Stop Motion Tableau

by Mr. David

Learn to make art by using Tableau and Stop Motion! Tableau is a frozen picture created with your body that shows a story. Stop Motion is a series of frozen pictures with little changes made between them that make the artwork look like it is moving.

Students will use loose parts (new, found, and recycled items) to create connections of their experiences of place and space.

Learning Target

● I can act out different emotions to tell a story
● I can use stop motion tableaux and frozen pictures to tell a story

Materials

● Space to move around
● A mirror, chromebook with a webcam, or a family member to take pictures/photographs so you can see yourself

Instructions

1. Frozen Picture: Use your whole body and your whole space to make frozen pictures of yourself. You should fill up your frame (up, down, left, right). Make it really big and don’t be afraid to make it silly!

Create a frozen picture of these simple emotions and phrases: happy, sad, mad excited and brave. What other emotions can you try?

2. Tableau: Now that you are warmed up, use these emotions to tell a story with 3 pictures! It’s a sunny day and you got a cone of your favorite ice cream. Make a frozen picture. It gets windy and your Ice Cream cone starts to fall. Are you surprised, worried, or scared? Create a frozen picture to show. Now the ice cream cone has fallen on the ground! The ants are happy but you are… sad, angry or confused. In a frozen picture show how you feel. Make it big and silly but keep it frozen!

Beginning
Middle
End

3. Stop motion: Tell the same story with 10 frozen pictures! Think about all the movements that get you from Picture 1 to Picture 2 and from Picture 2 to Picture 3

Beginning: Take 3 frozen pictures to get your ice cream.


Middle: Take 3 frozen pictures while your ice cream is falling.


End: Take 3 frozen pictures to react to your fallen ice cream.

Count as you freeze between each tiny movement!
Use your whole body. It feels like slow motion.
Look at your pictures in order. Can you see your emotions change? Can you see the story?
This is Stop Motion!
Tip: In Animation, the smaller the movement the more smooth and realistic it will feel.

Reflection

Write in your journal or sketchbook
● How did it feel to slow your body down and think about all the movement it takes to create an emotion?
● How else can you tell stories without words?
● What was your favorite emotion or frozen picture to create?

Extra

● Animate yourself using the Stop Motion Studio App (its free!).
● Create a stop motion story using legos, stuffies or other big objects.
● Try making a stop motion animation story with 24 pictures (or frames). The movements are now even smaller! Think about what your eyebrows are doing. How does your mouth change to show happiness, surprise and sadness?

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