Storytelling with digital animation
More than eighty 10- and 11-year-old children of all abilities from two classes in Cookstown Primary School, Northern Ireland, work together, year on year, to produce world-class, winning animations.
Class teachers Joanne Murray and her colleague Paula Burnside were runners-up in the Teaching Primary category of the Becta ICT in Practice Awards.
Joanne explains the secrets of their success.
I am convinced of the benefits of using digital video - not just for the ICT skills it demands, but for the way it enhances the children’s learning and my teaching.
It’s a catalyst – the children develop skills and knowledge and apply them right across the curriculum. Connections are made between different areas of knowledge; learning becomes more meaningful, purposeful and more easily remembered. Every child plays a unique part in the whole storytelling process and contributes significantly to a final product of which all are proud.
Everyone can do this; children as young as 7 have been successful - here’s how.
Our animation work focused initially on the skills of literacy, ICT, and art and design, but it became evident during the children’s research that it was cross-curricular in nature. It’s now embedded into all our schemes of work.
Each stage is carefully planned in manageable, fixed steps – no matter what the storyline. I call the approach Earl (after our first winning video, Earl Saves the World).
Animation is Exciting; suitable for All Ages and Abilities; the lessons and planning are Realistic and Relevant; Learning is at the heart.
Earl is a basic framework with six steps:
- Motivating and inspiring
- Teaching digital video skills
- Language and literacy
- The language of film
- Model making, set design and props
- Lights, camera, action!
Children grow up in a digital age and are comfortable with technology. It is their language. They live it. When teacher suggests making an animation, eyes light up. I show movies previous classes have made - to show what is possible, to give the big picture.
And they are hooked! Motivation is not a problem
Teaching digital video (DV) skills
In an afternoon (two hours) a whole class can learn the basic skills. They gather round a DV camera connected to a computer by a firewire. A little scenario is made using objects found around us - a toy bear drives across the chalkboard on a duster, stops at a zebra crossing drawn on the board, picks up a penguin and drives off.
Tasks, which I demonstrate, are gradually handed over to individuals, including those who integrate from SEN classes, and rotated - to move models slightly each time for a new shot, to direct, to import clips from camera to computer, to drag clips to a timeline for editing and to be in charge of the camera so that nobody kicks the tripod.
Groups of two or three are set mini-tasks and when the clips are cropped and played, the laughs and smiles on the children’s faces say it all.
Language and literacy
Teaching storytelling (1 session)
The aim is to teach storytelling to allow for individuality, reflection, teamwork, refinement, creativity and a big sense of shared purpose. This process begins by reflecting on movies such as Chicken Run or Shrek. Children realise that the most essential elements are the characters, the setting and then the plot.
Developing a shared story (2–3 sessions)
Firstly, children brainstorm, organising and recording ideas as an A3 mind-map. What they can or cannot include is open to their imagination. We don’t need to know how to make an ice helicopter fly – just yet. Problem solving comes later.
The second step is to orally retell the stories to the class, reviewing one another’s ideas and agreeing on one best plot. The final step is to make an A1-sized mind-map.
Researching
A good script relies on attention to detail; much research is required. In Earl Saves the World, we needed to be sure exactly what caused the hole in the ozone layer. We needed to make sure that certain creatures really are found at the South Pole – not polar bears: they are from the North Pole. Earl could not be an Eskimo so he became a scientist. What does the scenery look like in Antarctica? Why is there so much daylight? The tilt of the earth’s axis suddenly makes more sense! Children experimented with mixing and matching colours to create the colours of the Antarctic sky.
Script writing (2–3 sessions)
The use of role-play and class discussion on the purpose of narration and awareness of audience helps in the script writing. A small editorial team read and selects the best lines from the scripts; lines are cut, ordered and edited to create a final script.
The language of film
Learning about shots (1–2 sessions)
The British Film Institute short video El Caminante helps children understand the variety and purpose of shots, the use of colour (blues for distance, reds for drawing attention), sound effects and transitions.
Different types of shots are identified: long shot, close-up, mid shot and extreme close-up.
Children can name and count the shots in adverts; they recognise features to convey the passing of time and the use of humour, camera angles, sound effects and music.
Storyboarding – learning from the experts (1 session)
The ‘extras’ on the Shrek DVD allow us to see and hear how animators sequence a story, record dialogue and choose the type of shot, alongside relevant pictures.
Storyboarding the script (1 session)
Children work in pairs to storyboard and script small sections. Role-play helps describe how a character gestures or moves. Often some 30 A3 pages pinned around the room record the decisions, the dialogue or narration and the names for the different shots.
Model making, set design and props (2-3 sessions)
The children handle different tasks - painting scenery, making models, making props; the classroom is organised accordingly. Frieze paper is rolled out; tables have plasticine, beads, fabric, glue and children’s researched pictures, sketches and labelled diagrams. Eager hands then turn them into characters and props.
Lights, camera, action!
At last, the filming!
The best piece of advice I can give is that the more time and effort is given over to creating a good story with a well thought-out plot and interesting characters, then the better the final product.
After the mini-tasks, the children’s ICT and interpersonal skills are sufficiently developed for independent filming and editing. Children film in teams of four to six with confidence, each playing a definite role - director, camera person, lighting, continuity, and moving figures.
Peer tutors help if they get stuck. The shots are imported and children select and shorten the clips to finish the product for screening. The movie is exciting to watch but, for me, the most exciting thing to watch is the children’s faces - they say it all!
None of this is about replacing the written word - it is about grasping hold of all that is exciting and worthwhile right across the curriculum and combining it with technology in a way that motivates children, engaging them in critical and creative thinking. Digital video is an exciting way to teach and to learn. It really celebrates the children’s work and they get an immense sense of pride and achievement.
Will I do it again? Absolutely!
Comment on this articleRelated links
Becta: Digital Creativity Awards 2005 - Snowy’s Spotty Adventure
Connected 12: Animating Stories with Flash
Stronsay School in Orkney believe the time and effort needed to teach pupils how to make their own animations is well spent.