Getting creative with Aardman Animations
Recently, Bristol WORKS have supported groups of very creative year 10 and 11 learners from New Fosseway, Oasis Brightstowe and North Star 240° in three very exciting workshops, where we were lucky enough to be joined by the world famous and award-winning Bristol animation studios, Aardman. During these sessions, students had to the opportunity to learn about the wonderful world of animations and explore making their very own models. 
The Aardman team, Pauline and Zoe, kickstarted the session with learners from New Fosseway by providing an introduction to animation and the skills which are important for this industry, followed by presenting the characters which have been brought to life at Aardman studios. Most famously, Shaun the Sheep, Wallace and Gromit, and Chicken Run! Learners were then invited to design and draw their own characters, which were all so imaginative. The students were then encouraged to bring their drawings to life, where they had the chance to create their models using clay. Learners produced an amazing variety of characters, which we were able to see when they proudly presented their models during a show and tell at the end of the session. It was fantastic to see all the learners demonstrate their creativity skills during this session and one student remarked at how making models made them ‘Very Happy’!
Learners from Oasis Brightstowe and North Star 240° were invited to Aardman studios to have two separate workshops! We were kindly welcomed by Zoe and Pauline again, who gave us a tour around the building so that learners got to see where the magic of animation happens. Next, Pauline and Zoe taught us about their industry and students were challenged to thing about the variety of exciting roles at Aardman, they discovered that nearly 200 people are needed to make an animated film! Following this, learners were invited to design and sculpt a model of their choice. It was brilliant to witness the focus that these students demonstrated during the creation of their sculptures. The diversity of ideas was brilliant, learners made all kinds of models from jellyfish to dinosaurs. Once these characters had been created, learners were encouraged to make animated videos of their characters using an animation app. We were all so impressed by the innovative videos that these students had filmed, and we even got to watch some on the big screen!
We would like to say a huge thank you to Aardman for volunteering your time and delivering three brilliant sessions. We would also like to say a thank you and big congratulations to the students at New Fosseway, Oasis Brightstowe and North Star 240°, all of whom showed lots of enthusiasm and creativity.
