Brilliant young animators in Helensburgh

Over six weeks, Chocolate Films collaborated with Albatross Arts and young people from Helensburgh to create two stop-motion films, in a project funded by the RNRMC. Our team member Fiona Burton wrote about the experience:

“Many of us will be planning a rewatch of The Nightmare Before Christmas as we’re going into the Christmas period. Or perhaps you are a staunch believer that the Henry Selick and Tim Burton masterpiece is solely a Halloween film and have already watched it. Whenever you choose to watch, no matter the season or the type of decorations outside I’m sure we can all agree on one thing: it’s a stunning piece of animation.

For many of us, The Nightmare Before Christmas was one of our first forays into the world of stop-motion animation. Just like Wallace and Gromit, Coraline, and Fantastic Mr Fox himself, Jack Skeleton was brought to life through the magic of stop motion. Stop motion is created through the meticulous routine of adjusting the character model in small increments and taking a photo of each minuscule movement so that when the pictures are played back it creates the illusion of independent movement.

It’s safe to say that like many kids I was struck by this alchemy at a young age and the fascination has led me here today to be typing these words on a Chocolate Films blog (hi) and to be working in the field of animation. I have a few stop-motion films under my belt and my fascination has only grown with age.

All this to say: this is how I ended up in Helensburgh on a sunny day in October about to meet 40 or so of Helensburgh's finest stop motion directors for a day dedicated to asset making. 

The morning session was comprised of younger kids and the afternoon session was made up of older kids. Both of these sessions began in the same way: reading out the scripts that the groups had written in the last two weeks to make a plan of what characters, sets and props would have to be created for the animations.

It was incredible to hear the stories the kids had created. In that first session working with them I was witness to the creation of krakens, zombie chefs, pirate ships, yetis, a haunted Co-Op, and more, all in aid of their wild storylines.

It was invigorating to see how the kids imagined their characters, sets, and worlds. Everybody lending a hand in the creation meant that every kid could see their own pen strokes and personalities within the film. The stories may have been about zombies and pirates and yetis but they were also based in Helensburgh and being able to see the town through their unique perspectives was priceless.

The last three sessions were dedicated to animation. Finally, the time came for the kids to see their creations come to life! Stop-motion is a craft of patience and precision, and they brought the two in abundance.

Watching them finish animating a scene and eagerly ask the photographer for playback to see what they had just created was very encouraging (to me as a facilitator and to them as new-fangled directors). Once they could see their worlds coming to life at their fingertips the process became less about patience and more about play. It consolidated what they had spent the last 2 weeks building together and being able to huddle around the computer together and see that collective magic spurred them on through the next two weeks of animation with boundless energy.

The dedication was impressive week after week, and seeing their confidence in the medium grow was a pleasure.

Once the films were complete, we had the pleasure of having the premiere at the wonderful Tower Cinema (which was included in one of the films as a set!). The artists were able to bring their friends and family to experience the magic of seeing their final film on the big screen with sound effects, dialogue (also recorded by the kids themselves), and music. 

Alongside the films, we also made sure to include subtitles and BSL so the screening could be accessible and everybody could enjoy the hard work and dedication on display.

It is so important for kids to see their ideas come to life and to have the chance for their visions to be championed. I am in awe of all the creativity and enthusiasm every kid I met had. It reminded me of a quote from writer Neil Gaiman:

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.”

Neil Gaiman, Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the World

I feel very privileged to have been witness to what I hope is the first of many more creative endeavours for these budding young directors. To find out more about check out our Stop-Motion Animation workshops.

And here are the films - enjoy!