Lights, Camera, Stop Motion Action! Rachel Morgan Explains How

          As mentioned in my Wednesday post, the winner of the A to Z Video Challenge for 2012 is Rachel Morgan, whom many of you know from her blog Rachel Morgan Writes.    Today Rachel is visiting Tossing It Out to allow you to get to know a little more about her.  Since many years ago I used to dabble in making animated films in the old medium of 8 MM film, one of the several questions I put forth to Rachel had to do the her process of making the video that she entered in our contest.  Here she offers a short how-to guide on making a stop motion video.




What is stop motion? 

A dictionary definition for you: a cinematographic technique whereby the camera is repeatedly stopped and started, for example to give animated figures the impression of movement. So if you wanted a video of your toy car driving itself around, you'd take a photo, move the car slighty, take another photo, move the car a little more, take another photo, move the car a little more, take another... etc. It's beyond tedious! But if you've got patience, the effect is worth it.

Why did I use stop motion in my A to Z Challenge video?

Anyone can take a video these days (most cellphones can do it) so it's not really that exciting anymore. I wanted to do something a little different, so I went for stop motion. I've found the idea fascinating since I watched the Wallace and Gromit short films when I was little. Those films would technically be called clay-mation (from clay animation). The characters are made from plasticine modelling clay, and it must be a truly painstaking job to make all the teeny, tiny changes for each frame so that the characters appear to move smoothly.

I'm not quite that skilled yet! The only thing I had to move in my video was my hand, and the movement in each frame was noticeable because I wanted to achieve that jerky "stop motion" feel (and it would have taken way too long if I'd wanted to make the movement any smoother!).




How can you do it?

You need a tripod, a camera and a computer with video editing software. Well, you don't actually need a tripod, but it makes life a whole lot easier (I know, because I've done this without a tripod before!). Computers with Windows should have Windows Movie Maker on them (or you can download it for free), and Apple computers come with iMovie.

1. Set your camera up on your tripod (mine was pointing down onto a table).
2. Arrange your subject in front of the camera (I had pieces of paper with words written on them, plus my hand).
3. Take your first photo.
4. Move the subject slightly (I moved my hand to reveal a letter or two of a word I was covering).
5. Take another photo.
6. Repeat this until you a) reach the end of whatever sequence you've planned, b) get really bored or c) deplete the life of your camera batteries.
7. Open up Windows Movie Maker (or the Apple version, which I've never used) and insert all your photos (in order, obviously).
8. Adjust the length of time each photo is visible for (I used half a second) so that the photos follow on from one another really quickly.
9. Add music, captions and titles if you feel like it.
10. Save the movie.

It really is very easy!


Rachel Morgan is the author of Guardian, the first novelette in the Creepy Hollow series. She was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. These days, in between teaching mathematics to high school children, she writes fiction for young adults. 



         Thank you, Rachel!  As she says here, creating an animated film is fairly easy to do as long as you have the equipment, time, and plenty of patience.  I encourage you to try it yourself if you are interested in video making.   If you create anything you'd like to share with the rest of us, feel free to send it to me and I'll feature it in this blog.


           Be sure to stop by to visit Rachel at Rachel Morgan Writes and don't forget that she has a new book out.   For more information about her book Guardian (Creepy Hollow #1) please visit:
www.rachel-morgan.com
www.creepyhollowbooks.com


           Have you ever dabbled in stop-motion or other experimental types of film making?  Do you have a favorite film that was made using the stop motion technique?   Have you read Guardian yet?


         Just in case you have not yet seen Rachel's A to Z Video here it is again:

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Where Everyone Is a Winner: A to Z Video Challenge

          If you haven't heard who was the winner of the A to Z Video Challenge yet, I am proud to announce that the winner by popular vote was Rachel Morgan of Rachel Morgan Writes.   Here is the winning video for anyone who has not seen it yet or would like to see it again:



          Rachel's video is indeed a winner as you can see when you watch it.  As her prize she will be featured on various A to Z co-host blogs, which conveniently coincides with the release of her new book Guardian (Creepy Hollow #1).  You will be hearing from Rachel on Tossing It Out this coming Friday.  I'm looking forward to what surprises she will have in store as I asked her more questions than she could answer in one post.   Which ones will she choose to address?   We'll have to find out on Friday when our Video Challenge winner stops by.


         The winning video was chosen by those of you who were kind enough to vote and you are winners as well.   The votes were well distributed among the entrants making the contest a close race.  I want to put out a big thank you to everyone who voted, who tweeted, who posted videos on their sites, and who supported the Video Challenge in some way.  


