Name of the initiative: Stop-motion studio for children
Sculpting cartoon characters from plasticine, inventing scenery for them and then bringing a vivid story to life thanks to a video camera - it turned out that even very young cinematographers can do this! Master classes from "Stop-motion studio for children" took place in several schools of the region and a children's space in Chernivtsi.
Girls and boys learned to create mini cartoons, advertising animation, video guides. They also know how to write a script, draw a storyboard, invent and sculpt plasticine heroes, set up lights, build a frame and edit videos. All this is on professional equipment.
Although the classes took place during the summer vacation, there was no shortage of people who wanted to visit the studio. So they attracted as many as 140 schoolchildren - more than planned. Many of them, even after finishing classes, develop on their own in this business, which can become a future profession.
- We noticed that the children who created their own animation were very inspired, discussed plans for the future, invented new plots, - said the author of the idea of the initiative, trainer Ksenia Kostyuchenko. - We were asked how to make stop motion at home. The joy of creative activities definitely reduces anxiety and positively affects the psycho-emotional state of children. Even in such a short period, they tried to think like directors, like screenwriters and like actors. During the workshops, we talked a lot about emotions and what affects our emotional state, because it was in the proposed scenario of the cartoon. After the classes during the reflection, we discussed their results and noted a deeper understanding: the children sincerely shared their realizations with each other and with us. We are sure that even such a small episode had a positive impact on the children's lives, because they successfully tried new creativity, worked in a team, recreated actions and emotions, and were able to share important things with their peers.
In the classes, we combined visiting children and local children, and it was very successful! For example, an IDP girl, who had been studying online for two years, found a friend after our classes, who convinced her to go to a local school to study face-to-face. Another of our participants decided to start his own YouTube channel after the class, and the cartoon he created was the first posted video.
The SCLR program for supporting community initiatives in Bukovyna is implemented by the public organization AREAC - Chernivtsi Regional Association for Social Development with the administrative support of Fundatia Heks/Eper Romania and the financial support of Swiss Solidarity and Act Alliance.