Kiralee Grace, 11, creates a dragon following the steps as instructed in the animation programme. Photo / Leanne Warr
Kiralee Grace, 11, creates a dragon following the steps as instructed in the animation programme. Photo / Leanne Warr
Budding animators got a chance to explore the world of animation in a programme designed to inspire digital literacy.
Children from schools around Dannevirke took part in the programme, organised by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua.
Trust chairman Hayden Hape says the pilot programme was organised by youth coordinators Jarna Mihaereand Jamie Hape as a way to show the children the world of animation and the way the technology is evolving.
He says it’s a programme that can be run anywhere as it’s interactive using iPads.
Wiremu Wallace from Young Animators takes the students through the steps. Photo / Leanne Warr
The company behind the programme is Young Animators, an initiative which introduces rangatahi to the principles of animation and uses props such as Lego, wire armatures, green screen technology, cameras, tablet apps and lighting equipment.
Artificial intelligence also plays a part, although facilitator Nikora Ngaropo says the technology still has a long way to go.
For now, the programme shows the children faster ways to generate pictures and images, and encourages them to be creative.
He says the children are also taught that such things as iPads and other tech are just tools, but they’re no substitute for the brain, or imagination.
While it used to be that people would need to attend specialised schools to learn animation, Covid has changed a lot of things where people are now studying or working from the kitchen table, Nikora says.
Quelan Hape-Taite, 9 and Levi Mullins, 13, create their own animated images. Photo / Leanne Warr
It’s also opened up opportunities for initiatives such as Young Animators, allowing them to bring their skills and knowledge to small towns like Dannevirke, which also provides an opportunity for any budding animator.
