A short warning for the festive season!
Fri, Dec 18 2009 01:39
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Thanks to students at the Institute Of Education for this short animation, made in a day on a recent course I ran.
Merry Christmas to you all, where ever you are!
Best wishes
Oscar
Comments (1)
Music copyright issues
Thu, Dec 10 2009 02:06
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Working as judge last term for several local authorities, running animation/video celebrations (prefer the word celebration rather than competition) revealed a pattern regarding music. Schools still don't use copyright free music or create their own sound tracks for their animation films. Consequently the LA can't screen the film during or use it in any way, the film can't be added to a website or Youtube, esentaily it can't be published any where outside the school.
It's a big issue, you can't use a music track by Robbie Williams or Don Maclean or any one else regardless of they are alive or not. You also can't use just a snip of the track, 30 seconds or less. You can't use other peoples music at all, ever! Even if they're your friend and you went to college with the lead singer of Blur! (which I did, sorry had to name drop)
But music does add a huge amount of atmosphere, meaning and depth to an animation or film project, so including it is crucial and also an important part of the process, so how do we get around this copyright issue?
Simple, make your own music. The animation below is a great example of a very simple sound track that was recorded with the voice over in about 5 minutes during a student teacher training day at Hope University in Liverpool. A student with very basic piano skills played the melody while another student acted out the voice over, perfect collaborative learning.
Use your student's music skills, or friends, family and work colleagues., if you want your film to have life outside the schools walls and be published or celebrated in the wider community.
Enjoy!
Teacher Training at the IOE, London
Sun, Nov 15 2009 03:14
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The three films below were made by teachers new to the world of stop frame animation. A variety of ideas, an animation for KS 1, a Gok inspired make over film and a simple story with a happy ending. We used the Hue webcam and I can animate animation software. Great for team building the day brought individuals together from different schools around the country and gave them confidence to use animation in their school. One teacher noted that is was the "Best course she has ever attended!'
There is an advanced animation course happening on the 4th December 2009.
Comments (3)
Visual Literacy in Boston, Linc's.
Wed, Oct 28 2009 09:03
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These fun animations were made by Primary teachers embarking on a visual literacy project as a cluster group. Retelling and adapting stories familiar with the class, some of the adaptations may not be totally recognisable to their students. Especially Bear Hunt!
Enjoy. These examples were made in a day on recent teachers CPD day, short, focused simple ideas.
Not one, but two!
Thu, Oct 15 2009 05:14
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These two excellent animations were made today at the Hampshire languages conference in Basingstoke, in just 20 mins. A willing participant from the audience created the plot for each film, animated the fuzzy felts and then added the voice overs using iMovie. Simple but effective.
We used I Can Animate software to capture the animation sequence
And a Hue webcam, HD quality.
Comments (1)
Animation with MFL's
Wed, Oct 14 2009 03:44
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Hola! Today at a golf course in Sunny South Gloucestershire we animated fuzzy felts! On the fram Fuzzy Felts. I was hoping to create a new film genre, using the subtle tones of the French language with Fuzzy Felt, but no volunteers so we used Spanish instead. This film was made in just 20 mins proving that it doesn't take a long time to make an animation, by Ben and Elena. Thank you!
Sleepy Sheep
Tue, Oct 13 2009 02:42
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A fun short animation made by teachers in Devon in 60 mins. as part of the Persistence of Vision project happening in Devon, Norfolk and Warwickshire this year. I like the sound effects and the clever use of blur to highlight the dreamy state. The blur was created with the focus ring on the front of the Hue webcam. Toes could have been made bigger and wiggled more!
2D animation made on a bus
Wed, Sep 9 2009 02:15
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This brilliant short film was made on a Bus by young people in Bristol working along side Helen Hewitt, who works for Animation For Education.
The technique is simple and effective and took only a day to complete, working with one laptop, camera on a tripod, I Can Animate and iMovie.
The project was funded by the fire service and their objective was to raise awareness around fire safety with young people.
Sketch out simple ideas around fire safety.
Create the art work using plain white card and a thick black maker.
Decide on features that will be animated.
Set up kit, so camera on tripod is pointing down ( As a rostrum camera would) towards
the art work, blu tak is required to keep back ground still and clean hands help.
Notice in the film that only a few features are animated at a time, this makes it very
watchable as well as close shots with the camera draw the audience in.
For information on courses for teachers and workshop opportunities for students you can contact Animation For Education Here
Animated sticky Notes
Mon, Aug 10 2009 08:43
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This is a great example of a simple idea, fun and engaging. Will have fun trying this out and stickies are cheaper than plasticine!
Shapeshifting Post-It Notes from mrmayo on Vimeo.
Comments (2)
Close ups, close ups, CLOSE UPS!
Tue, Jul 21 2009 02:22
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My objective this summer, running animation workshops around the UK, will be to develop a method of encouraging students to use close ups or at least move the camera closer to the action. Close ups draw the viewer into the world being created and thus engage. Too many animations that I've watched this year and for several animation competitions that I have had the pleasure of judging, have been filmed in one entire long shot, fine for the first 15 seconds, but then it can get boring.
Photographs that are close to the subject are far more interesting than long shots, long shots are used to show the huge mountains or wonderful sunset on the beach, but with lego and model animation in schools we must get closer to the action and not worry to much about excluding the set ( That may have taken a long time to create). An audience want's to follow the action of the story foremost.