With Tek
How to make a stop motion video with paper cut-outs
To make a stop motion video with paper cut-outs, draw a character in separate parts, join the parts with split pins, lay it flat on a paper stage, and photograph it from above with a phone that stays still, moving one part a tiny bit between photos. In this course your kid draws a paper star in parts, tapes down a stage they drew, builds a book stand that holds a phone over it, and shoots a five-second movie one tiny move at a time. Unlike toy stop motion, nothing stands up: the paper lies flat and the camera looks straight down. Tek hosts four short films for kids 6 to 13, and your kid ends with a short cut-out movie with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 60–90 minutes of making. On Kubrio, all four films and the quiz are free, with no account.
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▶ 1:45 tourWhat your kid makes
Your kid ends with a paper star in jointed card parts, a paper stage, a book stand they can set up again, and a five-second cut-out movie with a beginning, a middle, and an end, shot on a grown-up's phone.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 60–90 minutes of making (you can split it over two days)
- You need
- Card, a pencil, and markers, scissors and split pins, and a grown-up to poke the holes, a big sheet of paper and some tape, a stack of books and a grown-up's phone with a stop-motion app, a lamp
- Host
- Tek
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. A star in pieces
A cut-out character is separate card parts with round ends that overlap. Split pins at the overlaps let the arms and legs swing.
- Draw a head, a body, a tail, two arms, and two legs on card
- Cut each part out with round ends
- Join the parts with split pins, or lay them side by side
Where: At home
Lesson 2. A camera that stays still
The camera looks straight down at a paper stage and must not move, so the phone lies on a stack of books instead of in a hand.
- Draw a place on a big sheet and tape it to the table
- Lay the phone on a tall stack of books, its camera over the paper
- Put a book on the phone and check that the whole stage fits
Where: At home
Lesson 3. The tiny-move rule
Move one part about a fingernail's width, leave the rest, pull your hands out, then snap. Tiny moves look smooth; big moves look jumpy.
- Move one part a fingernail's width
- Pull your hands out of the picture and snap
- Swing a leg, slide the body, and swing the other leg for 20 photos
Where: At home
Lesson 4. Play it back
Twelve photos make about one second, so a five-second movie is 60 photos. A few photos without moving anything make a pause.
- Plan three steps: a beginning, a middle, and an end
- Turn on a lamp and shoot 60 photos
- Press play and show your family
Where: At home
Take the quiz
Tek asks 3 questions about the films. Get 2 right and you finish the course.
Transcript
Lesson 1: A star in pieces
Hi, I'm Tek. Want to see paper move all by itself? Let's make a cut-out movie!
Here's the trick. Lay a paper character flat. Move it a tiny bit. Snap a photo. Again and again.
Then play the photos fast. Look! It's waving!
Meet Fig, my paper fox. Fig isn't one piece. A head, a body, a tail, two arms, and two legs.
Draw each part on card, and cut it out. Make the ends round, so the parts can overlap.
Ask a grown-up to poke a hole where two parts overlap. Push a split pin through, and open its legs. Now the arm swings!
Your turn. Draw your star in parts, and cut them out. Join them with split pins, or just lay them side by side. Then press Next.
Lesson 2: A camera that stays still
Fig needs a stage. Take a big sheet of paper, and draw a place. A forest, a beach, or outer space!
Tape the paper to the table, so it can't slide.
Now the camera. It looks straight down, and it has to stay perfectly still.
Watch what happens if you hold it. Everything shakes!
So make a tall stack of books next to your stage. Lay the phone on top, with the camera sticking out over the paper.
Put a book on the phone, so it can't slip. Then check. Does your whole stage fit in the picture?
Your turn. Draw a stage and tape it down. Ask a grown-up for a phone with a stop-motion app, and build your book stand. Then press Next.
Lesson 3: The tiny-move rule
Time to make Fig walk! Here's the rule. Tiny moves.
Move one part a tiny bit. About as wide as your fingernail. Leave everything else where it is.
Pull your hands out of the picture. Then snap!
Move, hands out, snap. Move, hands out, snap! That's the whole secret.
Watch what happens with big moves. Fig jumps all over the place!
Now tiny moves. Swing a leg. Slide the body. Swing the other leg. Look, Fig walks!
Your turn. Make your star walk across the stage. Tiny moves, hands out, snap. Take twenty photos. Then press Next.
Lesson 4: Play it back
Now let's make a whole little movie. Five seconds long, with a beginning, a middle, and an end!
Plan three steps. Fig walks in. Fig sees a butterfly. Fig waves hello!
Twelve photos make about one second. So five seconds is sixty photos.
Want Fig to stop and look? Snap a few photos without moving anything.
Keep the light the same the whole time. A lamp works better than a sunny window.
Now press play. Your paper moves on its own! Show it to your family.
Your turn. Plan three steps, shoot sixty photos, and play it back. You made a cut-out stop-motion movie!
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
How is cut-out stop motion different from toy stop motion?
In cut-out stop motion, the character is flat card in parts, lying on a paper stage, and the camera looks straight down from a book stand. In toy stop motion, a toy stands up and the camera looks at it from the side. Tiny moves, hands out before each photo, and 12 photos for every second work the same in both.
What if we don't have split pins?
Lay the parts side by side on the stage and move each one on its own. The film shows both ways. Split pins, also called paper fasteners, make the arms and legs swing, and a grown-up pokes the holes.
Can my kid's paper character star in an animated movie too?
Yes. The same paper star can come back in a flipbook, a comic, or a second cut-out movie. The cut-out movie itself stays at home, on the grown-up's phone.