Stop-Motion Animation - Session 1 of 2 ( for 7 - 11 year olds)

Session 1: Character & Set Creation

In the first session, children will dive into the creative process by crafting their own unique characters and objects for the animation. They will be provided with a variety of materials such as play-dough, cardboard, felt, and foil, along with plastic tools to help shape and refine their creations. Michael will guide them through different techniques to help make the characters and object ready for animation.

The group will then work together as a team to decorate a small set, which will serve as the backdrop for the stop-motion animation. By the end of the session, the characters and environment will be fully prepared for the next step - shooting and editing the animation in Session 2.

The Stop Motion Workshop is a fun and interactive experience designed for children who are curious about cartoons, animation and films. Children will start by creating their own characters before working together to make a background set for the animation. Children will be able to build  teamwork, and problem-solving skills while learning the basics of stop-motion animation. By the end, they will have collaborated to create their own unique group animation.

Workshop Running Order

• 12:30pm - 1:10pm: making characters and objects using play dough, cardboard and aluminium foil.

• 1:10pm - 1:20pm: Break Time

• 1:20pm - 1:50pm: Working in a team to build a set (background) for the animation.

Session 2 will take place on Sunday 18th May 2025. In this session we will be taking photos of the characters to create our image frames. We will then put all the photos together into animation scenes before adding sound effects and music.

Pay What You Can

Parents that are able to, are encouraged to make donations to help Michael cover the cost of materials. Have a look below to see what your donation can do.

• £attending will prove that the clubs are worth doing

• £1 per participant could cover the cost of play dough for the characters.

• £3 per participant could help to cover the cost of play dough and basic sculpting tools.

• £5 per participant could help cover most of materials, Michael's travel cost and possibly pay him a small fee for his time.