Online stop motion animation course for children
It is time to let your imagination run wild!
We offer an exciting and inspiring cut-out animation course where you have the freedom to experiment and create fantastic films.
We want it to be simple and accessible to everyone. That’s why we’ve created a course where you don’t need to consider location, expensive camera equipment, or costumes. All you need is your Android or IOS device (tablet or phone). The rest you may already have in your house or classroom, and if you have to buy everything from scratch, it will cost you less than £5.
The course is aimed at 5-11-year-olds and you can do it at home, in schools, and in youth clubs. The course is a collaborative activity that will take you through the making of a film in 4-8 hours.
By the end of the course, you will learn:
The basics of animation and storytelling
Problem-solving and critical thinking
Communication skills
-
Introduction to cut-out animation
-
Arts and Crafts
-
Think of a story
-
Time to animate
-
Finishing the animation
Be Creative Together
Films are all about creating something special together - regardless of budget and length. No film is made by one person, and the big Hollywood productions have hundreds of people working on the film before it ends up on the big screen.
That’s why we encourage everyone to take this course together with their friends, siblings, or classmates. We advise groups of up to 4-5 children per film. If you’re a school class, you can easily have more children working on different films at the same time.
The course may be done largely without adult supervision, however, younger children may need assistance.
Five stages
We’ve made the course in five stages that will guide you through the course - from introduction to final editing. There are videos at each of the stages, showing everything you need to do to make your animation.
1. Introduction to cut-out animation
What is cut-out animation? How does it work? The first part answers it all. It will give an overview of what you’re going to make and what you’ll need to do it.
2. Arts and crafts
To make your animation come to live, you’ll use your artistic talents to create backgrounds and characters. To help, there are a selection of downloadable templates that you can print, colour and cut out.
3. Think of a story
You’ll brainstorm together and create the story you want to tell. We’ll offer tips on what makes a good story and how to create your storyboard.
4. Time to animate
You’ve done all the preparation and are ready to animate! We will explain how to use the software and go into detail on how to animate your story.
5. Adding the final touches
You’re almost done. At the final stage, we will show you how to finish your film with sound effects, music, and credits.
Share your video
Why not let people see your amazing film? You can share your video on social media, using the hashtag #chocolatefilmsworkshops.
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram to stay updated on new workshops!
Or why not email us at info@chocolatefilms.com and share the film in a link? We’d love to see what you’ve done! We’ll even publish a few videos on our blog at chocolatefilmsworkshops.co.uk.
Course FAQ
-
Chocolate Films Workshops is the award-winning video production Chocolate Films’ sister company. The company was launched in 2001 and since then, we’ve run workshops for children and young people in anything from animation to script-to-screen. Learn more about us here.
-
The course is aimed at primary children aged 5-11, but everyone can take our online course! You can either do it alone or in a group. We recommend a maximum of 4-5 people per film.
-
You need access to a phone or tablet (IOS or Android). We’ve added templates you can download and print out as part of the course, so if you have access to a printer that would be great.
We also recommend having colour pens, scissors, thick paper, a glue stick, envelopes, and blu tack ready ahead of the course.
-
All you need is to click on the “Start Course” button above, and you’re ready to go. This means you can take the course whenever it suits you.
-
You can take our online animation course for only £15! You pay the first time you take our course. After that, you can take it as many times you’d like without paying extra.
-
There is no limit to how many students can take the course. We recommend working in a group of a maximum of 4-5 students per film, but there can be more groups doing the course at the same time.
-
Not necessarily, but younger children might need adult supervision to support and get the most out of the course.
-
Cut-out animation is an interactive form of storytelling that makes learning enjoyable, facilitating both artistic expression and educational engagement for young learners.
-
Animation is a flexible storytelling medium that lends itself to integration with almost every subject. You can create narratives from History for the classroom, animate oral histories as a PSHE module, or work with your students to make short learning and revision resources in subjects such as Geography or Sciences.
The technical skills of animation also have close links with Art and Design, ICT, and English.
-
Absolutely! We’ve created the course as a guideline and divided it into different stages. You can skip stages if needed and adapt to the needs of the child.
-
Yes, we do! If you’re more interested in creating a documentary or music video, then you can book one of our other face-to-face workshops.
Our workshops are led by professional filmmakers from Chocolate Films’ in-house team. Our team is skilled and experienced in working with adults, young people, and a range of special focus groups. All of our filmmakers are also DBS checked, have had safeguarding training, and many of them are first aiders.
-
You can rewatch the video in Chapter 4. We also recommend downloading the guide.
If you’re still experiencing issues with the software or the course, you are welcome to drop us an email at info@chocolatefilms.com.