About South Street Courses

Animation courses

Our most popular course is the one day course which introduces people to the art and craft of model animation. Follow-on courses last from two to five days.

The day starts by looking at the principles of animation and its use for story telling. We then discuss the design of popular models familiar on television and film to highlight the importance of simplicity when creating and designing a model.

The models are then created over a two hour period from Plasticine, people work in groups of five and make one model each.

Then a rough story board is created and we briefly look at the use of the different shots used in film making, what a close up, medium shot and long shot are used for.

The storyboards highlight particular action that will happen within a scene / shot. The action involves two or three models at a time.

During a day long course each group can make a film lasting from 45 - 60 seconds. Then music (and special effects, sound effects on the advanced follow-up courses) are added and copies made on to VHS video for people to take home.

We can work with up to four different groups (twenty people maximum) at a time, using four computers and cameras.

This is a great opportunity to introduce people to the magic of animation, bringing plasticine to life. It also is a great way to understand the basic principle of film making, "to tell a story with pictures". With the animation courses we
have complete control over the film's environment so it's a great way for young people to be able to experiment with different shots, and because we use computers and digital cameras we can immediately view the footage.

Here is a list of some of the past venues and schools where I have worked.

Courses for teachers

Courses show teachers how easy it is to make a short film with the school's existing hardware and using techniques which have been developed in the classrom over the last five years.. This fits in nicely with Key Stage 3 in Art - digital imaging. For more information about courses near you, contact us.

If you would like more information and a CD or video showreel, e-mail us (southstreet@easynet.co.uk - Click on the blue text) or call 01249 712951.