Creativity in Action: Our Stop-Motion Halloween Workshop
This October half term, our studio was filled with the sound of laughter, rustling craft paper, and the occasional “Boo!” as fifteen young filmmakers came together for our Stop-Motion Halloween Workshop. Over the course of three busy days, the children learned the magic of stop-motion animation, bringing their spooky stories to life one frame at a time.
Getting Started! The Wonders of Animation
We began with a quick introduction to stop-motion: how it works, what makes it special, and how patience and imagination are the key ingredients. After showing a few examples, from classic clay animations to short films, that were made by previous workshop group’s, the children were buzzing with ideas. Ghosts, witches, skeletons, haunted houses, and even a dancing pumpkin were among the first characters to be imagined.
To get everyone comfortable with the process, we started with a warm-up exercise: animating a simple object, like a piece of paper folding itself into a ghost or a spider crawling across the table. Within minutes, the room was alive with concentration, tiny movements captured frame by frame, the thrill of seeing a lifeless object suddenly move on the camera screen.
Once the basics were mastered, the children split into small groups to begin designing their sets. Tables were covered in coloured card, clay, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and glitter. Some chose to work with 3D animation set ups and some with 2D, they used skeletons and made additional characters.
One team had a moon walking skeleton and another a magical werewolf! Using all different kinds of materials the level of imagination was amazing.
As the sets came together, we talked about the basics of visual storytelling how to think about camera angles, pacing, and emotion. The children began planning short storyboards for their films.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Each group used dragon-frame, a professional software program used for feature films such as Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.
The children were incredibly focused, often stopping to review their work, add sound effects, or tweak lighting. It was wonderful to watch them collaborate, sharing ideas, solving problems, and encouraging each other. For some of them it was their first time creating a film from scratch, and you could see the pride building as their characters started to move convincingly on screen.
Screening the Magic
At the end of the last day, the studio had transformed into a spooky screening for parents and friends. We dimmed the lights, gathered popcorn, and projected each group’s short animation onto the big screen. Every film was met with applause and laughter. Everyone is now suitably ready for halloween!
Heres a sneak peak into the fun here:
Behind the scenes!
