Welcome to T1a

Welcome to the Stop Motion Beginners – T1 course. 

This course is designed and built to take you from absolute zero in knowledge of animation principles to, once completed, a thorough understanding of both animation principles and practices in relation to stop motion animation. I like to look at this class as a white belt level class if you were to compare it to studying a martial art. By the end of his course you should be able to execute animation techniques that will serve you well in your own pursuit of making animation art. All of these techniques are used in professional animation environments in relation to stop motion animation.

Topics:

The course covers many topics and because of this broad overview of techniques it will give you an edge in the world when compared to other individuals who try to just do and learn on their own without training. This is a training course and you will get better with time and instruction. You will also be able to have access and direct communication with the instructor along with being able to take the course at your own pace since it is 100% online.

Here’s a list of the topics covered in the course:

Lesson 001 – What is Stop Motion?
Lesson 002 – Setup for Animation
Lesson 003 – Time Lapse
Lesson 004 – Pixelation
Lesson 005 – Found Object Animation
Lesson 006 – Cutout / Paper Animation
Lesson 007 – Clay Animation
Lesson 008 – Replacement Animation
Lesson 009 – Squash and Stretch
Lesson 010 – Smear Animation
Lesson 011 – Logo / Text Animation
Lesson 012 – Character Expressions
Lesson 013 – Walk Cycle 101

Length:

This course is 100% all based on your schedule and availability. So, if life gets a little overwhelming then you can take a break and come back to the classes when you are ready. You can sign in at anytime and pickup where you left off.

Lessons/Modules:

The course is taught 100% online through Lessons/Modules. Each lesson and module is to be completed in sequence with a few exceptions which will be marked as just extra reading or review. The Lesson/Modules will either contain text, exclusive video instructions, or reference materials for you to build both your knowledge and skills.

Mentor Access:

As a student of the course you will be able to communicate through direct messaging of the instructor along with online video group chats with the instructor and other students. Instructor communication is done solely through the instructor of this courses profile. Instructor profile for this class can be found here – https://stopmotionuniversity.com/members/john-ikuma/

Group Forums:

Students will have access to special group forums where they can share their work, ask questions, communicate with each other and build working relationships with their peers. Many topics in the forums will be focused on specific subjects in relation to the course and it is highly encouraged for students to participate in class discussions. These discussions will be announce to the class once the student starts the course. (https://stopmotionuniversity.com/forums/)

Quizzes:

On occasion there will be a quiz or two to test you in your knowledge of the material. Don’t worry you will not fail the course if you fail the quiz. They are really just a gauge for both yourself and the instructor to see where you are in terms of the underlining material.

Final Project:

To graduate from the course and earn your certificate you will need to complete the required final project. If you have successfully practiced all the exercises and finished the lessons then you should have no problem in completing the final project assignment and earning your certificate.

Certificate:

This is a certification course as well which means that once you complete the course and turn in your final assignment you will be issued a certificate by Stop Motion University for completing the course. The certification allows you the ability to show to others that you have a grasp of the essential techniques needed to perform stop motion animation. The certificate will also allow for your to advance to higher level courses offered by Stop Motion University.

Accreditation:

Currently, Stop Motion University is not accredited. These are non-transferable online classes.