Making Movies
How did they do that? The Middle School course “Cinema Studies: Animation” introduces students to the history and craft of film and filmmaking. As a culminating project, students produced animated shorts. Here you’ll see the work of 6th graders- Gray, Jaden, & Sadler.
TWO ANIMATed SHORTS
“Backpack Chase” and “The ‘Chair’iot Race”
ABOUT THE assignment
Using skills developed over the course of the Cinema Studies: Animation course, students transition from making simple optical devices and creating short test reels to making a lengthier animated film. Students script and storyboard their ideas and bring them to a small critique session where they gather feedback from their peers to better hone their idea and plan for animating. Animation takes time and patience and middle school students soon find that they need to have a lot of courage and persistence to see their vision come to life. In addition, students collaborated to support each filmmaker as they incrementally worked on their story. In the end, students can point to a piece of work that is a product of hard work, refinement, and creativity.