         And you can continue to support us by posting these videos on your sites, marking them as favorites on YouTube and leaving comments, emailing them to friends, and sending them out on social media outlets.   These videos are commercials for the A to Z Challenge.   With one last week to push the A to Z event let's do it up big and make a media blitz.  You'll be helping the cause of the Challenge and also helping get the talents of the video makers out in the eyes of the world.   You'll be doing something special that will be greatly appreciated.


         Though Rachel is the winner of the contest, in this post I want to recognize the fabulous efforts of the other participants:


            Ron Easton of  Dads Unlimited was the inspiration for the Video Challenge.  He posted a video recap of his 2011 Challenge Reflections back in December that set off an idea alarm in my head.  When I mentioned my thoughts to him about having a contest for people to send in A to Z promo videos he immediately came up with his entry to start the ball rolling.


            Ada Zdanowicz is someone I'll be talking about more in later posts.   She is the designer of the official A to Z logo.  Since I knew that she was also involved in video making, I contacted Ada about making a second video entry and she jumped right on it with her slick creative presentation.  Ada doesn't have a blog but she can be found at her website CollagePodge.com .   


           Nicole Ayers is someone you have seen often on my blogs.  Nicole is a talented writer to whom I have frequently turned for guest posts.   Not only did she assist me in putting together the Video Challenge and offering suggestions about it, she also submitted 3 videos of her own.  A big Bravo! to Nicole who can be found at The Madlab Post.  


         Also I want to thank these others who submitted their wonderfully creative and entertaining videos:






  Marta Szemik                      Marta Szemik's Blog
 Kathleen Medina                  Living 2012
 Dale Smurthwaite                 Smurfin' the Web
 Tracy Jo Blowers                Brand New Day  
 Reka Sang                           A Chronicle of Dreams
  Jocelyn Rish                        Jocelyn Rish
       I am so appreciative of all of the efforts of these bloggers and talented artists.  I hope that my readers will stop by all of their blogs to say hello and follow if you aren't already.   And don't forget to watch their videos if you haven't already.
          After all, the Blogging from A to Z Challenge is all about us--you and me and everyone one else who will be putting forth the April effort and who has already been putting forth the effort to make the April Challenge a big success.  The Challenge is many things and many people and I extend a thanks to all of you.
                 Have you included any of the A to Z videos in your blog posts?  Have you visited the videos directly on YouTube to "Like" them and add your comment?   Have you tweeted or Facebooked any of these videos?    What are some other ways you can suggest to share the videos?

It Probably Wasn't About You: To My Blogging Friends

An Explanation about my Monday Post: 

       After an unexpectedly overwhelming response to my last post It's Not All About You:  Self-Centered Blogging, I thought I might clarify some of what I was referring to and dispel any concern that any of you were the target of my "rant".   Any of you who left a comment on that post or any of my posts in the past are not who I was referring to.

        Even if you've never left a comment on my site, but do have sites where you regularly or even just occasionally leave comments, I wasn't talking about you either.  I am talking about those bloggers who pontificate their erudition from pedestals where they are almost untouchable to the rest of us who from their viewpoints are mere struggling amateurs or plain silly bloggers of no import to them.

       Actually, I could name names, but I wouldn't do that.  It could be that I'm misinterpreting those bloggers or I might start a conflict steeped in animosity and that's not something I want to do because that's not who I am.

       And for those who thought that I was upset about something that had happened recently, no such thing.  As some of you may recall, on Mondays I often write about topics pertaining to blogging.  On Sunday evening I wanted to come up with a quick something and composed what I thought would be a relatively insignificant post about a topic that used to concern me in my earlier blogging days, but not so much of late.
This is nothing that I obsess over or that bothers me to any great extent.   It's just something I remember from back when I was a newer blogger trying to understand how it all worked.

       Judging from your comments, many of you can relate to this.  In fact, Alana from Writercize directed me to a similarly themed post at Word Nerd Speaks.  From the reactions in her comment section it's pretty obvious that commenting is a hot button issue.  If you want more on this topic go over and check out that post and read the comments--they're pretty intense.

       In any case, I thank you  again for responding so ardently on my Monday post.  One thing it did for me was expand my realization that responding to comments directly via email is tough.  I tried to get back to all of you that I could and if I didn't get to you please understand that it's not you, but it's me having a hard time keeping up with things.  I'm still trying to decide how best to address responding to comments.

