Animation project with gang members- Part 1

This project is still in the planning stages and is going to be one of the most challenging I've ever done, but also exciting and potentially very rewarding.

A creative form of crime related reconciliation.

Working with a CLC in Bristol, local community police, three secondary schools and hopefully some of the amazing talent in the animation industry in Bristol , we are going to give young gang members the opportunity to confront the effects of their gang related crime; muggings, beatings, knife attacks. theft and general intimidation.

The first stage will be introducing the young people (aged 13-16) to the principles of animation through a hands on workshop. 

Then they will devise, with our help a series questions that we will put to victims of gang related crime. This will happen in a different location without the young people.

The interviews, thoughts and feelings of the victims will be recorded with a voice recorder, then edited down to 60-90 seconds.

These interviews will from the skeleton to the animation shorts that the young people will then create. Similar to Creature Comforts, where interviews form the structure and inspiration to the models, set and finished film.

The young people will then study the interview edits and create models, sets and an animated short in small groups of three based on the interviews.

This project will have many different outcomes;

1- The animation shorts, which we will aim to use in other schools, screen at festivals host on Youtube.

and

2- ?  

It's hard at this point to say what the other outcomes will be, I know what I and every one else involved would like them to be.

So over the next 5/6 months I'll blog the process, progress and outcomes.

Sharp-Shotz animation competition

A great opportunity for any budding young animators, Sharp-Shotz is in it's second year and is organised by Aardman Animations and UWE. 

The themes for the competition are drugs, knives and guns! With the aim of delivering awareness messages. 

For years I've been telling students not to include knives, guns, chain saws, rocket launchers and other items of death and destruction in their animation films, as the finished outcomes are always a bloody mess and resorting to violence isn't very creative and imaginative. Now I have until December 22nd 2008 to give students a legitimate opportunity to include weapons in their films, they will love it! 

Animation, specially stop motion animation with plasticine is the perfect medium for allowing young students to explore these ugly issues. No one gets hurt and plasticine models bleed well! Animation and violence go hand in hand, and kids love it!

To find out more about Sharp-Shotz CLICK HERE

Below is a film made in the summer by students from the Bewdley school. The idea behind the film was about a guy with a knife reacting to quickly and without thinking assumes the worst.