Uncategorized

Class captures the action – one animated stop at a time

Participants in the stop-motion animation class at the Vale Library enjoy an exercise as they learn new film techniques. (Submitted photo) Participants in the stop-motion animation class at the Vale Library enjoy an exercise as they learn new film techniques. (Submitted photo)

The Enterprise

VALE – Award-winning animator Teresa Drilling shared her stop-motion animation talents with students and aspiring film makers earlier this month at the Vale city library.

The program was sponsored by the Drexel Foundation and the Libraries of Eastern Oregon.

Numerous young Drexel Foundation award-winning filmmakers attended, along with students from Vale High School teacher Kacie Shaffer’s art class, and local adult filmmakers.

Drilling’s program covered a range of topics, discussing the differences between live-action and stop-action animation, the roots of special effects, fundamentals of pixilation and other production matters.

Class wrapped up with participants creating their very own mini-movie as she directed them to take incremental actions with chairs and balls of yarn. The end result was comedic and enjoyed by all.

Drilling came to the field with a background in painting and graphic arts. She has done animation work on numerous films, including “Elf,” “Chicken Run,” “Coraline,” and others.

Sandijean Fuson of the Drexel Foundation was excited about this event. She noted that many animation films have been entered in the Foundation’s annual Children’s Film Festival, held each September since 2006. This year’s entry deadline is Aug. 31.

The contest accepts entries from anywhere, and the submitter need not be present to win, she noted. This year, there will be an additional school category.

“We hope to get Idaho schools and Oregon schools to compete against each other this fall. Fruitland and Baker High School have film programs,” she said. “We would love to have VHS compete against Idaho and other Eastern Oregon Schools.”

The winner earns a $100 cash prize for use “on a Pizza party or bowling or just for their school.” She urged others to check into Drexel Foundation’s free Crash Course in film.

Stop motion animation was a new genre of film for these young film makers to learn about at this event.

For more information, contact the Drexel Foundation at 541-474-3470 or visit it on the web.