The Teachers' Animation Toolkit

Tripods and camerawork:
Tripods should only be adjusted while setting up a shot, before 
animation begins. Never force the tripod, always unlock it before 
panning or tilting and hold the pan bar to adjust. After this, the 
tripod and camera should not be touched. Students will always 
want to look in the viewfi nder, and play with the camera controls 
while animating. This must be avoided. Remind them that they can 
check the composition on the laptop. Compositions should not be 
changed until the shot is complete. Zooming or panning does not 
work well for stop-frame animation (without special professional 
tools).
Cables:
It is vital to tape down all cables with gaffer tape to avoid tripping 
over them. Pay particular attention to the fi rewire cable. Tape it down 
close to the socket connections at the camera and the laptop, with 
some slack at the camera end so it can be adjusted between shots.

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The Teachers’ Animation Toolkit
Sound is as important as the image in creating a successful 
animation. It should never be considered an afterthought. When 
budgeting for a moving image facility in your school, consider 
spending as much on a good microphone system as you would a 
video camera.
Most professional sound recordists use a shotgun or short shotgun 
microphone for recording dialogue and interviews. Its sensitivity 
is very directional, so you must point it precisely at the subject or 
desired sound source. Unwanted background sounds are minimized.
A wind shield is essential for outdoor work to eliminate wind noise, and 
a cradle to hold the microphone will minimize handling noise. A fi sh 
pole or boom is very useful for drama work, as it enables the recordist 
to position the mic above the actors’ heads. Always place the mic as 
close as you can without intruding on the shot. The ideal placement for 
recording dialogue is about 30 cm from the speaker’s lips.
A good set of headphones is essential. Choose a closed set, so you 
just hear the sound being recorded. Most importantly, listen carefully 
for problems such as distortion and unwanted background sound.
Most domestic camcorders provide a socket for connecting 
an external mic. It is never a good idea to rely on the internal 
camcorder mic. First, the recording quality is usually inferior. 
Secondly, you cannot place the mic where you want it to record the 
sound source. Finally, it will record all the camera handling noise, 
tape transport, zoom servo etc.
Cheaper cameras only provide a mini jack socket, designed to 
take low-cost microphones with unbalanced leads. Unbalanced 
leads have a single signal carrying cable, and are prone to radio 
interference, which can ruin a recording. The longer the cable, the 
worse the problem gets.
Better microphones use balanced cables with XLR plugs and 
sockets, designed to eliminate interference. To use a balanced