ANIMATION STATION: an Instructables Contest Course

Welcome to the ANIMATION STATION, where ideas come to life one frame at a time. Students in this course work towards developing skills in STOP MOTION ANIMATION, while documenting the progress of their own short film through the completion of their own INSTRUCTABLES.

Step 1: COURSE OUTLINE

Better read this over. This page will tell you how to get the marks.

Remember..... Term work is worth 70% of your final mark, and being productive during the term will make your culminating activity a breeze.

Step 2: INSTRUCTABLES

You'll be creating step-by-step instructables or video instructables. Your specific project will dictate which form of instructable will work the best. 

SIMPLE or SERIOUS?

You'll need to write 10 simple ones during the semester, but at some point you'll need to put forth a little extra effort and write something serious.

Here is a great example of a SIMPLE instructable:

Converting a JPEG to a PNG

Here is a great example of a SERIOUS Instructable.

Easy, Cheap, Animated Cartoon in 10 Minutes

Here is a great example of a SATIRICAL Instructable:

Instructables Bathroom Fix

Here's an example of a great Instructable with a little room for improvement:

How to make a 9 Doll from the movie




Make sure to check the CALENDAR to stay on track with production.

Step 3: WHERE TO START?

When writing your first instructable, remember to keep it simple. You can use existing instructables to give you an idea of what to do. The best exemplars are instructables that are FEATURED. You'll notice that a featured instructable has a little banner across the top right corner of the title block.

There are millions of possibilities of instructables that you could write. Yours may be similar to one that has already been written. If so, try to make it better, or add something original to it.

You might want to read this before you start:

How to write an Instructable

Step 4: EVALUATION

You will be required to submit an evaluation page for each instructable that you complete.

5 of your evaluations will be self-assessments. You will submit marks for each assessment category and complete the reflection box at the bottom of the evaluation page.

You should answer the following questions in your reflection:

1. What obstacles did you encounter in the completion of the project?
2. How did you use problem solving skills during your project completion?
3. What part of your project are you most satisfied with?
4. What would you do differently next time?

The remaining evaluations will be be completed by the teacher, in which case, feedback will be provided in the feedback box at the bottom of the evaluation page.

* Because your instructables are infinitely editable, you always have the opportunity to improve your mark on each project.*

Step 5: POINTS SYSTEM

 Alrighty, this is how it all adds up. Read this carefully so that you don't miss the opportunity to score points and WIN cool stuff.

Interested in getting more views? Check out this instructable:

Using SEO to increase an Instructable's views

Step 6: CALENDAR

 Check out this calendar to help keep track of your progess. You have the semester to complete the following:

Term Work

10 - simple instructables
1 - Serious instructable
2 - Presentations

Culminating Activity

1 - Two minute Short Film
1 - Film related instructable

FILM FESTIVAL

Step 7: PRIZES

 WHOA! I'm not kidding around?? You can actually win this stuff, get a high mark, and receive a credit all at the same time.

Get your instructable FEATURED and win some bonus prizes.