CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2016 WORKSHOPS
Oscar® qualifying Chicago International Children’s Film Festival has announced the complete lineup of workshops for the 2016 Festival, which runs October 28-November 6 at Chicago’s Facets Theatre, Music Box Theatre, ArcLight Cinemas, Alliance Française de Chicago, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and Lake Forest’s Gorton Community Center. Established in 1983, the Festival is the nation’s largest for children and teens. In addition to presenting over 280 all new animated, live action, documentary and experimental shorts and features from approximately 44 countries, the 2016 Festival will feature 10 interactive and engaging workshops led by professional filmmakers and special guests. Registration for the Festival Workshops begin Thursday, October 6th. Participants can register HERE or by calling 773-281-9075 ext. 3011.
“The Festival offers new opportunities for children and youth to grow, both as active viewers of media, and as participants as well” said Ann Vikstrom, Festival Program Director. “This year’s slate of workshops will both entertain and give young people an in-depth, hands-on experience in the multifaceted art of filmmaking.” “These workshops will help give our local young filmmakers a leg up for making the movies of tomorrow.”
The 2016 edition of the Festival includes workshops where kids learn new techniques in stop-motion animation, computer animation, animatronics, character development, storytelling, and even how to pitch their ideas and films to the likes of Sesame Street.
DATES: October 28-November 6 – Full schedule available at HERE.
WORKSHOP LOCATIONS
Facets at 1517 W. Fullerton, Chicago
Music Box Theatre at 3733 N. Southport, Chicago
2016 FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS
Animate This! Stop-Motion Animation
w/ Meghann Artes Saturday, October 29 2:30-5:00PM Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Ages 8+, Limit 15 children. Registration: $35 non-member $30 Facets members
Learn how to create stop-motion animation and other special effects from award-winning Festival Filmmaker, Meghann Artes. Workshop participants will become familiar with easy-to-use and innovative special effects techniques, like the ones used by filmmaker Michel Gondry and in music videos by Peter Gabriel, Kanye West, and Coldplay. With these tips and tricks there is no end to the imaginative stories that you can create on screen. Meghann Artes is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmaker and animator who has worked with Sesame Street, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, Bix Pix, Nick Jr., NBC, and ABC. Her short films have enjoyed success at festivals across the country.
Takeaways: * Learn about various special effects * Create a stop-motion animation sequence
Light It Up: Costume Character Creation
w/ Jeff Sweeton Saturday, October 29 10:00AM-4:30PM Ages 8+, Limit: 15 Facets 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago IL Registration: $45 non-members $40 Facets members
Learn how to create fully formed characters – costumes and all – with filmmaker and tech extraordinaire, Jeff Sweeton. Workshop participants will bring characters to life from their favorite films or from their own imaginations, just in time for Halloween! After developing their characters, participants will design costumes, weaving L.E.D.s through fabric, cutting cardboard armor plating, or using whatever their imagination can muster to create that 21st century appeal! Each newly created character will then give an interview about who they are. Please note $5 materials fee. Sewing skills not required, only your imagination!
Takeaways: * Design and create costumes * Learn basic circuitry to light up the costume * Record video interviews with the imagined characters
Be Your Own Hero: Computer Animation Meets Live Action
w/ George Berlin Sunday, October 30 10:00AM-1:00PM Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Age 8+, Limit 10 Registration: $35 nonmembers $30 Facets members
Ever wondered what it would be like to be an animated character? Now you can with the technological wizardry of animator and educator, George Berlin.Using special software, participants will use their imaginations to create computer animated characters and environments. Participants will then act, dance, and groove through their short scenes. No teleportation skills needed! With motion capture technology, participants are able to be animated and live-action at the same time.
Takeaways: * Create characters and sets with special software * Write and create a mini-scene between two characters * In pairs, kids will “act out” their scenes using real-time animation A link and password will be emailed following the workshop with footage documenting their real-time projects.
Telling a Story Through Computer Animation
w/ Jeff Sweeton Friday, November 4 10:00AM-4:30PM (CPS in-service day) Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Ages 7+ Limit: 10 Registration $45 nonmembers, $40 Facets members
Learn how to tell compelling stories through animation and computer programming with filmmaker and tech extraordinaire, Jeff Sweeton. Like playing video games, but you’d rather tell a story of your own? Start out by learning character development and storytelling basics, and then bring these ideas to life with coding fundamentals. In the end, you will program your very own animated storyboard – or as we call it in the biz, an animatic.
