My son is really interested in stop motion videos and how to make them so we were thrilled when we found out we would be reviewing the Stop Motion Animation Kit by Stopmotion Explosion ! The kit itself comes with access to a downloadable computer program (or CD-ROM), mobile app, a webcam, as well as a 294-page book to help you build your skills. The kit also comes with a quick start guide that makes getting started super easy for even the least tech-savvy people. With this kit, people can make their own stop motion movies so easily and if you’re already making some stop motion videos you can gain a bunch of knowledge from the Stopmotion Explosion book!
The Computer Program
I had to use the downloadable option as we don’t have CD-ROM drives, it was super simple to download! Once the program is downloaded everything is very easy to use. You simply hook up the provided webcam and you’re good to go! The program has two screens where you see what the camera is seeing, one is simply what the camera is currently viewing and the other screen is of the picture you last took with an overlay of the picture you’re about to take. This is really helpful as you line up your shots. You can then play the video right there and it will show you how it’s all looking together. I really like how simple they made the interface, it allows you to really focus on your creation rather than navigating the program itself.
The Stopmotion Explosion Book
This book is a seventeen chapter book filled with so much information and ideas to get you inspired and making the best movies that you can make. I’m just going to talk about a couple of the things that really stood out to me. Hopefully, that will give you a good idea of all that this book has to offer.
The chapter about animation actors and building sets were particularly helpful for me as I could use them to help my son find the things that he needed. Luckily lots of the ideas and supplies were things that we already had around the house so it made my job even easier. They suggest using things like Lego figures and putty for the figures which we have tons of around our house. As far as building materials they suggest all sorts of household items like towels, rugs, straws, and cardboard boxes. They also suggest using playsets that you might already have instead of building something from scratch. You can use lego sets or little houses that you might have from other toys!
They also have some chapters for when you’re a little more comfortable with making stop-motion videos and you’re ready to up your game. These include topics like lighting and video editing. As well as some things that came make your videos look even more epic, chapters about flight and the art of war will teach you tip and tricks about how to make these things look even more realistic! If you really use the information in the book you’ll be making stop motion videos like a pro in no time.
Other Products Availble
Stopmotion Explosion also has some other things that they sell as well as selling the book and the cameras separately in case you already have a setup that you really like this could be a good option. The book alone costs $24USD while the complete animation kit costs $79.99USD. They also sell little ModiBot figures and accessories.