A Sad Day in Blogtown:

      Say it ain't so Joe--or I should say Stephen T. McCarthy.  My dear blogging buddy Stephen has announced on his blog Stuffs that he's going out of business on his blog.  His love of blogging has fizzled--so he says.  I hope it's just a phase.  Take a break, my friend, and come back when you're ready, but not too long mind you.  Maybe some of you reading this can stop by Stephen's blog and say hello and maybe a word of encouragement.

I Really Want to Say Something About This:

       In September of 2010 my blog buddy Larry Cavanaugh of DiscConnected was joined by me to witness an incredible concert near my house.  The show was by prog-rock band Spock's Beard.  I wrote about our meeting here and Larry gave a rundown about the show on his blog post.   Amazingly enough, the concert was recorded and filmed and has been released in a deluxe 2 CD set with a bonus DVD of the concert itself. Fans of prog-rock and darn good intricate rock period would do well to check out Spock's Beard: The X Tour Limited Edition Deluxe Version.  It's nothing short of outstanding.  Read Larry's recent review.

Voting Now Open for A to Z Video Contest:

      We ended up with an even dozen entries and they're all winners in my book.  I want to thank all of those who sent in videos.  Now it's up to you readers out there.  Please go to the "Vote for Your Favorite A to Z Video Here" tab and enter your vote.   Links to all of the videos will be found on that page.   Watch and enjoy them and then vote for one.

And now for your listening pleasure:  A sample of the Spock's Beard X Tour Live Concert DVD

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New A to Z Videos--Where's Yours?

         The A to Z Video Contest submissions have been rather slow and did not reach the volume that I had anticipated when the idea was conceived.  However we still have another few days left for you to submit your video.  We are accepting videos until this coming Sunday night March 11th.

         This year the video contest aspect was an experiment that I won't deem a failure because it did generate some very creative entries.  If you haven't watched all of these videos be sure to go to the video tab on the A to Z Blog page and watch the ones that have been sent in so far.

          On today's post I am happy to present the two latest videos  received yesterday (Sunday March 4th).
Take a look at these creative efforts and enjoy.

          First up, we have an arty look at A to Z that incorporates a literary approach to describing the Challenge accompanied by some lovely visuals.  This video comes from Reka at A Chronicle of Dreams.




        Next up a very different approach made by Tracy Jo Blowers from A Brand New Day.   She's assisted by her husband Terry whose blog  Introspection is well worth a visit.



          Hope you've enjoyed these new videos.  Please be sure to stop by all three of the blogs that I've linked to that are associated with the videos.  Let them know that you appreciate the efforts they put into making these.   And I hope I can be recognizing a few more of you video makers in the days to come.

          On Wednesday I'll be hosting a very special Insecure Writers Support Group stop from the group's founder and a co-host of the A to Z Challenge, Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.  Be sure to join us then.   And don't forget to post your own entry of insecurity.

   

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We Preempt This Post for an Important Announcement

         There was another post scheduled for today but then I changed it.  Actually I've had a few different posts scheduled for today but I've changed them as new ideas took precedent.  But that in itself is going to be a topic of an upcoming post.  I won't say when that post will be since that date might change.  Change can happen, right?  So let me tell you what's happening right now.
But first....!
          Yes, actually, first let me present another "Comment about a comment" based on my post at the beginning of the year titled "Where Am I Now Anyway?".  Here is one more:
Sarah Allen said...

Ha! That's awesome :) Since I usually write posts at night and schedule them for early morning, while I'm still asleep, the time disparity definitely happens for me too. I think its fascinating that we can do it that way, although you're right about possible miscommunication or misunderstanding. Sarah Allen (my creative writing blog)

January 4, 2012 9:43 AM 

        This is sort of an illustration of what I was talking about at the beginning of this current post.  Except rather than the night before, I might write a post a few days before it goes on line or in some cases weeks or months ahead of time.   What sometimes happens in those cases is that something else may come up to cause that original post to get preempted or even changed or cancelled entirely.   No blog bit written for some point of time in the future is necessarily guaranteed a place in time.  

       It is fascinating that we have the ability to manipulate what we write on a blog as opposed to what we write for a book or have scheduled for publication.  I've never done it yet, but I could go back and change an older post if I wanted to and that is something you couldn't do very easily with a hard copy of something you've written. Blogging is media juggling and that's probably why I like it so much.

And now...

     Here's what I think takes precedent to what I was originally going to talk about.   It's the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Still a month away, but it weighs heavily on my mind as it probably pervades the thinking of my illustrious co-hosts and many of you who have signed up and perhaps may be even faithfully following the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog and Twitter  Daily News.   If you are not following these sites, I encourage you to follow the links over to them, mark them, and check them regularly.  There is some fun stuff coming.

