animation workshops
Borbonesa (the art company I co-manage) was awarded ACE funding in 2013 to invest in animation equipment and explore the use of stop-frame animation both as a creative medium and as a vehicle for teaching in a variety of learning environments.
Exploring animation as a teaching resource resulted in a number of successful collaborations with schools and arts organisations in the region including De La Warr Pavilion (Bexhill), New Theatre Royal (Portsmouth) and Quay Arts (Newport), and provided a model to engage and inspire students of all ages across the curriculum. Since then I been running regular animation workshops, including an annual animation summer school at Charleston Trust, worked in partnership with The Craftimation Factory as part of Frames Of Mind and Inner Glow community projects, and as a creative technologist for 'Being Rural' during the Hastings and Rother Artists Network 2014-15 programme. |
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ABSTRACT ANIMATION STUDIO
Stationed in the De La Warr Pavilion studio we worked with two groups of 8–12 year olds to create an abstract animation inspired by the films of early animation pioneer Len Lye. We began with a visit to The New Line exhibition situated in the first floor gallery to watch two of Lye’s experimental films; Kaleidoscope (1935) and Rainbow Dance (1936), which feature in the show. We discussed the colours, shapes and movement in the films and considered how these effects were achieved. Back in the studio and working in small groups, participants hand-drew artwork on acetate sheets to form a colourful palette of elements to use in their animations. They filmed their animation sequences on workstations consisting of a light-box, camera, laptop and professional stop-frame animation software. Each group also filmed themselves moving against a green screen, which meant they were able to dive into the action and dance with their animated artwork. In post-production we stitched the sequences together, along to music from Don Barretto and his Cuban Orchestra, which reflects the colourful atmosphere of the workshop and the creative energy of its participants. |
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INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY WEEK
INTO UNIVERSITY (BRIXTON) STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 1 MIN 12 SEC FEBRUARY 2015 At each local centre IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration.
I worked with a group of 23 students (aged 13-14) for a two hour introductory workshop in stop frame animation during their Innovation and technology week. ''Lee provided an engaging, stimulating and unique insight into the world of Animation. Using state of the art animation equipment and working in teams, our young people were able to harness their creativity in order to create really imaginative and clever animations. Lee's animation workshop was definitely the highlight of their week.'' - Louise Henry, IntoUniversity Brixton |
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CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WEEK
INTO UNIVERSITY (BRENT) STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 1 MIN 47 SEC FEBRUARY 2015 At each local centre IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration.
During IntoUniversity Creative Industries week I worked with twenty-five 13-15 year old students on a two hour stop frame animation workshop. "Lee delivered an engaging animation workshop with students working in small groups to produce impressive animations using specialised cameras and art materials. I would absolutely recommend the workshop to others - it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the young people who were excited to create their own animation from scratch. Our young people were enthused by the workshop and left with a completed animation to keep forever.” - Eleanor Mortimer ,IntoUniversity Brent |
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HASTINGS PIER ANIMATION
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QUEEN VICTORIA'S JOURNEY
GOMER INFANTS SCHOOL STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 3 MIN 54 SEC JUNE 2013 A 4-minute stop-frame animation celebrating Queen Victoria's 1844 visit to Gosport. In collaboration with Borbonesa, Year Two pupils from Gomer Infants School illustrated a 60ft long paper scroll with hand drawn animals, people and buildings of the time, to be used as a backdrop for the animation. The backdrop was rolled up and fitted into a wooden frame that allowed it to be scrolled through between animation shots, whilst collaged paper elements such as characters and animals - even raindrops - were animated over the moving background.
This was part of Borbonesa's Timequake project, which explored the use of stop-frame-animation as a vehicle for teaching in a variety of learning environments. To view a time-lapse film of the backdrop being illustrated by the pupils click here. |
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MACBETH
BEXHILL HIGH SCHOOL STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 6 MIN | ARIL 2013 Borbonesa in collaboration Year 10 students at Bexhill High School transformed notable scenes from William Shakespeare's Macbeth into a 6-minute stop frame animation.
Students worked closely with Borbonesa to storyboard ideas, script action, dialogue, music and sounds effects for three key scenes from the play; The Weird Sisters, The Dagger Soliloquy and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. After the planning stages they used handmade cardboard dioramas as miniature tabletop theatre sets to rehearse then film their animated sequences using Dragonframe animation software and a digital camera. They also rehearsed and recorded narration, sound effects and music using an audio recorder. Opening and closing credit sequences were created and added to the finished animation with the recorded sound and music edited together using Final Cut editing software. |
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THREE CHARLESTON MYSTERIES
CHARLESTON TRUST STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 5 MIN 10 SEC | JUNE 2014 Devised as an introduction to stop-frame animation, the three-day workshop enabled participants to work through every stage of the filmmaking process from planning to completion. Following a guided tour of the artists' house and gardens the participants split into three groups each with their own animation workstation. They collaborated on writing scripts, storyboards, and created artwork for three short animated stories, inspired by the Bloomsbury Group's decorative style, and using imagery of the domestic setting as backdrop.
Dialogue and sound effects were recorded, and music selected. The participants were shown how to use Dragonframe animation software, and use the digital camera and sound recording equipment. They were also shown how to edit their animations using Final Cut editing software, helped to assemble a film show reel that was screened in the Charleston Barns for staff and parents on the final day of the workshop. |
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HAUNTED HOUSE
CHARLESTON TRUST STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 3 MIN 37 SEC OCTOBER 2013 On Halloween 2013 Borbonesa ran a Haunted House-themed stop frame animation workshop at Charleston Trust for children.
Using halloween-inspired imagery painted in fluorescent colours we worked with two groups of children to create a series of animated scenes, some of which were illuminated by UV light. The music is contains excerpts from 'The Skeleton Dance' by Disney (1929) Inspired by the Omega puppet shows that the Bloomsbury group held in London, the Thai puppet in the Charleston studio and Roger Fry’s dolls house which is in the collection at the V&A. |
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STOP FRAME GAMES
ONE-TO-ONE TUTION STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 2 MIN 8 SEC SEPTEMBER 2013 A stop motion animation made by Sam Saville during a one-to-one animation tutorial. Assembled using paper, collage and filmed in under 8 hours during a one to one tutorial, with an hour editing. Animation and ideas by Sam Saville.
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HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
ONE -TO- ONE TUITION STOP FRAME ANIMATION | 3 MIN 27 SEC | OCTOBER 2013 A stop motion animation made by Sam Saville during a one-to-one animation tutorial. Assembled using paper, collage and filmed in under 8 hours during a one to one tutorial, with an hour editing. Animation and ideas by Sam Saville. |
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