Amazing Stop Motion Animations

Have you wondered what stop motion animation means? It is an animation technique to make an object seem to move on its own by moving the object in small increments between individually photographed frames. When put together as a sequence the frames create the illusion of movement. It is basically the modern version of drawing on the corner of your notebook sheets and then playing with it. 

Well, as a digital media organisation, we focus on technology, not on notebooks. :) 

Therefore two of our children workshops are based on stop motion. We have 'Claymation' for the younger, 7+ aged, kids, and 'Stop Motion Animation' for young people 12+ years old.

One of the most famous film directors has started developing his talent at the same age as our talented young filmmakers. Tim Burton was only 13 years old when he created the stop motion animation 'The Island of Doctor Agor' in his backyard on Evergreen Street. The significant animation Corpse Bride (2005) is his first full-length stop motion animation. 

Today we are going to show you three unique stop motion animations that have revolutionised the world of digital media. 

In 2010, a film about the adventures of a 9mm girl called Dot, living in a microscopic world, became the world's smallest animation at that time. New technology combined with a lot of creativity and imagination produced this amazing film.

The teeny-tiny movie is created by Sumo Science at Aardman and shot with a CellScope, invented by Professor Fletcher. For the purpose of the animation, 50 different versions of the main character were created with a 3D printer. 

If you are amazed by this animation, wait to see the next one. 

The researchers of IBM had entertained themselves at work by creating a movie made with atoms. Yes, you read it right! 'A Boy And His Atom' really is made by moving atoms and therefore it is now The World's Smallest Stop Motion Animation. It is so small that it can be seen only when it is magnified 100 million times. 

An animation called 'Entropy' made for IdN magazine by Physalia is created by shooting 2,000 photographs of different water drops and combining them in a video. 

You can learn more about the process of making it and see the video here. 

The team was inspired by Markus Reugels' stunning photographs of the Earth in water drops. 

We, Signals Media Arts Centre, also have quite a few animations to show off with. The children attending our workshop has amazed us with their creativity and talent. We are very proud of them! 

You can watch the animations made during our latest Stop Motion Animation workshop here and tell us what you think! : )  

www.signals.org.uk 

How important is having computer and media skills?

A recent research from The Prince's Trust shows that having computer skills is crucial for securing employment. 

The results show that 10 % of the young people cannot send their CV online and are embarrassed by their lack of computer skills. 17% admit they do not apply for jobs which require basic computer knowledge and believe they would be in work today if they had improved these skills. 

We can confirm that, judging from our own observations. After Media and Computer Skills courses we ran in Rowhedge, Jaywick and Tiptree, supported by TCHC, Skills Funding Agency and European Social Fund, some of the people started a new job just after the course and most of them felt more confident using internet and new technology:

"As I had no previous  knowledge, I found the photography and filmmaking really useful. Also the session on social media - no prior experience of Facebook or Twitter. 

It has given me the confidence to move out of my comfort zone and try doing something very different." Ian, Colchester, Essex

We live in a society that increasingly becomes more and more digitised. Our lives are centred around technology. Therefore improving on your computer literacy can not only help you in your career, but also in other spheres of life. 

We, Signals Media Arts Centre, are embracing new technology and innovation and this is why we are offering more new and exciting courses and workshops in Colchester aiming at improving your computer and media skills. 

Three-session Web Design Course - £110

We are running this course twice this year. Choose from these dates:

Wed 24th, Thurs 25th and Mon 29th April 2013, 6 - 9pm and 

Mon 11th, Wed 13th and Thurs 14th November, 6 - 9pm. If you are looking for some tuition in designing your own website, our 3-session course is just the ticket. Our professional web designer has tons of experience in creating beautifully crafted websites using the free online software 'Wordpress'.

NEW - Spring Photography - £25

On Friday 3rd May 2013, 10am - 2pm we introduce our new Spring photography workshop.It includes outdoor shooting guided by Nick Wood from Unshaken Photography and then back to Signals to learn how to perform basic adjustments to your photos using Photoshop. You can either bring your own camera or use one of our Canon Digital SLRs. Suitable for adults and families. 

Photoshop 1 - £25

Wed 15th May 2013, 6 - 9pmAn introduction to the basics of Adobe Photoshop. Bring your own photos in on a memory stick and we'll show you how to digitally enhance them. Basic computer literacy is essential. If you have Photoshop loaded on your laptop bring it along for a discounted price. 

Photoshop 2 - £25

Wed 22nd May 2013, 6 - 9pm Following on from the Photoshop 1, this workshop is designed for those who have a basic knowledge of the software. Transform your photos using layer masks and other features to further manipulate your images.

