1. technology and computing
2. software
3. graphics software
4. animation

Lesson: Make Your Own Flip
Books!
Purpose
To understand how frames and cells work within animation
and film. This is a preliminary exercise to making cartoons,
stop animation and video.
Background
Animation is the process whereby still pictures are turned into
moving pictures. Flashing a series of images before the eye in rapid
succession does this. Individual drawings are called cells;
individual photographs are called frames. Animation is used in
cartoons, television, and film. When the number of cells per second
is greater, the animation effect is "smoother." In a conventional
film, still images flash by at a rate of 24 frames per second.
Typically, animation cells flash by at about 12 cells per second.
A flipbook contains a series of images, one per page. When
thumbed through quickly, the images appear as an
animation. The visual effect of a flipbook is attributed to
human "persistence of vision."
Objective
-Students will invent and perform movements through
pantomime.
-Students will invent transition movements linking one
character to another.
-Students will understand frames and cells within a film.
Materials
Sample flipbooks
Disney's Mickey's Birthday Party: An Animated Flip
Book
Spongebob Squarepants Flip Book
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
Star Wars Flip Book Collection
Index cards (plain white)
Crayons or markers
Heavy-duty stapler
Plastic tape
Index cards with name or picture of a character or objectbaby, dog, spaceship, pyramid, television, man, pregnant
woman, etc. Any other range of characters could also be
used, such as different kinds of occupations or different
species of animals or plants.
Anticipatory Set
Pass the flipbooks around the classroom. Have the students
look at them carefully. Ask the students, “If you were going
to make a flip book, what would you do?”
Introductory Student Activities
Part one:
Divide children into groups of three.
Each group picks two index cards.
Two children will pantomime the characters chosen, while
the third will act out the transition (or morph) between
them.
Children improvise and practice as a team. If, for example,
index cards from dog and baby are chosen, the three
children choose roles and separate themselves on the stage.
The first child pantomimes the baby and then tags the
second child. The second child copies the baby movement,
transforms it into a dog, and then tags the third child. The
third child then copies the dog movement, and expands on
it.
Children exchange roles three times, improving the group
performance over-all as they do so.
Optional: to create larger dances, children invent transitions
to link different team sequences together into a longer
seamless whole.
Children perform morphs for their class or school.
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
Part two:
Students analyze transition movements between bodies;
then explain that in this lesson they will analyze movement
within a single body.
Demonstrate jumping jacks, jumping from the soldier atease stance to the upward stance.
Line students up and have them demonstrate the inbetween motions between the two extreme stances of
jumping jacks.
Do the same thing with other kinds of movement, which
perhaps the children can suggest (popular dance steps, kick,
run, hopscotch, etc).
Part three:
Provide each student with 15 index cards. Students
should lay the index cards out on their desks, and
number them from 1 to 15 on the top edge (the edge
that you are going to staple). Now the students can
begin drawing the cells.
Two examples that are easy for beginners are a
bouncing ball and a fluttering butterfly.
Card 1: Draw and color a ball, or a butterfly near the
bottom, left side of the card.
Card 2: Draw the same ball or butterfly, but place it a
little higher and to the right of the image on the first
card.
Continue the process with all 15 cards.
After they finish their drawings, ask the students to
stack their cards in order, 1 to 15. Staple them
together. Cut a piece of plastic tape the same width
as the flipbook to cover the sharp edges of the
staples. The student flipbooks are now ready to be
viewed.
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
Making a Zoetrope
The Zoetrope (pronounced ZOH-uh-trohp),
invented in 1834 by William George Horner,
was an early form of motion picture
projector that consisted of a drum
containing a set of still images, that was
turned in a circular fashion in order to
create the illusion of motion. Horner originally called it the
Daedatelum, but Pierre Desvignes, a French inventor, renamed his
version of it the Zoetrope (from Greek word root zoo for animal life
and trope for "things that turn.")
A Zoetrope is relatively easy to build. It can be turned at a variable
rate to create slow-motion or speeded-up effects. Like other
motion simulation devices, the Zoetrope depends on the fact that
the human retina retains an image for about a tenth-of-a-second so
that if a new image appears in that time, the sequence was seem to
be uninterrupted and continuous. It also depends on what is
referred to as the Phi phenomenon, which observes that we try to
make sense out of any sequence of impressions, continuously
relating them to each other.
