5-E CLASSROOM STEM ACTIVITY: PRODUCING A STOP-MOTION MOVIE

Transcription

1 5-E CLASSROOM STEM ACTIVITY: PRODUCING A STOP-MOTION MOVIE Dr. Candace Walkington, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education Southern Methodist University

2 EXTREME ARTS // THE FINEST HOURS STEM BEHIND THE SCENES STEM Behind the Scenes BY ELLEN EGLEY The lights dim, a hush falls over the crowd, a projector whirs to life, and the audience takes a collective breath of expectation as the first images begin to appear. Movies have been captivating people s hearts, minds and imaginations since the 890s when motion picture cameras were invented. Today s movies are more engrossing than ever, with special effects and computer-generated images taking viewers to places never before possible. But what happens behind the scenes on movie sets and in editing rooms, in front of the cameras and before the elaborate stunts to make these cinematic marvels come to life? It takes a small army of professionals with diverse STEM skills to make a story feel real on the big screen. Makeup artists combine creativity with scientific know-how to transform actors into monsters, aliens and countless other unrecognizable versions of themselves. Visual effects technicians work with advanced computer-animation software to create animated effects and make illusions, explosions, natural disasters and intergalactic environments seem real enough to immerse viewers in the cinematic experience. Stunt coordinators plan and execute complicated sequences of stunts that can include car crashes, explosions, fights and falls that make the audience s hearts pound without injuring the actors or actually destroying the city. Some of the biggest and hardestto-measure STEM skills, like critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication, are necessary for the final version of the film to be successful. Directors control the artistic aspects of the film by guiding the actors and technical crew to achieve their vision. Producers are often responsible for everything else at a high level from finding the story to hiring the director, raising the money, choosing the cast, overseeing production, and managing the marketing of the film. The part that s so amazing about this job is that it involves communication, creativity, numbers, 3 LATE SPRING 06 // STEMJOBS.COM

3 WHAT I FIND SO FASCINATING IS THAT THE JOB IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND I M CONSTANTLY LEARNING. JIM WHITAKER PRODUCER YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 30 STEM TYPE: INTEGRATOR KYLE GALLNER IS ANDY FITZGERALD IN DISNEY S THE FINEST HOURS, THE HEROIC ACTION-THRILLER BASED ON THE EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY OF THE MOST DARING RESCUE IN THE HISTORY OF THE COAST GUARD. PHOTO BY CLAIRE FOLGER DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. logistics, and technology. What I find so fascinating is that the job is constantly evolving and I m constantly learning. Some days are full of learning opportunities more commonly known as mistakes but I embrace those because when I make a mistake I know to do it differently next time, explained Jim Whitaker, producer of the Disney movie The Finest Hours, which is based on the true story of a Coast Guard rescue of more than 30 sailors in a hurricane that split their oil tanker in two. While we did a lot of the movie outside off the coast of Massachusetts, a great deal of it was also done in a giant warehouse a former shipyard where we built a massive tank and parts of the boat. The technology involved in filming had to answer very interesting questions, like how do you create a gimbal that s hundreds of thousands of pounds of steel that has to hold a ship, which is also hundreds of thousands of pounds of steel, which is holding water that also weighs hundreds of thousands of pounds? It s all moving, so how do you understand that, have the right engineers involved in designing that, and make it all safe for everyone on set? We also had to be very nimble with technology to solve problems. We spent hours sitting around a table with people from every department looking at what the director was trying to achieve in terms of creating moments with the boat in the water and figuring out how to film it. We had to think about the environment first, and then decide where to place the camera to catch that moment. We ran lots of simulations to ensure that we could capture what we needed to capture with the constant waves and water and movement before we gave final positions to the cast and crew. We used a pulley system called a Waldo developed by our special effects coordinator that allowed us to push the boat in any direction within the tank by using a latticework of different ropes and pulleys under the water to maneuver the boat. There were a lot of great technological minds, involved in both computer special effects and building things in the real world, who were able to accomplish really complex things while keeping the actors safe and enabling the director to get the shots needed, Jim revealed. While the film industry may seem glamorous to those on the outside, Jim explained that the work is hard. I don t know that people realize how much work actually goes into making a film. You really have to love it. It has to captivate your complete interest. Only about one-tenth of one percent of my time is spent at a premier or cocktail party which is what most people seem to think of as the great benefits of working in this industry. Those events are wonderful, but the other 99.9 percent of my time is spent working reading, planning, making, doing. So you really have to love what you do. There are no barriers to entry in the movie industry, so if it s something you re passionate about, get involved and take any job you can on a movie set. People who are passionate and work hard succeed in the industry, while those who are just in it for the glitz and glamour leave after a short period of time. My film career began when I was 8 and worked as a craft services assistant on the set of the movie Hairspray. I remember a very distinct moment when I looked around at the action happening on the set and thought this is what I m going to do for the rest of my life. It s taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am, but every bit of it was worth it. If you have strong STEM skills and a passion for the lights, cameras, action, and magic of cinema, a career in the movie industry might be right for you. Before packing your bags for Hollywood, though, hone your creativity, style, and skills by creating your own films and documentaries, or work with small production groups in your area to increase your industry know-how. You could build a career that lets you do what you love while inspiring the next generation of moviegoers. STEMJOBS.COM // LATE SPRING 06 33