Takeaways: * Learn principals of storytelling * Computer programming and coding language * Universal relationships of characters within media * Basic drawing * Animatic creation
iPad Movie Magic
w/ George Berlin Saturday, November 5 10:00AM-1:00PM Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Age 10+ Limit 15 Registration: $35 nonmembers, $30 Facets members
Learn how to make your own iPad movie with animator, educator, and all-around wacky dude, George Berlin. It’s easy to take photos and videos with an iPad, but how about making a movie? Workshop participants will learn filmmaking fundamentals, from cinematography to editing and sound design using the Pinnacle Studio app. Add some imagination to the mix, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a fantastic movie! Please note: Participants provide their own iPads and will need to download Pinnacle studio ($3 fee) before the workshop.
Animating the Amazon
w/ Alois Di Leo Saturday, November 5 2:00-5:00PM Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Ages 9+ Limit 15 Registration: $35 non-members, $30 Facets members
Learn how animation comes to life with award-winning Brazilian animator and Festival filmmaker, Alois Di Leo. If you’re using a pen and paper, clay, or even a computer, animation is a complex task. Workshop participants will get an in-depth overview of the animation process, from art direction to lighting and music scoring. Then, using basic materials, participants will create stop-motion animation sequences inspired by the Amazon rainforest.
Takeaways: * Basics of stop-motion paper animation * Soundtrack/voiceover dubbing * Lighting basics
Building Robots: Animatronics in Film
w/ Jeff Sweeton Sunday, November 6 9:30AM-5:30PM Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Ages 11+ Limit 15 Registration: $35 nonmembers, 30 Facets members
Learn how to conceptualize and build working animatronics with filmmaker and tech extraordinaire, Jeff Sweeton. Interested in robots? Workshop participants will be introduced to electronic and circuit building techniques used to build animatronics for films. Then, using raw components, participants will create their own animatronic puppets with moving parts.
Takeaways: * Imagine and build an animatronic character or machine out of cardboard and other materials * Design the electronic circuitry to make moving parts or sections that light up.
Litterbugs: Found Object Character Creation
w/ Peter Stanley-Ward Sunday, November 6 2:00-4:30PM Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Ages 9+ Limit 15 Registration: $35 nonmembers, $30 members
Learn how to design characters from everyday objects with Festival filmmaker and recipient of Creative England’s “Emerging Talent” award, Peter Stanley-Ward. Are you an aspiring inventor? A budding filmmaker? Or a fan of quirky sci-fi heroes like Wall-E? Workshop participants will take some pointers from the budding genius heroine from Festival film, Litterbugs. Combined with methods used by major studios, they will learn how to conceptualize and build an actual character. Starting with pen and paper, participants will then create a storyboard, and film a sequence with their own “litterbug
Takeaways: * Character creation * Storytelling fundamentals * Basic building techniques * Storyboard development
Pitch Perfect: Peer-to-Peer Presentation
w/ Kimberly Wright Sunday, November 6 10:30AM-12:00PM Music Box Theatre Lounge 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago IL Ages 18+ Limit: 30 Registration: $25 nonmembers, $20 Facets members
Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Film producer Kim Wright has the directions! In this presentation and Q+A dialogue, get the road map from the expert: from the pitch processes to commissioning deal guidelines for independent filmmakers. How does a theme or issue fit with the premise and concept from a social-emotional/curriculum standpoint for the age? What are standard structure episode “blocks”? What might be interstitial content? What should a live-action sequence include versus animation, music video? What are do’s (and don’ts) for an RFP (“request for pitch”)? It’s two-way street to learn from the world-wide leaders in children’s television.
Pitch Perfect: Tweens & Teens Presentation
w/ Kimberly Wright Sunday, November 6 2:00-3:30PM Facets 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL Ages 13+ Limit 35 Registration: $25 nonmembers, $20 members
Interested in learning how a national leader in television gets their shows together from independent filmmakers? Film producer Kim Wright can tell you how! If you have ever been curious how to get a show on national tv, learn the basics with the expert. A TV show gets a variety of independent film and tv segments to include from many different sources, and it starts with a project “pitch” from the filmmaker. Learn the “do’s and don’ts” for a good pitch, including a variety of formats: from live-action, to animation, to music video format. Sesame Street is not just for the little ones, as Usher, Gwen Stefani, and Pharrell can tell you. Kim Wright joined the Workshop five years ago as the Film Producer, commissioning live action, animated, and mixed media short films for Sesame Street. She spent the majority of her career as a daytime television producer, working for Telepictures, NBC, and Paramount Pictures, and producing several national daytime talk shows Her experience has allowed her to help make viewers dreams come true, and help young people tackle local issues with a global perspective.
