A COLLABORATION between a top North East school and a university looks set to inspire the next generation of 
moviemakers and animators here in the region.
Independent day school and boarding school, Polam Hall, in Darlington, worked with Teesside University to give Year 6 and 7 pupils a fascinating insight into the world of animation and film production.
As part of the school's ICT curriculum – and its strong connections with industry and business – it hosted a workshop led by Ellie Serafin, section head of animation and visual effects at Teesside University.
Children were inspired to follow in the footsteps of great animators like Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park as they were tasked with producing their own animated film.
After designing story boards for their films, they were given access to industry-standard equipment from the university, including cameras, green screen technology and moviemaking software.
The pupils used stop motion technology – capable of taking 25 images per second – to build up their films and gained valuable experience in using various moviemaking techniques.
Ellie Serafin, who taught the children how to transform their film concept into a reality, then took the movies back to the university to make them production perfect.
Sarah Robinson, the ICT teacher at Polam Hall, said: “The children all had great fun and it was lovely to see them all interacting with each other and making sure their films were interesting and creative.
“I’d like to thank Ellie from Teesside University for bringing all of their equipment to Polam Hall and helping the children make their animations.”
Polam Hall is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school for boys and girls aged between three and 18 years old.
It has been based at its site in Darlington since 1854 and prides itself on maintaining its traditional values and rich heritage while being able to offer pupils the strongest possible skills for the future.
For more information on the school visit: www.polamhall.com.