animation workstation
This exhibit lets visitors create their own stop-motion animations by moving objects on a stage and taking a series of still "frames." There is a computer inside the exhibit that makes recording a series of frames effortless and even lets visitors add sound effects from a bank of pre-recorded sounds. Recording is fast and efficient and most visitors can record 50 or more frames in just a minute or two. It is common to see visitors spend 15 minutes or more at this exhibit and bring other visitors over to see what they have created. Instructions are provided, but the interface is so intuitive that visitors of all ages figure out how to use it without reading them. A new feature allows visitors to save their animation in the form of a QuickTime movie. The institution hosting the exhibit can choose whether to play saved animations on a separate monitor, make them available via a website, or allow visitors to copy their animations to a USB drive.