Animation & Film Workshops in the North of England
Another fab year ends at the NCEA Animation Club. This summer term we concentrated on creating disaster and horror movies through the eyes of the children who come to the club. The year was topped off by some great pixilated animation made in the school grounds – they are enthusiastic for more!
I was contacted at short notice to see if I could run a short course animation club at a primary school in Swarland, Northumberland by a company in London called MyTutor. Luckily I could fit it in and so I met a lovely small group of children at the school and they created some sweet short animations about their favourite animals and where they live. They created the animals, scenes and supplied the voices. A great little school in the superb countryside of Northumberland not far from Morpeth.
During the Easter holidays I ran an animation workshop at the Tyneside Cinema, the kids created Disney / Horror movie mash ups, many Frozen references and some downright strange monsters ensued. I am again very proud to be associated with the Tyneside Cinema, one of the best independant cinemas in the country.
I have produced this short animation on behalf of Lavinia Scott & Afasic UK. Lavinia Scott is a young artist and she designed and wrote the original book this animation is based on from torn up fragments of text. She tells us what her life was like as she grew up, things she found difficult and she felt restricted but also how she overcomes those difficulties to achieve what she wants.Using the design of the book as a starting point, I scanned the text and animated it highlighting key phrases and layering text and Lavinia’s voice in a way reflecting the many facets associated with having difficulties in communication.
A link to the Afasic UK page about the film
Here is a link to Afasic UK which features some more of the films I have made with them.
I am extremely honoured to be asked to run the animation workshops again for this great festival held at Teesside University every year. Over 100 pupils from schools around Teesside made short animated stories this year inspired by Gabrielle Kent‘s new book Alfie Bloom and the Secrets of Hexbridge Castle. She read a passage from her book and we asked the children to think of characters and scenarios inspired by that passage, many strange creatures and places ensued – you can see the films they created via the following links.
I also got the chance to deliver a workshop at a local Care Home, the residents of the Gables and Ingleby carehomes created characters and made short animations with them – a great experience and a huge thanks to Christine Wilson for driving the project through.
Link to an article about the event at the Gables Care Home
I was very kindly asked towards the end of 2014 to run some animation drop in sessions at the Tullie House in Carlisle a wonderful arts, cinema and museum venue in the heart of this historic town. It was part of their Weekend of Film activities where they showed special screenings of animation and film, with talks by actors and directors and other activities.
Please click through for more information about this schools resource. Developed in conjunction with Lesley Wood and the Customs House in South Shields.
It’s been a fantastic experience so-far on the first official night of Shimmer festival in Whitley Bay, some of the people who helped to create the animation and dialogue for the film came to see the projections and were impressed by what they saw. We had some really positive comments from people and also from other artists and past contributors to the Shimmer Festival itself. There was a small problem with the sound which is going to be fixed for tonight as we are expecting some bigger crowds, the fireworks display is also happening so if you can come along to see Whitlath Exegesis great if you can’t then I know you wish you could in spirit. Additionally many thanks to Steve and Dan for all their hard work putting this event in place on site, brilliant stuff guys links to follow, well done.
Some more links to articles on the Whitlath Exegesis in the local press and on the internet
http://www.kyeo.tv/2012/10/25/preview-shimmer-digital-arts-festival-in-whitley-bay/
http://tyneandwear.sky.com/events/event/43122
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shimmerevent/264937523596770
http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/update/2012-11-03/shimmer-festival-to-light-up-seaside-town/
http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/seaside-set-to-shimmer-at-weekend-1-5077997
I am genuinely pleased to announce that I have been picked to produce an animation with some community groups in the Whitley Bay area that will be projected onto the side of the Waves Leisure Centre as part of the Shimmer Festival. The groups I’ll be working with are VODA based in Shiremoor, Age UK in Whitley Bay and Coquet Primary School also in Whitley Bay.
I’m really excited by this project and the potential it holds for the people who’ve made the film with myself to see their work in front of their community 9 metres tall! There are a whole series of projection events taking place at the festival from 5pm to 8:30pm along with a firework display so please get along if you can to support myself and all the artists community projects that are illuminating Whitley Bay from Spanish City all the way along the Links.
The other projects and artists involved in Shimmer include Rainbow Glowing Wheels made by Tyneside duo Aether and Hemera, Concrete Waves by RealTyne, alias North Tyneside couple John and Karen Topping, Chronobooth, by Newcastle film-maker and musician Joe Pochciol and Shimmer 2012 will also see the return of Diversion, by Newcastle-based Novak Collective with Flash Fog by Colin Priest which features fake coastal fog and special effects which will be triggered by passers-by.
My film is called Whitlath Exegesis and will be about the geological history of Whitley Bay from the stars and planets forming, the emergence of life, dinosaurs and natural disasters, volcanoes, a comet, the ice age and the arrival of humans. I have been working with a very diverse group of people from the under 10s to the over 60s oh and a few in between as well. They have produced the animation along with myself and it will reflect the ethereal nature of time, memory and experience and features beach materials, rocks, the North Sea & Whitley Bay of today as visioned by some volunteers from Age UK, and some remarkable dinosaurs created by the pupils of Coquet School as well as a really long frieze produced by the young people of VODA (look out for the frozen woolly mammoth and some dog bones!). The participants have also contributed to the soundtrack of the film.
Some links to reports on the event:
and the official site is here:
Robin Webb 