The visual effect created by a Zoetrope (or Zoopraxiscope) is
still used today to create animated GIFs and video display
technologies such as streaming video, which essentially create
an effect of motion by presenting discrete but closely-related
images one after the other.
•
empty 42 oz. oatmeal container
•
black construction paper
•
black paint
•
empty thread spool
•
six by six inch piece of cardboard
•
white paper cut into strips 16 inches long
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
•
short pencil
•
markers
•
scissors
•
paint brush
•
tape
•
clay
A Zoetrope is an animation toy that makes drawings look like they are
moving. Our Zoetrope is made out an empty oatmeal container.
When you spin it and look through the slits, it animates the drawings.
1. First, cut the oatmeal container in half. You may want an adult
to help you with this part.
2. Cover the outside of the container with black construction
paper. Paint the inside black.
3. Make 12 slits on the top of the container. It's a good idea to
draw the slits before you cut them. They should be about an
inch apart, 1/8 of an inch wide, and one inch long. A good way
to make the slits is to cut on either side of the slit, bend the
piece of cardboard down and then cut it off. You might need to
ask a grownup to help you with this part, too.
4. Put the container in the middle of the cardboard square and
tape it down.
5. Using the point of the pencil, make a hole through the bottom of
the container and through the cardboard square.
6. Put the pencil into the hole so the eraser is facing up.
7. Put your empty thread spool under the cardboard square and
put the pointy end of the pencil into the hole in the thread spool.
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
8. If your Zoetrope wobbles when you spin it, put some clay on top
of the pencil.
9. Now you need to make your drawings. Take a strip of white
paper and make a drawing about every inch. Make 12 drawings
in all (one for each slit). Change the drawing a little bit each
time. (For example, you could draw a person doing jumping
jacks, and draw the person in a different position each time.)
10.
Tape your drawings inside the Zoetrope, lining the
drawings up with the slits, and give it a spin! Look through the
slits and you can see your drawings come to life!
Background:
Originally
called
the
"Wheel
of
the
Devil"
the
zoetrope
is
a
moving
image
machine
that
was
invented
in
the
1830s.
During
the
1860s
the
zoetrope
was
manufactured
and
marketed
to
the
public.
The
term
zoetrope
comes
from
the
Greek
zoa
(living
things)
and
trope
(turning).
Zoetropes
were
wildly
popular
forms
of
entertainment
for
both
children
and
adults
in
the
Victorian
era.
A
zoetrope
is
a
cylinder
with
vertical
slits
cut
into
the
sides.
A
band
of
pictures
fits
inside.
As
the
cylinder
is
spun,
the
images
appear
to
move
when
viewed
through
the
slits.
Like
the
thaumatrope
and
the
flipbook,
the
zoetrope
works
on
the
principle
of
persistence
of
vision.
The
band
of
pictures
that
fits
inside
the
cylinder
is
called
a
zoetrope
strip.
It
consists
of
a
series
of
images,
each
of
which
is
slightly
different
from
the
one
before
it.
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
Materials:
Zoetrope
W heel:
•
•
Heavy stock paper or cardboard
OR cylindrical ice cream boxes, emptied and
clean (Baskin Robbins is a good source for
used boxes).
•
record turntable or "lazy susan" (to create the
base for the zoetrope)
•
good quality glue (such as hot glue)
•
black matte spray or tempera paint
•
ruler
•
X-acto knife
Zoetrope Strips:
•
heavy paper cut into strips and marked into an
even number of cells
•
crayons, markers, or colored pencils
•
scissors and tape
Preparation: Creating the Zoetrope Wheel
The
teacher
should
make
one
zoetrope
and
several
zoetrope
strips
to
model
for
the
class.
Here's
how
to
make
the
zoetrope:
(If
you
are
using
an
empty
ice
cream
container,
skip
to
the
next
step.)
Cut
and
shape
the
cardboard
into
a
cylinder.
The
length
of
the
cylinder
will
equal
the
circumference
of
the
zoetrope.
