Ah chemistry, the study of literally all existence. It’s the go to science represented in pop culture and is known for its importance in understanding all chemical compounds. This is a Unit we have been exploring recently this term in our science class, and has come with a unique project which I quite enjoyed due to its focus on making a fictional video. We were tasked with creating an animated story which had atoms as the main characters and atomic bonding as a key point in the plot. Now without further ado, let’s get on to the Unit!

Our Chemistry Unit

They say that chemistry is the key to a stable relationship, which is definitely true on the atomic level. One of the focus points of this unit was how atoms bond together to create all chemical compounds in existence. Now let’s first go into the basics. The reason atoms bond at all is because they do not have a full and stable Valence Shell. What this means is they do not have eight electrons on their outer layer and thus need to find more. In order to do this, they must get more electrons from another atom, and bond with them while doing so.

A Sodium Atom with a full Valence Shell

Now the reason that atoms are willing to give up an electron is because for some it would be easier to get rid of some then gain enough to have a full shell. When an atom gives up an electron and another takes it, it is known as a a Ionic Bond. When an atoms however is not willing to give up an electron and another atom is trying to take it, they both hold onto it and create a Covalent Bond. These are the basic principles that make up most things in existence

A Diagram of Ionic Bonds vs Covalent Bonds

Some of the other topics of this unit included were the elements on the periodic table and learning the categories, such as alkaline metals and noble gasses, the an-atomy an atom (pun intended) and the ways to distinguish and name different chemical compounds. This we learned through videos, worksheets, and textbook questions. Now once we had our knowledge of all of this, it was time to move onto the project. This project was a fusion between a typical PLP Nine assignment and a science project, and was to create a animation that represented atoms as characters and there bonds as key plot points within the story.

Making the Project

So the first step to creating this project was to choose groups, and I decided to go with Jamie. The next step was to decide who would do what. I was tasked to do the animation and Jamie would write the script. However, we soon realized I couldn’t start the animation until the script was completed, so I decided to help write the script as well, giving Jamie some of the animation to do. Once we knew who would do what, it was time to get brainstorming for ideas. Our projects should be focused around a particular group on the periodic table, and for us, we thought noble gasses would be the best choice. Our story pitch went something like this; In an atom kingdom (known as New Tronia), the noble gasses are the most powerful citizens for they are the most stable. However, only six are known to exist and can’t stop the rising threat of instability in the kingdom alone. Yet there is hope, for a seventh noble gas, known as Helium, is discovered, and embarks on a quest with Lithium to seek out the other noble gasses and gather wisdom on what is causing the instability in atoms.

A scene from our video

At first I began creating hand drawn animation, but realized this would take way to long to complete. I then decided to use some of my signature video animation, which I call Keynote Animation. This is a style which I created, which involves using pictures and transitions in the app Keynote to create unique CGI like imagery. I mainly used shapes inside of the app itself to create the atoms and characters, but for imagery like the backgrounds, moving affects, and other, I got images off the internet. Once the animation was finished, it was time to edit and add sound. The project was put together in iMovie, with many sounds being recorded straight from the app. I got many of the music and sound affects from the internet, and the voice overs from various classmates such as Jessie and Owen, with Jamie and I voicing the main characters.

Reflection

Overall, I am happy with the way our project turned out, but there defiantly are some things I would have done differently if I were to do it again. One of the flaws with this project was separating the animation. I feel that I should have left the script alone for the most part and just done the animation, for the end project felt split in both style and story connection. Another thing that I have learned is that less is more. Our project was a little over the time requirement, and by a little I mean requirement was 3 minutes and ours surpassed 12! The story was also very complex with animation to match, which although was good didn’t really affect our overall scoring. This has taught me to focus on criteria more to make sure I am incorporating everything I need to and not going overboard.