Last week, I created the test video for my DragonBall stopmotion storyboard. After receiving feedback from my colleagues, I decided to scrap that project in order to pursue my Rose Body Oil stop motion video. Since there would be no dialogue, I continued reading Liz Blazer’s, Animated Storytelling. I wanted to learn more on how I could use sound to support my animations and keep my viewers interested.
Chapter Seven: Sound Ideas
Blazer lets us know that sound can be used to bring an animation to life by reinforcing what viewers know from their life experiences. They know that dogs bark and that car alarms go off when a rock goes through the window. So when we create our animations, not including these sounds is a disservice, unless the lack of use of sound is to build tension or to alert that something is wrong.
It is important that we understand sound deeper just as we previously broadened our understanding of color. There are two different types of sound that can be used for our animations:
Diegetic sound: This comes from sources that are visible on the screen from the physical world. An example would be there is a dog on the screen and it is barking.
Non-diegetic sound: This comes from sources that are neither visible on the screen but are implied by an action. You would recognize this as the “wah-wah-wah” of a trombone when a character has learned they have been swindled.
We also learn that restraint is key when it comes to sound. Just because we can add in whatever sound we can think of, it does not mean that is the best thing to do for our animation. In previous chapters, we learned this for writing; it makes sense for visuals and audios that simplicity is the best approach. Sound should be used to support a story not to overcomplicate one.
Another way to support a scene with sound is through atmospheric music. This music is a subtle soundtrack that gives a scene a little more personality. The use of atmospheric music can give the audience a little break to enjoy the animation for what it is before being steered to the next plot device.
Because our animations will create endless opportunities to introduce sound into scenes, it is important to know our characters and the dialogues that will occur.
Chapter Eight: Design Wonderland
Whether a story takes place in the present, past or future will help an animator portray the obstacles that must be overcome. Being introduced to a character that just obtained a head cold in 2026, there’s no drama. We know that the character can find an immediate solution to feel better with a click of a button. But if the story was placed in the 1800s, there’s more weight to the character being sick because we know how limited medicine was then.
At first, creating storyboards seemed like it was just to ensure project success, but it serves another purpose. It is for creators to get so immersed in the world that they are creating that they can set all of the rules for viewers. Viewers look to animators to set the expectations of the world they are creating and to stick to them. Whether the expectations are conventional, where a dog barks or they’re unconventional, where a dog speaks English.
For this reason, it is crucial for us to stay inspired. It is important to view a lot of work that has already been done, so that for our work we can explore ideas further or go in different directions.
Research Time
This stop-motion used the song Falling Together by The Cage to set the tone of this story. We are introduced to a deep story without a word or any extra sound effects being added to the animation.
The soundtrack supported the story of the gorilla without overwhelming it and set the pacing of the animation. Through the book ending technique we learn the significance of the gorilla staring out at the rain, we learn of friendship, loss and sadness. This was all done with a simplistic soundtrack and the creator’s intentional choices of having a wind up character, rain vs. sunshine and the scene closing in with greyness.
This stop motion used sound effects and a soundtrack to support the story. The creator added diegetic sounds such as the paper being taken out, the foil noises, and the scissors cutting. This brought the animation to life and supported the actions being viewed on screen. At 2:37, the harp (non-diegetic sound) was used to show that the foil character was having a thought or daydream, which was the next scene. It wasn’t until the chase around 3:48 that a soundtrack was added to support the drama of one of the foil characters chasing the other. The balance between sound effects and a soundtrack was beautifully achieved within this work.
Blue Staircase used the moving cut out character to reveal or erase the name of the film as well as the names of the actors. The soundtrack sets the tone of a mystery that will occur while sound effects were kept to a minimum of the sound of paper tearing due to a knife cutting through it. What an amazing way to get viewers to make an association with the name of the film to the film’s content.
This video shows the importance of setting the stage for our stop motion for viewers to be able to receive. With there being flour, sprinkles, and other baking items on the table, we understand that this is a creative food project. The context was set for the moving cookies to spell out the title name, as well as for the flour writing to appear. The soundtrack was fun and encouraged the animations as they played out.
Rose Magic Stop Motion
Overall I enjoyed the process of creating my rose stop motion. I would like for future projects to polish being able to control lighting and photo sequences a bit better. I left out some photos that at the time of filming made sense but when I put them in Adobe After Effects to animate they no longer supported the storyline.
For my project I went with the beaded necklace story structure. I chose a soundtrack in the beginning that would support the suspense of the opening animation being in outer space. I used the suspense of the soundtrack building to animate some of the pulsing stars to glitch.
Once I added in this foreshadowing, I had fun making a paper rose appear to turn into the rose petals I used to spell out my business’ name. Keeping Blazer’s advice to heart about being wise as to where to add my sound effects, I limited them to diegetic sounds to anchor viewers while visually defying laws of reality. The real stars were the trumpet and bass from the soundtrack that kept engagement during different scenes.
The outro of my project was inspired by Adult Swim Bumps. I animated a rose and changed it according to the colors of the text I had typed out. I also added my business logo with my name signed before fading the visuals out. The soundtrack for the outro was the same as the intro; I just had it a little further out so it could feel like a continuation from the start of the video.