By Ms Heimfeld (English Teacher)

Over the past few weeks in Years 9 to 11 Film Club, we have been practically exploring how to make stop-motion animation films. Inspired by Aardman Studios, the makers of the Wallace & Gromit films, we created Shaun the Sheep figures from plasticine.

The following week, we built a tabletop hillside scene using Sylvanian Families figures, and this week, we explored animated drawing by experimenting with the tripods. Stop-motion animation is a meticulous process that requires patience to create hundreds of still images, each capturing a subtle shift in movement.

Through these activities, Film Club students are discovering the origins of moving images, which date back to 1878 when Eadweard Muybridge resolved a bet to determine whether a horse’s legs ever left the ground while in motion.

Chloe Fisher (Year 10) said: “Film Club is where your creativity can shine, whether it’s making stop motions with drawings and characters, or bringing your own character creations to life frame by frame. It’s a great club to learn about different types of filming techniques and skills.” 

Vanessa Poon (Year 9) added: “Film club has been really fun, I enjoyed making Shaun the Sheep, even when it was difficult to mould it exactly how I wanted it to be, I loved it. We did a stop motion using our drawings recently, me and my partner made up a storyline as we progressed, the result was hilarious, and I couldn’t stop laughing. Film club has been extremely entertaining.”