4 5-E CLASSROOM STEM ACTIVITY: PRODUCING A STOP-MOTION MOVIE Here are some ideas for how high school teachers could use this story as a launching point for integrated STEM learning. Our activities follow the 5-E Learning Cycle Model. Part : Engage Ask students: What are some of your favorite movies? What are some different jobs and roles that are needed when making a movie? How do these jobs involve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics? Have students read the STEM Behind the Scenes article in STEM Jobs magazine. 3 Ask students: Have you ever seen a stop-motion movie at the theater? Have you ever seen a stop-motion or time-lapse video on YouTube? How are these videos made? What are some different types of stop-motion videos? 4 Have students watch the video that can be found at edu.stemjobs.com/teacher-resources. 5 6 Ask students to search online for answers to: What is frame rate in stop-motion videos, and why is it important? What was the frame rate used in Fantastic Mr. Fox? In The Nightmare Before Christmas? How did these different frame rates impact what the movie looked like? What frame rate was used to shoot the live-action movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug? How did this impact the look of the movie? How is the look of a live-action movie different than that of a stop-motion movie? How do long you think it takes to make a stop-motion movie? How many pictures or frames do you need? How long do you think it takes to shoot minute of the final footage? (In the recent movie The Boxtrolls, filmmakers were able to complete to minutes of footage per week.) Part : Explore Put students into groups of four, and give each group the following prompt: For this project, you will be creating your own original stop-motion movie. You may make the movie using clay figures, LEGOs, toys, or other everyday objects. You may also do a time-lapse or handdrawn stop motion, if feasible. Your stop motion will be shot using pictures taken with a cell phone or digital camera. The central consideration your group will be exploring is how many frames per second (fps) your stop motion should include. You must create two different versions of your stop motion, one at a lower rate of frames per second, and one at a higher rate of frames per second. Your group will each take on different roles related to creating the movie, as described below: Producer (STEM Type: Integrator): This group member will be responsible for planning out key frames and action of the video using a storyboard that coordinates the work of the other 3 members. They will be responsible for planning out how long the video can feasibly last, as well as keeping track of how long it takes the group to create each picture or frame. Story Lead (STEM Type: Designer): This group member will determine what the story will be in the stop motion, and also determine any music or narration that goes along with the images. They should focus on keeping the story very simple and very short. Artistic Lead (STEM Type: Maker): This group member will choose the location where the stop motion will be filmed, check on the lighting, and compile or make the objects that will be moved as part of the stop motion. They will also be responsible for actually moving the objects between each frame. Technical Lead (STEM Type: Producer): This group member will be responsible for setting up the camera and taking each picture. They will also be responsible for importing the pictures into Windows Movie Maker (PC) or imovie (Mac). STEMjobs.com Producing a Stop-Motion Movie

5 All group members will be responsible for:. Creating a storyboard that gives the action of the movie and the length of time different portions of the movie will last.. Deciding on the two different frames per second rates they will use (one high and one low), and justifying their decisions. They will also calculate how many seconds each frame will last in each of these two scenarios. 3. Using the storyboard to determine how long the movie will last total, and then using that estimate to calculate how many frames they will need to shoot for their high fps and low fps versions. 4. Determining how long the production time on the movie will be once the producer has an estimate of how long each frame takes to shoot. 5. Producing the movie in Windows Movie Maker or imovie (tutorials available on YouTube), and setting the fps rate (or the seconds each frame lasts) appropriately. Group members may utilize resources found at edu.stemjobs.com/teacher-resources when determining frames per second and preparing their movie, as well as any other relevant resources they find. Part 3: Explain 3 Have each group present each version of their stop-motion video. Have the class guess how many frames per second each version is before having the group share this information. The group should also answer questions regarding how long their video is, how many total frames they needed to shoot, and how long each frame took to produce. Once everyone has presented, ask the students what rate of frames per second they felt was most appropriate for a stop motion out of all the options they saw presented and why. Show students all or part of the video that can be found at edu.stemjobs.com/teacher-resources, which gives an in-depth look at the science and mathematics behind the calculation of frames per second. Note that this video relates to shooting movies and T.V. more generally, and is not limited to only discussing stop motion. Part 4: Elaborate Have students read the article about the making of the movie The Boxtrolls that can be found at edu.stemjobs.com/teacher-resources. Give students the following prompt in their groups: The amount of time it takes to shoot stop motions, because of the large number of frames needed for even short playing times, is a large logistical challenge. Come up with general equations for: a. The playing time of a stop-motion video, if the fps and number of frames is known. b. The number of frames in a stop-motion video, if the playing time of the video and the fps is known. c. The total production time of a stop-motion video, if the number of frames and production time per frame is known. d. How would these equations change if the producers of the video decided to do shooting on twos? (Resources can be found at edu.stemjobs.com/teacher-resources) Part 5: Evaluate Have each student respond individually to the following prompt in their math journal: You are working with a stop-motion production software that automatically defaults to 4 frames per second. How many frames would you place each photo in if you actually wanted fps? How long would each individual photo appear in the video in this situation? If you shot 00 pictures, how long would your stop motion last? If you wanted the stop motion to be exactly 30 seconds long, how many photos would you need to shoot? STEMjobs.com Producing a Stop-Motion Movie

6 Standards Addressed: Common Core State Standards - Math CCSS.Math.Content.HSN.Q.A.. Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. CCSS.Math.Content.HSN.Q.A.. Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas Cross-Curricular Connections CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-0 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills - Math AI..A apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace AI..F analyze mathematical relationships to connect and communicate mathematical ideas AI..E solve mathematic and scientific formulas, and other literal equations, for a specified variable 3 STEMjobs.com Producing a Stop-Motion Movie