For the final project, I decided to test my skills and patience by making a stop motion animation. I wanted to do something fun, cute, and creative. Using very detailed Playmobil toys as my characters, animals, props and structures, I got to literally play with my ideas and use a sky blue colored sheet to act as the background. Imagining and creating these scenes was the fun part of the project, using a variety of props and animals to show attention to details. I knew that filming would be tedious, because it’s taking hundreds of photos and moving the toys and props a half an inch every frame; but this was not even the worst part.

The most challenging part was by far editing. So initially I was going to use Vimeo, however my Vimeo membership had expired, so I tried to go the free route. Big mistake, I used FilmoraPro to edit my video because it was listed as one of the better softwares for free editing on Google. After completing my video, I exported it and discovered that due to using the free version, there was a giant water mark in the center of the frame for the entire video. There was also a constant piano key being played, actually ruining the audio. So after purchasing the premium software (Filmora9), I had to download more software, only to discover that I am unable to retrieve any of the edits I made on the free version. So we are in the process of starting editing over, and scrambling to redo everything (hopefully it’s done before Sunday). I strongly recommend not using Filmora for anything.

As stated earlier, all characters, props, animals, and structures are Playmobil toys. I was able to use royalty free sounds and music from personal recordings and freesound.com. I used Filmora to edit, but again, It’s great for editing, not exporting. I also used the Stop Motion Studio app on my phone to record all the stop motion clips. Stop Motion Studio is a great app for anyone trying to make simple stop motions, while keeping all photos and videos consolidated in one app. Despite this project to be challenging at times, I do think I achieved all of goals to test both my skills and patience while making an entertaining short film. Please enjoy this preview in the meantime!