How to Make My Own Animated Movie & Game

Stretch your creativity by making your own animated movie and game.

Making an animated movie and game no longer requires expensive computer equipment or advanced drawing skills. Anyone can create an animated movie and game by using basic animation software, or by accessing free webware--online programs that let you generate simple animated clips and games. With creativity and imagination, you can produce funny or educational animated shorts and games to share with friends, post on your website or add to your professional work portfolio.

Things You'll Need

• Animation software or webware, such as Xtranormal or GoAnimate

Instructions

1. Develop a tone, theme and overall look for your animated movie and game. Start brainstorming character, setting and plot ideas. Choose your audience. Will your movie and game be suitable for children, or will it be aimed towards an adult audience?

2. Write a movie script that includes a beginning, middle and end. Sketch out your game to see what the finished version might look like.

3. Create characters and select backdrops for each scene within the animation program of your choice. Add music and titles. Professional animation software suites allow you to draw original characters and backgrounds from scratch, while free, web-based programs provide customizable character and setting templates.

4. Piece your animated clips together into a final version. Preview the movie and game, checking for sound and video quality. Play the game yourself to ensure all components are working. Save the finished version.

5. Upload your finished movie and game onto video sharing sites like YouTube and Xtranormal. Put up links on social networking accounts to share with friends and viewers. If the finished movie and game are for your professional work portfolio, burn the final version onto a DVD for ease of sharing.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice making short animation clips and games before tackling longer projects.

• Before spending money on expensive animation software, make sure it's compatible with your computer's operating system.

References

• "PC World": Create Your Own Movies with Xtranormal
• "Adobe": Drawing in Flash

Resources

• Xtranormal
• "Cnet.com": Graphic Design software
• Scratch
• GoAnimate
• YouTube