SWCLC Blog

I’ve just come across this competition held by Film Street and Kudlian. Children under 12, primary schools and after school groups are invited to enter animations they have made which are film trailers for a book they have enjoyed.

Supported by the National Year of Reading, there are two age groups for judging; 4-7 years and 8 -12 years. Entries can be submitted in any format on CD or DVD by email or post.

A school or after school group will win:

1 x 5 user license ‘I Can Animate’
5 x webcams
5 x table top tripods
5 x Stikfas movable figures
5 x chroma key screens

The winning school will also be able to enjoy a tour around the PPC office (numbers tbc).

The winning trailers will be shown in Film Street’s Cinema and Kudlian’s website; they will also be catalogued and preserved in the Media Archive for Central England for future generations to enjoy and study.

Closing date for the competition is Friday 3rd April 2009.

If you fancy entering and want to learn more about animation and film making prior to the competition, then why not attend one of our training sessions here at the CLC in January and February?

The Steel City Globe film awards are the premier showcase for Sheffield schools to demonstrate their creative use of digital media to support teaching and learning. In the last three years, 250 short films have been submitted and students have celebrated their work at the glittering wards’ ceremonies attended by stars of showbusiness and film.
We are offering staff development training in January and February to help your school enter films for the 2009 Steel City Globe Awards. April 24th 2009 is the closing date for submitting films for the competition. Primary Schools can enter films of up to two minutes in length and Secondary Schools can enter films of up to three minutes.

How to produce an animation
Monday 26th January 2009 4pm-6pm
Introduction to creating animations with students using Digital
Blue cameras and software.
Suitable for beginners with no or little experience.

Developing Media Literacy
through Animation
Monday 2nd February 2009 4pm-6pm
How to create better animations and films through media literacy
activities and better storyboarding techniques
Suitable for those with some experience of animation or film
making, however little!

Digital Storytelling
Tuesday 10th February 2009 4pm-6pm
How to use free tools such as Microsoft Photostory 3 and
Voicethread to create digital stories combining photos and sound.
Suitable for beginners or those with some experience of
animation or film making.

Training sessions are free for all teaching staff in the Sheffield West partnership of schools.

Stop Motion Animation is the art of bringing life to 3D models made out of clay or plasticene. Moving models tiny bit by bit and filming each movement, you can create the illusion of movement. Animation is great fun - it teaches computer skills, literacy and can help to develop speaking and listening.

What is learnt through Animation?

• Unleashes Creativity
• Deepens understanding of an issue or text
• Encourages discussion and team work
• Enables students with additional needs to express themselves
• Builds confidence
• Encourages negotiation
• Encourages personalised learning by supporting a variety of learning styles
• Creates motivation
• Supports story / process sequencing

PC

On a PC there are a number of Stop Motion Animation packages that you can use such a Stop Motion Pro and Digital Blue Movie Creator. Digital Blue Movie Creator comes with it’s own camera which is easy to use for children and can also record video live action.

Using Digital Blue Movie Creator

Adding Music Using Digital Blue

Narration Using Digital Blue

Editing Using Digital Blue

Apple Mac

On an Apple Mac there are a number of packages you can use including iStopMotion and I Can Animate

Using I Can Animate

Adding Music and a Voiceover

Animation Basics

Storyboard

Getting Started with Stop Motion Animation

Animation across the Curriculum

Maths

• Animating shapes / Changing 2D and 3D shapes over time
• Simple multiplication - How many frames needed or 3 seconds of film if 12 frames per second?

Literacy

• Adapt a simple well known story
• Create original stories based on random characters
• Characterisation - create a character and bring them to life through how they move, speak and relate to others

Design and Technology

• Animate toys
• Create models from plasticene - form and function: models must look good and be animatable
• Create sets and scenery

Art

• Animate dried leaves and twigs to create an abstract animation about autumn
• Animate in the style of a well known artist (Salvador Dali / Picasso) using their work as a stimulus

Music

• Create music for an animation using software such as Garageband or Dance Ejay. Alternatively record live instruments.
• Make an animation to a short excerpt of music to show interpretation / feelings
• Make sound effects for a animation using instruments

History / Geography

• Animate a myth - sum up the key points of a myth in a 60 second film
• Animate simple key points from history

Science

• Life processes - tadpole to frog
• Food chains - insect eating a flower / bird eating an insect

PSHE

• Films about bullying - exploring the consequences and why people bully
• Animating toy cars - my safe journey to school
• Transition project Y6 to Y7