5 Ideas for “Levelling up” Your IG stories in the North

Is your “Instastory game” up to the mark?

Today, the most popular posts on Instagram (IG) aren’t regular posts – they’re time-sensitive IG stories that disappear after 24 hours. This makes it easy for you to post lots of interesting photos and videos on your Instagram account, without spamming your followers’ feeds or cluttering your well-planned Instagram gallery. In this article, we’ll explore how you can level up your #instastory game – especially when spending time with your family in the picturesque northern expanse of Singapore.

1. Stop Motion Animation

The art of stop motion animation is a staple of the film industry, and a guaranteed head turner. The best part is that you won’t even need to create your own stop motion videos. If your children are attending My First Skool, they can create these attention-grabbing videos for you!*

Our K2 children at My First Skool at Blk 402 Woodlands Street 41 will get to learn how to produce their very own stop motion animation videos. During this process, they learn how to plan a storyboard, delegate roles, draw out the characters in their videos, and discover the various functions of the Instagram app. They’ll also learn how to position a camera, control how their characters move and make adjustments during the filming process.

Through this interactive activity, children pick up:

• planning skills,
• hone their literacy as they prepare storyboards, and
• develop their creativity.

These are valuable skills that will accompany them for a lifetime. Check out these videos made by our children!

Animals strolling along in a forest

“I am brave like a lion!”

Learn more about My First Skool at Blk 406 Woodlands Street 41.

Other MFS locations: Find us in other parts of Singapore https://www.myfirstskool.com/locations.

2. Cinemagraphs

If you haven’t seen a cinemagraph on your Instagram feed, you’re in for a treat. These mesmerising images are taking Instagram by storm. What are they? Cinemagraphs are an eye-catching hybrid of photography and videography. A cinemagraph looks deceptively like a still image, except for small sections of the image that subtly play in a continuous loop. The incredible high-quality visuals of cinemagraphs, combined with the nuanced motion, come together to create a magical effect that’s truly one-of-a-kind.

Supercharge your IG Story game @ Upper Seletar Reservoir   

An amazing place to create your own cinemagraph is at Upper Seletar Reservoir. Try taking a beautiful, still portrait of your children against a backdrop of fluttering leaves or shimmering waters to wow your followers.

3. Spin Transitions

Inject some fun into your IG stories with spin transitions! We’ll admit that these awesome transitions require a little bit of editing work, but the results can be pretty spectacular. At its core, a spin transition is done by simply rotating your camera 360 degrees as your subject performs an action. (These work great with energetic movements such as jumps.) On its own, this simple rotation adds an added dimension of life to your videos. And when combined with a quick edit, you can use the spinning motion to transition seamlessly from one video into another – making it appear as if your subject suddenly spun their way into another dimension, changed their outfit, or transformed into a different person!

Supercharge your IG Story game @ Woodllands Waterfront Park 

A fantastic location to film spin transitions is in Woodlands Waterfront Park. The scenic environment, people, wildlife and overall liveliness of the area means that you’ll have lots of options when it comes to transitioning your IG story video from one scene to the next.

4. Three-Sixty Photos (without a 360° camera!)

Imagine how life would be like, if the world revolved around you. Now, make it happen with a 360 photo (and impress your friends and followers while you’re at it). While visually impressive, 360 photos are actually very easy to create – requiring only some additional energy from your subject if you’re creating an action shot (such as a jumping shot.)

Best of all, these photos won’t require a specialised 360° camera – any smartphone camera will do the job. To create a 360 photo, simply take a photo of your subject performing an action. Then, take the same shot from a slightly different angle. Keep walking around your subject and snapping photos until you’ve done a complete 360 walkaround. Stitch the photos together to form a snappy video that’s loads of fun!

Supercharge your IG Story game @ The Fu Shan Garden Dinosaur Playground     

This hidden gem is affectionately known as “Woodland’s Jurassic Park”. The locale is a children’s playground that’s adorned with (or invaded by, depending on your feelings towards these prehistoric creatures) dinosaurs. Find your favourite dinosaur and create an adorable 360 photo Instagram story that will surely attract many IG hearts!

5. Effects Gallery

A recently-added (and commonly overlooked) feature in Instagram stories is its fun and highly customisable effects gallery. You’ll see these effects next to the shutter button – with additional customisation options listed just above each effect. Even better, when you’ve had your fun playing with these effects and want more, you can do so by simply scrolling all the way to the right. There, you’ll see a magnifying glass icon. Tap on it and you’ll gain access to even more imaginative effects – including augmented reality effects, which add even more excitement to your IG stories!

Supercharge your IG Story game @ Admiralty Park    

Admiralty Park is one of our favourite places in the northern part of Singapore – and offers lots of IG-worthy photo and video opportunities. Capture snapshots of your children as they slip and slide down the many park’s many slides, while using one of the many brilliant Instagram effects filters for extra fun!

Life in the north is going to get (a lot more) fun

With these tips, you’re now ready to level up your Instagram game. Even if you have no intention of becoming an Instagram influencer, these activities will surely make your family outings even more enjoyable. And if you’re keen on giving your child a head start in life – with an education that’s focused on building their confidence, social skills and giving them an “I can do it!” attitude in life – check out our curriculum and centre at Woodlands!

*Stop motion activity is only available at selected My First Skool centres.