Film making and digital storytelling for non-film makers!

Film making and digital storytelling are no longer just for the select few who attended film school or have a background in the industry.

With the rise of accessible technology and the democratization of the medium, anyone can learn to tell their stories through film. And that includes non-film makers of all sizes. From little tiny ones, to older larger ones.

You might be thinking, "But why would I want to teach film making to kids?

Is the goal to turn them all into Steven Spielbergs?" Not at all. The goal is to give them options. Just like we don’t teach reading and writing because we want kids to grow up to be exclusively novelists, by teaching kids the basics of film making and digital storytelling we're giving them a new way to express themselves and a new way to understand and interpret the world around them. This will open up crazy options as they grow. And, it may inoculate them from much of the harmful media messages they see. They’ll have been behind the curtain to see how the magic works.

Plus, it's just plain fun.

Enter stop motion animation!

Stop motion animation is the simplest way to integrate film making into any classroom. If you have a rack of iPads or Chromebooks, a stop motion app is only a few clicks away. Stop motion lends itself perfectly to group dynamics and project-based learning. Kids can work together to bring their ideas to life, and the hands-on, tactile nature of stop motion animation makes it accessible and engaging for students of all ages.

Stop motion seems complicated, and where do you even begin with a film making curriculum?

That's where the Animating Kids video library and printouts come in. The hard work has already been done for you. The video library features 150 videos and downloadable printouts, hosted by the Animation Chefs, all with a project-based learning approach. All the video tutorials are color coded by difficulty and are delivered in a cooking show format with easy to follow instructions. This allows any teacher to take a scaffolded approach to lesson development to customize their student's journey. This age-appropriate film school curriculum has already been figured out for you. And it is flexible. Our users span the K-12 universe.

Don't let a lack of film school credentials hold you back from exploring the world of film making and digital storytelling with your students.

With stop motion animation and the Animating Kids video library, the possibilities are endless. You can start being a media making mentor the first day. View the lesson with the Animation Chefs, printout the blackline secret motion recipe, and start animating. And who knows, maybe one of your students will be the next big thing in Hollywood. But even if they're not, they'll have a new way to express themselves in any subject area, and a new tool for understanding the world around them.

Bon Animate!