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
Next,
cut
a
round
base
for
your
zoetrope
(the
diameter
of
the
base
will
be
one
half
of
the
circumference).
Using
a
ruler,
measure
and
mark
where
the
slits
will
be.
The
slits
should
be
placed
near
the
top
half
of
the
cardboard
cylinder.
The
zoetrope
strips
should
sit
below
the
slits
without
obscuring
them.
Each
vertical
slit
should
be
about
2"
long,
and
about
1/8"
wide.
Slits
should
be
spaced
1"
apart.
(Note:
These
placements
and
measurements
are
forgiving
-
they
do
not
have
to
be
exact.)
Follow
your
markings,
and
use
the
X-acto
knife
to
cut
and
form
the
slits.
Paint
the
inside
and
outside
of
the
cardboard
with
black
paint.
Let
dry.
Using
hot
glue,
attach
the
zoetrope
sides
to
the
base.
Next
attach
the
zoetrope
to
the
lazy
susan
or
turntable
using
tape
or
hot
glue.
The Activity: Making Zoetrope Strips
Review
this
idea
of
persistence
of
vision.
Point
out
that
like
the
pages
of
a
flipbook,
each
cell
of
a
zoetrope
strip
presents
an
image
that
is
slightly
different
from
the
next.
Now
show
the
students
some
of
the
zoetrope
strips
that
you
have
made,
pointing
out
that
each
image
is
a
little
different
from
the
one
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
before
it.
Put
it
in
the
zoetrope
you
have
made
and
spin
it.
(Position
the
zoetrope
near
a
good
light
source
for
best
results.)
Make
one
or
two
zoetrope
strips
as
a
class.
Ask
different
students
to
draw
the
images.
Then
give
each
of
the
students
a
blank
zoetrope
strip.
Lead
the
class
through
the
exercise
again.
Soon
they
will
be
experts.
Some
suggested
themes
or
topics
for
zoetrope
strips:
racing
cars,
people
or
animals
walking,
a
moving
train,
the
sun
and
clouds
moving
across
the
sky.
The
bouncing
ball
and
fluttering
butterfly
described
in
the
Flipbook
exercise
are
also
appropriate
subject
matter.
Instructions for making a Thaumatrope
The thaumatrope is an early form of a type of overlapping
animation. It is a disc with an image on each side; when you
spin it, the two images blend and seem to become one image.
•
index cards
•
markers
•
pencils
•
tape
1. First cut an index card in half and draw two pictures that will match up.
For example, you can draw a bird on one side, and a cage on the other.
2. Make sure you draw in the middle of each side of the card so your
drawings will match up.
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
3. Tape the cards -- drawing sides out -- to opposite sides of a pencil.
4. Tape around the edges of the cards.
5. Spin the pencil between your hands.
6.
If you made it right, you should see the bird in the cage.
Paper Plate Animation
When is a paper plate not a paper plate? When it's a zoetrope.
Here's how you make one.
•
•
You will need: two paper plates, scissors, a pencil, a small
rubber animal stamp, a stamp pad, tape, and a mirror.
Fold the paper plate in half, unfold it, and cut a slit in the
outside edge of the plate about 1/8 inch wide and 1 inch
long at each end of the fold. Make another fold in the plate
perpendicular to the first fold. Unfold it and cut two more
slits. Continue until you have eight evenly spaced slits
about 2 inches apart.
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008
•
•
•
•
•
Put this plate over a new plate, mark the same slits, and cut
them. On this new plate, put one animal stamp in between
each pair of slits.
Can you make your animal throw a ball? First draw the ball
in its hands. Then in each frame draw the ball a little higher
in the air. (Once you've got the hang of it, you can draw
your own designs!)
Stick the pencil point through the center of each plate
(where the folds intersect) so that the slits and the two holes
line up exactly and your pencil can slide in and out.
Tape the edges of the two plates together back to back so
that the stamp images are on the outside and all the slits are
lined up. (Taping the plates together will make your
zoetrope sturdy.) Flatten out your zoetrope and get ready
for action.
Hold the zoetrope with the animal-stamp side facing the
mirror. Balance the pencil eraser on your chin, and spin the
plate. Look into the mirror through the slits as they spin by.
What happens?
Compiled by Jessica Johnson 2008