         If you haven't heard yet, we are making a push for 1000 sign-ups by Thursday March 1.  That's less than a week away, but we can make it with your help.  By the time you read this (when my future will be your present),  we'll have passed the 700 mark on the A to Z Linky List.   On the first day of sign ups we passed the 300 mark.  I believe we can at least match that first day over a period of nearly a week.

        What can you do?   As any of you know who have been checking my Sunday Summary posts on the A to Z Blog, many bloggers have already been promoting the Challenge on their own blogs.  Some of those posts have been very creative!  And all of them help the cause.  We're requesting that over the next few days you do a special post to put out a call to those who may not have heard about the A to Z Challenge or just haven't made the effort to sign up.   If you can at least make a mention on your blog it would help.   Word of mouth is the best promotion.

         Then, try some other ways to spread the word:

• Direct email to those bloggers you know who haven't signed up.
• Announce in places where there could be bloggers (church, school, meetings, etc.)
• Post notices on bulletin boards (library, church, school, laundromat, etc.)
• "What's happening" sections of local newspapers.
• Whatever means your creative mind comes up with.

      Why the thousand by March 1st?  Oh, I don't know--it sounds good.  But seriously, we want this to be the jumping up point for the next and final phase of sign-ups.  We expect a sudden rush in the last week of March and last minute decisions at the beginning of April.  Those of you who have already begun visiting those who are now on the list know how advantageous it has been to have these early sign-ups.  I've seen many of you making the rounds and making new friends in the process--not to mention the added followers.

       If more people sign up in these weeks before the Challenge rather on those last few days, we are all ahead of the game and will be less likely to miss some of those blogs that might have waited or will allow our own blogs to have the opportunity to be viewed and marked now as opposed to later.  It's a win-win situation for all concerned.  So please help us in our push for a thousand by March 1st.

And Still More News....

       Next week on February 28th is the release of Alex J Cavanaugh's Cassafire.  There's a big party on that day to celebrate.   Join him to help his book catch fire on the book charts.

        Don't forget our other co-host Stephen Tremp has a great book called Opening and it's now available.

        Karen Gowen's Celery Tree online bookstore is also a place for you to check out for fine books from many of your favorite bloggers and it's something that you can be a part of as well if you have a book to market.

        Go down the list of all of the co-hosts to visit their sites if you haven't done so already.  There are books, artwork, and some darn good company to be found with all of them.  

      And One More Thing...

        There's still a video contest going on.   We stop taking submissions on March 11th so there's still time for you to make your own video and enter it in the contest.   Check the A to Z Blog for rules, sign-up, and list of entrants so far.

         That's a lot going on!  And now back to our regularly scheduled blogging--unless I change my mind.

          What have you been doing to get others to sign up?   Are there any other ways you can think of to get the word out about the A to Z Challenge?   What is the most unique or original way that you've heard about the Challenge or something else getting promoted?

         I'll leave you with the following message from our sponsor courtesy of Dale Smurthwaite:

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More Comments About Comments (A Continuation of a Post About a Post)

Image via Wikipedia

          A Post About A Post (and the Comments It Generated) generated a positive response.  Thanks for egging me on.  I don't mind really.  I enjoy the challenge of creating something out of that which wasn't intended to go much further than the comment box.  Comment analysis may become a trend.  I'm going to milk it for all it's worth.

 

          For anyone who is just dropping in on my shenanigans, it all starts with a post at the beginning of January, Where Am I Now Anyway?.  I had been away on a trip at Christmas and written my posts ahead of time.   This particular post was an experiment or an exercise in absurdity, but dealing with a conundrum of sorts.  If you haven't read it yet then I encourage you to do so.  If you leave a comment on that post I may comment on that comment on an upcoming post about comments from that post.

           A bit wacky you say?  Of course!  I'm just tossing it out there for some crazy fun.  So on with the comments and my comments about those comments:         

 YeamieWaffles said...

I actually loved this post so much Lee, sorry to hear you're so cold though, that sounds kind of sucky. Interesting writing as per usual my friend, keep it up. You're definitely one of my inspirations around here on Blogger.

January 4, 2012 6:16 AM 

Matthew, you leave some of the most positive and uplifting comments.  That's a way to make a good impact and entice readers to go to your blog to read what you have to say.  I enjoy reading what you have to say and despite some of the things you're dealing with, you keep an amazingly upbeat attitude about things.  And here you've shown such a caring attitude toward my coldness as I was writing that it warmed my heart enough to warm the rest of me.  Thank you for calling me an inspiration to you.  You are paying it forward and now I'm inspired.  Thank you, YeamieWaffles.

