Stay Or Play

The most recent and longest film so far.

Anim8ed- Good reference and project activity sheets too!

http://www.anim8ed.org.uk/default.asp


A good site to explore for project ideas, tips and final films. 16 different school projects to read about and view.

Lurgan Youth Annexe Animation 2009

What can be accomplished during a 'taster' session.

Parts of 4 taster sessions rolled into one.

Script Writing for Beginners

Presently, I am working with two classes at Portstewart Primary School, scripting ideas for a film festival they will be presenting in June this year. There are seven groups of 5 children creating films for the festival. Not all of the films will be animated but some will have aspects of animation involved.

I was asked to join the teachers because of my experience with making films with children and to help solve the problem of some of the scripts leaning toward the fantastic and the unfathomable.

In preparation for our first meeting, I created a beginners template for film production and script writing that I thought would help refresh and introduce some of the basic film making methods I use in practice.

What follows, are Power Point images from the introduction.
[Click any of the images to see a larger image]










Script Example: From Boots To Books









SCROLL DOWN To find the video for the scripted film; From Boots To Books

Eochu's lake

An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Fantasy Adventure

Eochu's Lake from First Light Movies on Vimeo.

Shark Attack! - Forthill College, Lisburn

Made in just one day session, This was one of 4 teams efforts to create a short story from idea, storyboard, artwork through to filming and editing their animation.

Sugar & Spice, Water & Ice - Mount St. Michael's P.S.

This is a perfect example of how an animated film project can involve what children are learning in the classroom and be useful outside the classroom as well.
This film utilized the P6 Science curriculum about the water cycle and was also meant to reflect the idea of community as it was funded by a local community group for a Christmas window display. This played on a loop in a Randalstown electrical shop during the Christmas switch-on festivities for all to see.

Mid-Summers Dream: Lurgan, Craigavon, County Armagh

A culmination of 6 weekly sessions of Garden Theme imagery inspired by Shakespears play. Participants were aged 9 to 90.

DVD cover art for An Creagán- Playing with Fire

As part of the completed film package, artwork is created for the DVD case using a still or two from the animation project and printed on quality paper for the case insert. A crucial part of any showcase.

Playing With Fire - Two Full Day Workshops

It was a challenge to complete a short film in two days. This workshop was run by An Creagán Visitor Centre in County Tyrone. The storyboard and all the art was created on the first day and the animation was filmed and voices recorded and edited on the second day by the ten dedicated participants aged 12-19. The sound effects, music and titles were added on a third day by Mike from Let's Animate!. Just think what we could have done in three days!

The Panchucker's Magical Loaf

A Story of Zoological proportions!

^Cover Artwork for the DVD^

I think the word loaf is a funny sounding word. Sadly it is never uttered in this Holy Family Primary's after school animation club effort. Other funny things are said to make it all worth watching. This took several weeks at two hours a session to complete, but everyone enjoyed their involvement.

A Taste Of Candyland

All isn't sweet, when Ella and Jasper find themselves in a land made of candy. A magical chocolate bar. An Evil Doctor and a Tooth Fairy combine to make it an interesting trip!

Dinosaur Dilemma! - St. Mary's P.S. , Killyleagh

Jed and Jody try to calm a dinosaur down before it wreaks their little town. Things don't go as planned after they take him home as he takes a few nibbles of things along the way. Confused and shouted at, Dino goes back to the cave where he was first found. He soon finds out he is not alone after all.

This project took 10 full school days to produce. I constructed the dinosaurs from polystyrene balls, wire, plasticine and glass beads previous to the days in school to save time and build a character that would last through the weeks of filming. as is usually the case, time ran out and some scenes that should have been re-shot, were not. Like the one where the statue of the mayor is off his plinth!

From Boots To Books : The Story of the Magic Doctor- St. Luke's P.S., Belfast

The 33 children of Mr. K. Shannon P6 class at St. Luke's Primary in Twinbrook, Belfast, came up with this story based on one they were studying at the time. As one half of this year's SEELB Digital Literacy project, St. Luke's took two days out of each of 8 weeks to complete the script, artwork, acting and animation for this film.

The other half of the project is in Ballyhalbert's, Glastry College and will be completed within the month of June as most post primary's can not take as much time out of their routine scheduled roster of subjects to spend a whole day on just one project. Yet, the cross-curricular advantages of filmmaking are still enjoyed when the proper incentives are in place. The schools are acquiring equipment to continue their filmmaking pursuits after I'm long gone!

A Silky's Tale- St. Mary's P.S., Belfast

A Studio ON project spanning 8 weeks.

St. Mary's P.S. Belfast, a school mostly comprised of children from the traveling community, had read this story in class and had also heard it told at home.
A Silky is a mythical sea creature not unlike a mermaid that can take the human form on land after shedding and hiding it's silky skin. If the skin is lost, or has been found by a stranger the skin is no longer in his control. If the Silky returns to the sea without it's skin, he is doomed to forever be a seal, his usual form. If someone finds his skin, the Silky is bound to do that person's bidding.
Miss Hurdman's P4,5,6's, although the level of attention needed was sometimes a challenge, thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this film. Narrator and main animation assistant, Niaomi was particularly keen in all her tasks.