Introduction
ICT club
Getting Started
Simple set construction
Using a tripod
2-d animation
Silhouette Animation
Useful Links

FILM MAKING WITH THE DIGITAL BLUE CAMERA

Simple Set Construction

Our sets consist mostly of a backdrop, a base and a few bits of scenery. These can be setup and taken down very quickly and are ideal for an afterschool club. The important thing is that the set is stuck down as firmly as possible (bluetack is essential).

The backdrops are usually no more than A3 size although A4 works in many situations. They are printed or painted onto paper which is bluetacked to either the wall or a large box.

The base is usually a large piece of paper which is bluetacked to the table. Sometimes the table itself is used.

The scenery varies. For example, for a dinosaur animation we used fern fronds stuck into brown plasticine to look like tree ferns. Dollshouse furniture works well. Again, the scenery must be stuck down firmly.

The children are usually pretty good at putting together a set themselves but it is best to check that they have secured them properly as wobbly sets can spoil their efforts.

Painted backdrops
Hand painted backdrops using poster paint are wonderful if you have the time and don't mind the mess. The bold colours of poster paint are picked out well by the digiblues and have contributed to some of our most charming videos.

Printed backdrops
As our main focus is on ICT, we try to incorporate ICT into every aspect of our projects. To that end we tend to import a variety of images into Microsoft Publisher and print at an appropriate size. Here are some suggestions:

• RM Colour Magic designs - either from scratch or by colouring in one of the templates below. Bold colours work best.
• Photographs - especially of places familiar to the children - how about dinosaurs rampaging in your playground? Flickr is a good source of scenic photography.
• Scanned artwork - vibrant designs are best - use felt tip pens or wax crayons.

If you have microsoft publisher, then it is possible to enlarge and print single images across several pieces of A4 paper.