 Slamdunk said...

Clever post Lee--it makes one think. I am pounding keys and watching the morning shadows.

January 4, 2012 7:06 AM 

I enjoy being called clever and it's even better when someone tells me I made them think.  I do make an effort sometimes to provoke readers into thinking.  You make me feel like I've accomplished my mission since I was trying to be somewhat clever with a topic that could lead one into twisty thought.  And then you go on to invite me into your world.  I can see you hunched over your keyboard with the shifting light of the morning sun streaming through your windows.  You said so much in two brief sentences.  I paused in my reading to ponder what you had said.

 Suze said...

Lee, you kinda blew my mind -- and with the fringe, esoteric, mind-bending reading I typically do, that doesn't happen often. Also, this 'I feel like I'm wearing snow shoes--and by that I mean shoes that are made out of snow.' made me smile.

January 4, 2012 7:41 AM 

I like it if I've brought a smile to someones face.  Smiles can be contagious and to hear that you smiled made me smile.  And if I blew your mind that's all the better.  I set out to create a mind trip and you state that I kinda did that.  Hey, that's cool enough for me.  You also did something here that often I don't see in comments: You brought context to your comment by quoting my words and connecting them to your reaction.  This disconnect between the context of the blog post and what appears in comments is a very common thing that I've noticed where comments don't seem to relate to anything and one has to go back to the blog post to see what the comment is referring to.   They're only comments, but still....
Thanks Suze.

 LD Masterson said...

Well, I think I'm here. But this is my here, as well as my now. Which will be a different now for you then. And my here is your there. These is only only thing I'm sure of...my feet are cold.

January 4, 2012 8:05 AM 

Now this was fun, LD.  You went for the comic comment done in the spirit of my post, basically summarizing what I had said.  Your comment tells me that you not only read the post, but you also got it.  I think sometimes my sense of humor gets somewhat obscure and people take me more seriously than I am meaning to be.  Your paraphrase of my post was fun for me and if anyone else read it they probably smiled too.

 welcome to my world of poetry said...

I think I understand what you were saying, I am writing this at 4 06pm on 04/01/2012 so whatever time you read this heavens knows whay may have transpired. Yvonne.

January 4, 2012 8:07 AM 

You did understand, Yvonne.  You got it exactly as you have also restated what I was saying in your own way.  It is delightful and reassuring when I know that a person who left a comment is not merely leaving an obligatory mark in my comment space, but is letting me know that they read what I wrote.  So many times I feel like people breeze through reading, half hear what people are saying, or selectively understand what they want based on what they want.   In those cases communication can be very difficult and even fall apart.  But that sounds like a different topic for a different post.

        Oh boy!  Topics that were elicited by comments.   Actually I've done that before.  It can be a great way to get fodder for posts.  And about that word "fodder".   It's kind of a weird word.  (Note to blog self:  future post about weird words.)

         And for any of you who thought that I was just trying to be funny when I said I was considering a series based on comments about comments from a past post, you don't know me very well.  I can get pretty weird sometimes.  if you guys keep egging me on, it can get a whole lot weirder.

          When you think about it, "weird" is kind of a weird word.

Now some A to Z business:

        Don't miss the posts this week-end on the A to Z Blog.  We're making preps for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge sign-ups coming January 30th which is next Monday from where I'm standing now.  Today on the A to Z Blog Alex J Cavanaugh is explaining the Linky list and sign-up process.  I'll be explaining some additional details this Saturday and Sunday.

         Now that sign-ups are starting you will want to check out the Challenge Blog each day for updates and special announcements.  Be sure to become a follower or "Friend of the Alphabet" as we call them.    Also we are still accepting guest posts for the A to Z Blog.  If you have something that you'd like to share with the rest of us, let us know and we'll schedule you.   Or if there is something you'd like us to address, let us know and we'll either write a post about it or answer you directly.

Video Challenge is not the same as the April Challenge!

          Video makers or wannabes--we are accepting videos until March 11.  The Video Challenge is your chance to promote the April Challenge with a commercial or promo video about the April Challenge.  You can do one video or as many as you like.   We are not suggesting that you have to do a video a day during April.   The Video Challenge is a whole different shebang. 

           Check the tabs at the top of the A to Z Blog page for Video Challenge rules, sign-ups, and to see videos already submitted.  Then, by all means send in those videos!

 Be here Monday and sign up for the 


Blogging from A to Z April Challenge !        

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               Have you checked the A to Z Blog lately?







             This sounds fun.