Practical Filmmaking - £75

Sat 22nd - Sun 23rd June 2013, 10am - 2pmExperience all the excitement of film production on this intensive course. Designed for those looking to gain practical filmmaking experience. Learn the principles of storytelling, film language and video production. Get to grips with writing, directing, producing, sound recording and post-production whilst producing a short film. This course will provide you with the basic skills you will need to make your own films. 

All the courses will take place at Signals in Colchester. 

For more information on these courses and all our others please visit our website or keep an eye out for our course brochure with listings of everything coming up over the next few months.  You can now book places through signalsmediaartscentre.eventbrite.com or save the booking fee and call the office on 01206 560255 to confirm your place. 

Love, Signals

Banished - A Film and a Book Created by Children for Children

Last month we received an unexpected present from our friends Ormiston. 

Four years ago we worked together with The Nutmeg Puppet Company and The Ormiston Trust on a First Light project. 

With a little help from Signals the children, aged between 8 and 15 years, wrote the story, made the puppets, drew the illustrations and created the film Banished. 

You can watch the film here. It is a story by children with a parent in prison, for children with a parent in prison. It is a story of hope and resilience.

The children's author, Tom Palmer, says about the story:

"I really enjoyed reading this story - and I think that the children who wrote it should be really proud of what they have done. Because Banished has it all."

"Banished reminded me of one of my favourite stories, The Odyssey. A man travels to face the world's dangers, to come home, eventually."

What took us back in time is this little book created from the movie. 

Thank you for the lovely present, Ormiston and well done to the children! :)

www.signals.org.uk 

Going 50 Years Back in Time

No, don't get confused by the snowy landscapes and people buzzing in cafes, trying to get warm over a cup of tea! Christmas is not near, neither is Winter time! 

Here are some amazing pictures of snowy Essex posted by BBC News. You can see some unusual photographs as the one of an Amur leopard walking in the snow, cute photos of children making  snowmen and beautiful white landscapes! 

But what struck our attention was the picture of the frozen sea coast in Frinton! 

The reason is that Signals Youth Film Club are currently editing our latest film 'Turning Tides'. It is a documentary about the history of Essex piers, how they have been used, abused and enjoyed over the years. 

In the film we are also sharing the story of the Big Freeze in 1963 when  the people of Walton-on-the-Naze woke up to see the unusual sight of the frozen sea! The story is being told by Peter Frost, who was 17 years old then.

 He, and his colleague David West, had the chance not only to witness the amazing view, but to take some great photographs and help keeping this historical moment for Essex piers! You can read more about it in Peter Frost's blog - Walton Tales. 

You can also see the teaser of 'Turning Tides' which launching is coming soon! 

Signals is hosting the biggest short film festival - Future Shorts

Signals Media Arts Centre is giving you the opportunity to be part of the global community of Future Shorts. The film content presented is challenging, entertaining, stimulating and pushing the boundaries of how culture is consumed.

After the huge success of the Autumn Season Film Festival, which was screened in 42 countries and over 135 cities, Future Shorts is launching winter season from January 2013 to March 2013 featuring 7 of the best cutting-edge short films from all over the world.

The programme includes prize-winning films for every taste - everything from horror through love story  to animation.

A special highlight is the Sundance Jury Prize winner 'Fishing Without Nets' (Kenya, 2010) telling us the fascinating story of pirates in Somalia told from the Somalis' perspective.

Other featuring films are:

The colourful animation 'Marcel, King of Tervuren' (USA, 2012),

The Woodstock Film Festival Jury Prize Winner 'We're leaving' (USA, 2011),

The documentary-cum-horror film 'The S from Hell' (USA, 2010),

The surreal coming-of-age short 'Candy Girl' (UK, 2012),

The humorous love story 'Lovebirds' (Czech Republic, 2010) reflecting on the similarities between avian and human life,

and 'Seeds of the Fall' (Sweden, 2009) by the oscar nominated director Patrik Eklund.

You can get more sense of the variety of films by watching the Trailer.

It is an event that you cannot miss so we are waiting for you on the 5th February from 7pm at Signals.
There is no need to book so come along. You can find more information in our website.

Film editor Terry Rawlings talks about editing Alien.

Film editor Terry Rawlings came to Colchester on the 19th of May to talk about his career and answers questions from the audience. Terry has worked on some very successful films over the last 50 years after starting off as a sound editor. Alien was actually his first full credit as picture editor and in this clip he describes how he landed the job and went on to work with Ridley Scott to create the terrifying atmosphere of the film with a perfect marriage of image and sound.