PROGRAMME

DOCUMENTS:
Get Into Animation INTRODUCTION
SIX SESSIONS FROM STORY TO SCREEN SESSION 1
• What makes a
successful animation?
SESSION 2
SESSION 1 WHAT MAKES A • What styles of stop motion
animation can we use?
SUCCESSFUL ANIMATION?
SESSION 3
• How can we make
our models?
SESSION 4
• How can we capture
our animation?
SESSION 5
• How can we add sound
and edit our animation?

See, think, make. SESSION 6

Learn • How can we showcase,
share and celebrate
intofilm.org our film?
VISUAL GLOSSARY

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Teachers’
Activity outlines
notes Session 1 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

What makes a successful animation?

This week serves as an introduction to animation within a film club context.
Club members will learn the fundamental processes of animation and
put together the story they will animate. Working in groups, members
will devise and pitch a story idea before voting on the final story they
will animate.

Suggested timings:

If you have… Steps Slides

20 minutes 1, 2, 3, 6 or 7, 8, 10 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 or 8–10
Added extra slide for
40 minutes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6/7, 8, 9, 10 1–11 extension (slide 6) – so
should this be
60 minutes + All All 1, 2, 3, 7 or 8, 9, 11
1, 2, 3, 4, 8 or 9-11
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7/8, 9, 10, 11
1-12
Essential life skills

COMMUNICATION TEAMWORK

Business skills

NEGOTIATION

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
• Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen –
Session 1 PowerPoint presentation
• Get Into Animation: Visual Glossary PowerPoint presentation
• Story mountain worksheet (page 12)
• Animation planning worksheet (page 13)
• Large sheets of paper and pens

OPTIONAL:
• Thaumatrope worksheet (page 10)
• Flick book worksheet (page 11)
• Film pitch template (page 14)

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Activity outlines Session 1 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

SESSION 1: WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL ANIMATION?

STEPS:

1. Introduce the animation project to your members using the title slide.
Explain that over the duration of the programme they will be working on
devising, pitching, planning, animating and editing their own animation.
Using slide 2 of the accompanying Get Into Animation: Six Sessions
from Story to Screen presentation, pose the question ‘How does
animation work?’ to your members. Discuss their ideas before you play
the clip on this slide which could help children to think of other ideas.

2. Using slide 3 of the presentation, ask members how they think

animation is made. Ask members to think of an animated film that they
have watched recently and identify how it was made and what was
interesting about the look of the film.

3. Play the clip What is animation? on slide 4 of the accompanying resource

and ask members to write down any new facts they hear about the
animation process. There is a list of suggestions in the slide notes section.

4. Display slide 5 and ask members to write their own definition of

animation. Replay the video on slide 4 to aid them in their answers. If
you have sufficient time you can extend this activity by handing out
copies of the Thaumatrope and Flick book worksheets so that your
group can design and make their own animated toys. This will help
them to develop an appreciation for early animation and get to grips
with the animation process, as explained on slide 6.

5. Play the clip Story on slide 7 of the presentation to ask young people on
the slide, what makes a good story for an animation. If you have time,
you can ask learners to reflect on animated films they have personally
enjoyed and consider what elements of the story contributed to this.
You can print copies of the Into Film 3Cs and 3Ss Literacy Tool so that
members can ask each other the Story questions about their chosen
films in order to discuss this in more detail: https://www.intofilm.org/
resources/127w

6. Members aged 5–11: Play the video on slide 8 and ask your members
how the filmmakers approached their subject with the target audience
in mind. How did they make the subject seems less scary and how did
this influence the way that it looked?

7. Members aged 11–19: Play the video on slide 9 and ask members
what the director means when he says “animation is a stylised world”.
What steps does Travis Knight outline as making up a traditional story
structure? What other insights into writing for animation can your film
club members identify?

8. Use the three-act story structure diagram on slide 10 to ask club

members to write a simple narrative for a short animated film. Give
participants parameters to ensure their story is not too complicated.
The film will likely be no more than two minutes long and if club
members cannot write their storyline in three sentences or fewer, then
their story is too complicated and needs refining. To extend this activity
you can hand out copies of the Film pitch template so that groups can
extend their initial story ideas prior to pitching to the wider group.

intofilm.org © Into Film 2020 3

Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org/clubs

Activity outlines Session 1 | Get Into Animation: Six Sessions from Story to Screen

SESSION 1: WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL ANIMATION?

STEPS:

9. As each group pitches their ideas to the group, play the animation titled
Pitch it on slide 11, which counts down the 60-second time limit. Ask
them to include information about the characters, setting and storyline
for their film. The rest of your group should be listening carefully to each
pitch and will vote anonymously on their favourite storyline for the final
film after all the pitches have been heard.

10. Once you have heard all the pitches and conducted anonymous voting
to determine the winning pitch, use slide 12 to congratulate the class on
agreeing on their storyline. Use the Planning sheet on page 14 of this
resource to help club members break down the different elements and
begin planning for their film.

11. Slide 13 introduces the topic for the next session in this series.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY

Use the Thaumatropes and Flick book worksheets on pages 10 and 11

to help members explore how animation works and create their own
animated toys.

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Worksheet

Thaumatropes were very popular

toys during the 19th century. These
toys achieved their effect due to the
persistence of vision (in the same way
as stop motion animation film).
1. First cut out the two circles below, then
make a hole in, or hole punch the shaded
circles on the right and left of each image.

2. Stick the two circles of paper together,

making sure to keep one image upside
down and match the holes on both pieces
so that they line up with each other.

3. Attach one piece of string to each of the

two holes that you have made.

4. Finally, spin the string quickly in your

fingers to see the optical illustion.

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Worksheet

Make a Flick book

Instructions
1. Plan out the storyline for your flick book, making sure to You can also make an easy
keep most of the action in the bottom right hand corner. flick book by using a pack
of sticky notes or drawing
2. Keep your story simple and make sure you tell the story in the corner of a notepad.
entirely though your drawing. Something quick and easy
always works well, like a bouncing ball or jumping frog.

3. Once you have drawn your story, cut around each box and
stick the boxes together (you may want to number each box
to make sure you keep them in the right order).
STICK

STICK
STICK

STICK
STICK

STICK

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Worksheet

the
Story
Mountain
1) The Beginning 2) The Build-Up 3) The Problem 4) The Resolution 5) The Ending
Introduce the main What things happen? Things might go wrong! How are things going to Does the story end with
characters and describe What clues are there? Is there a mystery, or do be sorted out? Problems everyone happy? What
the setting. What will What is said? How do you terrible things happen? must be solved. Think have people learned?
your first sentence be? build up the excitement? Are there any disagreements? about every step. Have characters changed?

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Worksheet

Make a Storyboard template

NOTES: NOTES: NOTES:

NOTES: NOTES: NOTES:

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Worksheet

Planning your film

Now we’ve thought about all the things we need to make a film,
fill out this table with all of your ideas.

Main character Other characters Where is it set?

What type of film is it? What is the challenge or How is it solved?

problem in your film?

What happens at the end?

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