Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Dope sheets
A dope sheet is an animation tool which helps an animator organise the animation shot-byshot. This gives the camera operator instructions on each shot type and how many frames this will be used for. A dope sheet is usually split into 5 different sections. To indicate what action occurs on which frame number To see what action is happening in this shot. To see what dialogue used in this scene. To show what level of animation is happening. To give camera instructions (angle).

For example;

Because you will be working with video, you will be using 30fps. You will need to complete a dope sheet for EVERY SECOND of your animation. i.e., if you make a 30 second animation, you will need to complete 30 dope sheets. This will be a time-consuming task, but it will help you understand what will need to happen in each of the shots you take. The higher marks will come from a detailed and careful collection of dope sheets. For example, if your characters speak, you will need to show the mouth forming every shape in order to look effective.

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

Frame 001

Path of action Mega Man Teleports In

Dialogue / Soundtrack cue The soundtrack is a song from the Mega Man Games, any action is accompanies by a sound effect that fits the actions for example if the action is running the sound effects is footsteps ect.

Animation The animation is whatever the actions are. If the action is jumping, then the animation is jumping.

Camera instructions The camera does not change throughout the entire animation. It is just one continuous pan to the right

002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024 025 026 027 028

Mega Man Begins Running to the right

Mega Man Jumps Forward

Mega Man Lands on the next building Mega Man begins running Mega Man Jumps Again

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046 047 048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060 061 062 063 064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 073 074 075

Mega Man Lands Mega Man continues running

Mega Man jumps

Mega Man Lands Camera begins to move to the right

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

076 077 078 079 080 081 082 083 084 085 086 087 088 089 090 091 092 093 094 095 096 097 098 099 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123

Camera stops moving Robot stamps Robot flies to the left

Robot Stamps

Mega Man aims gun Robot flies to the left

Mega man Fires gun

Robot Explodes Mega Man Begins Running

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

Mega Man Jumps to the building

Mega Man Lands Mega Man Begins running to the right

Mega Man Jumps

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213

Mega Man Lands on ledge

Mega Man Jumps Directly Up

Mega Man Clambers up onto ledge

Mega Man Stands on Ledge Mega Man Jumps Up

Robot Stomps

Mega Man Lands Mega Man shoots at robot

Robot is push back Robot Starts to charge mega man Mega Man begins to back off

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260

Mega Man shoots Robot is flung backwards

Robot Hits ledge

Robot hits floor

Robot flies off screen Mega Man Begins running to the right

Mega Man Jumps

Mega Man Lands

Mega Man Fires at last

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

robot 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302

Robot is flung backwards in an arc

Mega Man Begins to Run to the right

Mega Man Jumps and the robot hits the spikes

Robot explodes

Dust clears and mega man is standing there unharmed

Mega Man Runs to the right

Stop Motion Animation Pre-production Booklet

303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320

Mega Man Jumps

Mega Man Lands

Mega Man is teleported away

Copy and paste as many dope sheets as you need. Remember to change the frame numbering so that the first number refers to the second of animation i.e., 1_24 is the 24th frame of the first second, 3_17 is the 17th frame of the 3rd second.