Monkey+Jam+(Animation+Software)

Time estimates for this page and this tool. Downloading, installing and getting the program up and running might take an hour and a half if you don't run into technical snags. Producing your first animation could take a further hour, as animation takes time. The division example give below took an hour to shoot. For constructive educational use, you might care to explore some of the resources I have placed on the digital story telling page, here

Take a 15 euro webcam, take a box of Plasticine and you are Stephen Speilberg! Well maybe not. But here is an example of what you can do: “[|claymation animation example]” [|Monkey jam] is a free program for doing frame by frame animation, which can be a series of post it notes, a step by step guide to a calculation, or whatever. Its quite simple to use, and after about forty minutes with the program the group I was in had quite a respectable minute of animation in the can. [|Very silly movie about a cat.] For the technically minded we were shooting at six frames per second which is about as slow as you can go, while keeping up the continuous motion illusion. There is a reasonable video guide here: [|MonkeyJam Tutorial] which will give you a feel for what is involved and there is also a pdf format guide to using the program here: [|pdf Guide to using MonkeyJam] I have a video on how to download and install this program here: [|Video showing how to download and instal Monkey Jam] This is good material for a class project or group work as it gives the students a great sense of achievement seeing the movie rolling. Its results can be imported into MovieMaker, if you want to combine them with live footage shot with a video camera. I’ve used it to produce animations for use in class. A simple example for maths is here [|Divide by a fraction example] This shows the kind of simple resource which can be built. I would use this in class by running and pausing it te explain each stage as we go along.
 * Introduction**
 * Educational uses**

Monkey Jam relocated (2012) to a new web site: []
 * Teck stuff:**

Claire Wallace of the Cesi List has reported problems with this program, and has suggested [|I can Animate] as an alternative This software costs about 35 euro a seat with an educational discount.

Monkey Jam Requirements (from the new web site)

 * Pentium III or higher
 * Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7
 * DirectX 8 or higher

MAC versions: Monkey jam can be run using virtual PC however the MonkeyJam author suggests **[|Frame Thief] **, as an equivalent for stop-motion animation. I[| Can Animate], has also been suggested by Cormac Cahill for a Mac platform, its a little more expensive at £45. Site license and educational pricing is available. (It would of course be blasphemy to suggest that you run Windows 7 on your Mac hardware!)

Other alternatives are [|http://www.ticklypictures.com] Suggested by Joe Dale Pencil [] and synfig []

However both of these seem to be more orientated towards drawing based animation. There is a how to here: for doing stop motion using a digital camera, and imovie for a Mac. []

Trevor Boland, is interested in getting teachers involved in stop motion animation, he is setting up a stop motion website, by the end of October 2012, that will support Teacher facilitate animation in schools. [] To accompany the site there will be a facebook page to enable dialogue between teachers specifically about stop motion issues. [] Also he says he will launch an app that teachers can download from [|play.google.com] that can be downloaded on android phones and tablets. [|https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appinventor.ai_MacFheorais.comotion&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImFwcGludmVudG9yLmFpX01hY0ZoZW9yYWlzLmNvbW90aW9uIl0].

The app is in its early stages but any feedback would be much appreciated. These tools are all aimed at a hands on frame by frame approach to animation. There are other more automated alternatives, and a good starting point is this web site from Mark Brumley

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Any Questions? I have set up a discussion forum for this page here: Eleven Tools Monkey Jam discussion Forum