 Yet
another group told the story of “Jacques,” a
Japanese goldfish who tried to Feng Shui his fishbowl but ended
up making a big mess. It did turn out, though. (Feng
Shui Fish)
There were aliens hovering over France practicing their abduction
techniques; they certainly needed the practice. (Aliens
in France) And there was a teacher who steps on a wad of
gum, pries it off her shoe – and
pops it in her mouth for another chew. (Already
Been Chewed)
The children's creativity impressed Sean Johnson, a senior
visual communications major.
“They give you a new perspective, and take you back to your
roots. This kind of makes us wish we were back in kindergarten
again, ” he said.
Lights, camera, action
 After
coming up with a story idea, the teams created a storyboard.
They drew rough sketches of each scene and read through the story
to make sure it would fit in their one-minute limit. Next, they
used markers, construction paper, scissors, tape and glue to
create scenes to be filmed.
When all the characters and objects had been cut, colored, and
arranged, the students used video cameras attached to computers
using iStopMotion software to bring their stories to life. The
teams took digital shots of each scene, making very slight changes
after each shot. The software allows users to compile still images
into a sequence that when replayed at high speed creates the
illusion of movement.
To show the boa constrictor chasing a mouse, for example, the
students had to move the cut-out construction-paper snake forward
on the page by about an inch, shoot the image, move the snake
forward another inch, shoot the image, and so on. When the images
are played back, the snake appears to slither across the room
toward the mouse.
Vis com – tools of the trade
 Creating
the appearance of motion is particularly useful for the visual
communications students, who are always looking for ways to make
their graphics and on-screen designs more engaging.
“Our students are used to using still images, video and
writing to tell a story. This is a new tool for them," said
Kornegay, who has worked with other faculty to incorporate animation
into the visual communications curriculum.
“We’re introducing it in our informational graphics
course and in courses where we teach Web and DVD interface design,” he
said.
Watching both the elementary and university students, Kornegay
was impressed.
“I was amazed at how intuitive animation seemed to be
to both age groups once you broke it down into a simple technique.
Often the fancy software programs that we use for animation seem
to get in the way of storytelling, and this process removed those
barriers.”
SLIS – engaging kids in learning
 The
younger students were just as immersed in
the project as the university students. When it was time to take
a break, fourth-grader Nolan Worthy kept working, busily perfecting
the construction-paper scene of the woman who stuck her shoe
in gum.
Educators know that when children get immersed in a hands-on
project, they often learn the most. That's the major reason School
of Library and Information Science students and faculty want
to bring animation technology into classroom and library settings.
"Public youth services librarians and school library
media specialists will be applying these skills and the animation
process working with children in elementary and middle schools," Feehan
said.
Lisa Chapman, a master's student in the library school, said
it was " yet another way we can really engage kids of all
different learning styles. It’s a great way to sneak in
some learning .” Chapman plans to work as a school media
specialist when she graduates.
 Kim
Kochany, an arts teacher who brought a group of Barnes Learning
Center students, said he knew they were having a good time because “they
went home after the first day of the workshop and told all the
other kids."
"This is a big learning experience. They’ve seen
that you don’t have to be a professional artist to take
an idea and make it into a reality – you can create something
for fun in your own home,” he said.
The finished product
Empowering children and adults with a sense of their ability
to create a media product was, after all, Summerhays’ goal.
And when all the films were played on the big screen, even he
appeared awed by the creative and sophisticated work.
“It went astonishingly well,” he said. “That
they finished this in two days is a function of their teamwork.”
Feehan said that when she looked around, everyone was smiling
and cheering for all the projects.
"What really stood out to me was the creative energy and
camaraderie that filled the room," she said. "Great
teamwork! Great cooperation and communication!"
Kornegay, too, could hardly believe how much was done in a short
time .
 “They had to create a story concept, turn it into a storyboard,
develop a dialog and soundtrack and then produce the product.
A process like that usually drags out over weeks, if not months,
during a regular semester, and quite often something gets lost
in the translation," he said. "The students really
blew me away with their energy, positive attitudes and the way
they worked so well together.”
The
animation workshop fell during Children’s Book Week when
authors, illustrators and educators around the nation gather
to promote and celebrate children’s literacy.
"Children’s Book Week is all about promoting the
joy of storytelling through the printed word, the oral tradition,
and now, digitally,” Feehan said.
"This seminar was the perfect way for us to introduce it
to our College family," she said.
 |
Anna Groos is a graduate
student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications
working on her Masters of Mass Communications degree.
A 2004 graduate of Wake Forest University, she worked
for several years as an outreach counselor for Child
Care Resources, Inc., a non-profit organization in Charlotte. |
|
