” (30 minutes) has been attached. The reference text can be a short story or tale, which allows to build an interaction system between text and image. An interactive overview (PHASE 1 - 15 minute) will explain how the “stop motion studio” app works. The app helps create animated stories by taking photographs consecutively. The students create a setting, take a series of photographs, edit them in sequence and complete the video with a background sound. Videos can be exported on YouTube and Facebook, iTunes or via e-mail. Experimental phase (PHASE 2 – 35 minutes): each team of 3 students is given an iPad/smartphone/pc, a background, a sheet of paper to write the title of the story on, a pen and images to create a video. In this phase, the students make the video, animate the characters and insert the sound. They also define the title of the story. Final phase (PHASE 3 – 10 minutes): the works made by the students are viewed to share the techniques used, the kind of difficulties found and the final outcome.

PHASE 1 Activity Overview Some of the most famous cartoons and films such as Chicken Run, Coraline, The nightmare before Christmas and Wallace & Gromit were made using the animation technique called stop motion, also known as “frame by frame”. Stop motion is an animation technique that uses inanimate objects that are progressively moved and photographed at each change of position. Playing the images in sequence gives the illusion of movement. There must be at least 80 images to capture to have a 3-second animation.  

View the sequence of images Insert more images into the sequence The programme will be explained when viewing the explanatory screens of the app itself. This phase will explain how to: Create a new video Frame an image Capture an image Remove an image View the sequence of images Insert more images into the sequence Insert a sound Save and name a video Video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_M468S86HI Time: 15 minutes

PHASE 2 The students make the video The trainer asks the students to select a background and define the characters that will be moved and photographed, reminding them that they need to take at least 80 shots and the characters must be moved in small increments. The students, in teams of 3, make the video. The trainer, as soon as the students complete the video, indicates the programme's features useful to insert the audio and hands out the sheet to write the title of the video and the names of directors/students on. The trainer helps the students save the file. Time: 35 minutes PHASE 3 View videos and check the work The trainer asks the working teams to describe the work done and highlight the key elements of the process. Time: 10 minutes