Animation

Lesson 1 – Making a flip book

Learning outcomes

Students will understand that there are different types of animation: 2D, 3D and stop-motion animation.
Students know that animation is a sequence of 2D or 3D images or model positions moving rapidly in order
to create an illusion of movement
Students know that one picture in a sequence of animation is called a frame
Students can make a basic animation by drawing a series of frames on paper to create a flick book

1. You will need

Piles of paper (or a book of postcards or post-it notes)

Pens and pencils
Paper clips
Video examples of 2D, 3D and stop motion animation (Find great examples specific to your key stage here
on the 21CC website or on websites like YouTube)
21CC ‘Making a flip book’ instructional video

2. Learning activity

As a whole class group ask students to contribute ideas of animations they have seen enjoyed and explain
why they liked them. Display their answers in a list or cloud on the board. Elicit enough answers so you
have a mixture of animation styles to compare with your group.

Discuss and compare the animations listed on the board. Ask the students if there are different types of
animation? How are they different? Elicit from the class that animations can be 2D or 3D and can be drawn
or made using models and other materials.

Play some short video examples of 2D, 3D and model animations. Ask the students to which they pre-
ferred? Which did they think were the most effective, and why?

Explain to the students that are going to produce their own 2D drawn animation by making a flip book.

Play the 21CC Making a Flip Book instructional video. In the video, Pat, the animator, mentions the word
“frame”. Ask the students what they think it means? Elicit the correct answer. A frame is a single image in a
series of images that move quickly to create the illusion of movement. Ask the students how many frames
it takes film animators to make one second of animation. The answer is 25. You may want to extend this
activity with some mental maths.

Tell the students they have a few minutes to think of an idea they would like to animate. Remind them to
keep their idea simple. Distribute the piles of paper and pens and pencils.

Ask the students to draw their first frame of their animation. Remind the students they will need to hold the
flip book on one side, so their drawings should be concentrated on the opposite side.

Tell the students to complete the remaining frames of their flip book, changing their drawing slightly in each
frame. They will need to produce at least 25 frames to get a good animation effect. Remind the students to
number their frames.

Once all the frames are complete instruct the students to clip their flip books together using bull clips or
safety pins and have a go at making their first animations by flicking the pages.