• Scenario
• Getting organised
• Planning
• Keeping track
• 
• Proposal
• Script
• 
• Story screens
• Navigation screen
• Splash screen
• Animated endings
• Building it
• 
• eportfolio
• Review

An animation is simply a series of still images which are played one after another at a speed which is fast enough to trick the eye into thinking it is a moving image. There are many ways of creating animations but a still image moving across the screen is not enough!

You really don't need expensive software or equipment to produce a good animation. You can use timeline-based software or shoot still images using a webcam or digital camera to create the individual frames. You can also create the content for your frames using graphics which are computer generated or your own hand drawn artwork which is scanned in. Perhaps you could have a go with some sort of flexible modelling material, such as Plasticine or use figures such as Duplo or Stikfas.

Although an animated .gif is a type of animation, it is normally only a second or two long, so is not suitable for this project.

You might also want to consider other software packages that allow you to create frame by frame animations using simple character in the form of stick figures or 3D characters. These sites have some examples:

Stopmotionpro - also on YouTube

Smash!ngApps

Remember we are not looking for the sort of animation that you would include if you were allowing text to spiral onto the screen as part of a presentation. Presentation software, however, can be used to produce very good animations. Look at this site for some very good examples of animations created in presentation software:

Powerpoint Heaven