Remember the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy pulls back the curtain and finds out that the fearsome Wizard is actually a regular dude pulling all the knobs and dials to create the illusion of the powerful “wizard”?
To be sure, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain," is the mantra of the media saturated culture kids experience everyday.
Animating Kids pulls back the curtain and reveals all the secret knobs and dials and switches that professionals use to influence people with sound and motion.
We’ve organized a framework where non-film makers can guide their young heroes on a journey, the impact of which will last a lifetime. As with Dorothy, the sense of relief and understanding that comes with finding there is no magic behind the the curtain, only hard work, being organized, and trusting instincts are important.
The bonus is that kids don’t realize how much they intersect with basic life skills, ELA and STEM areas as they playfully get behind the magic and do the hard work, including:
Brainstorming a meaningful story idea
Sequencing their idea with long shots, medium shots, and close-ups, and understanding why they are using each shot
Figuring out how to transfer their storyboard ideas into engineered scenes with cut-paper
Timing out the scenes with a stopwatch, then doing the math reframes stop motion as the most involved math story problem they’ve ever encountered.
Spacial and cinematographic secrets to directing an audiences eye to keep the focus on the main points
Learning animation principles like Ssquash and Stretch, Anticipation and Followthrough, Timing and Spacing, and the idea of 'Beats' in a scene to create convincing character performances
Using Tech - setting up the camera, and learning the app interface on the computer
Learning about onion-skinning and it’s predictive powers
Saving and organizine materials and files to streamline the workflow
Post-production tasks like editing, sound design, lip-syncing, and quality control
Preparing for exhibition and distribution
The role of a guide during the Animating Kids process cannot be overstated. Yes, the role of the Animation Chefs is crucial for peer-to-peer modeling, but the role of a media specialist or teacher in helping the children over the finish line to deliver a finished movie is vital. The guidance of an adult in the room creates an impact that leads to success and Animating Kids provides scaffolding opportunities and models concepts from beginning to end.
In conclusion, knowing how the knobs and dials of film making work demystifies the process and helps your young wizards understand that there are creators with motives behind the media they consume. They approach media with a critical eye, and evaluate the message and intent behind it, because they themselves have messaged with intent in the same medium.
The superpowers of active viewing and active meaning-making are the net effect, and this will make them better digital citizens!
Animating Kids will change your life too, as it has ours.
Please, start helping your organization lead the way. Join Animating Kids to jump start the process.
Send us questions at info@animatingkids.com
Bon Animate!
The Team at Animating Kids