Poetry in Stop-Motion

Our young employees have had an incredibly productive few weeks. NCFE Level 2 Creative Craft learners have completed the course and received their well-earned certificates.

You can enjoy a gallery of their practical outcomes in situ below.

NCFE Animation learners have progressed to 3D animation tests, furthering their practical skills in advance of their final projects, which they will begin planning next term.

More great outcomes from this week's 3D animation tests... @ncfe @Kudlian #ICanAnimate pic.twitter.com/CKbXMWqbgl

— Passport Programme (@Pp2eProgramme) October 13, 2017

This week, all employees have demonstrated excellent exam etiquette and completed a series of mock exams, preparing them for assessments later in the school year. We look forward to seeing the progress they continue to make after the half term break.

Welcome To The Jungle

Our NCFE animators have progressed to animation tests using Kudlian’s I Can Animate, and they’ve been going wild with their 2D characters, as Year 10 employee Tiannon once again explains in her own words… 

‘Today I started by going onto a computer to find an animal silhouette that I liked, then I copied and pasted it into Word and printed it out. After that I cut out the chosen silhouette and traced it onto some black card and cut out the pieces. 

I used pins to create joints and positioned it into an accurate point where I could add my safety pins that would then allow my joints that were the ears and the neck of my rabbit, to move. 

After my joints were all pinned up I placed my animal on a chair with a white piece of paper for the background.

I then had to move my animal and capture images with my frames being 12 per second. While I was capturing images the software had a tool called onion-skinning which allowed me to see what my last image was so I know where and how to capture my next frame.

To save us from doing the next 12 frames we used the duplication tool to repeat an action and reverse it for example when I was capturing my rabbits ears opening out, I used the duplication tool and reversed it so when it reversed you’ll see the ears closing.

We've gone hopping mad for Tiannon's first attempt at using @Kudlian's I Can Animate @NCFE #pedagoofriday pic.twitter.com/PoTFhBwqmb

— Passport Programme (@Pp2eProgramme) September 29, 2017

What I found challenging was when the background kept moving. What I could do next time to prevent this from happening is have a more secure background so it doesn’t waste any time.’ 
–Tiannon 

We look forward to showing you their 3D animation tests in the coming weeks…

In A Spin

Our young employees have made a fantastic start to the new term. Budding animators have begun studying for the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Animation by creating zoetropes in order to better understand the secrets behind bringing still images to life. Guest contributor Tiannon tells us in her own words about the experience…

‘In my first lesson of studying Level 2 Animation, the activity I took part in today was learning how to make a Zoetrope. A Zoetrope means 'wheel of life'. When learning how to make a Zoetrope I had to plan the sequences using Keyframes which is points between which changes have occurred.’

‘Each sequence contained 12 frames. 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 were our Keyframes. This made sure it played into a loop. Depending on what representation you used, for example if you used 2D, you would have to draw out an object onto the zoetrope net or you can use a cut out from paper, card or any other flat fabric.’

‘On the other hand if you used 3D you would have to find an object and take a picture of it. This is similar to a stop-motion animation. Once you had your cut outs or photos you would organise your zoetrope net and cut out all the cut lines. You would then cut and stick your cut outs or photos on to the zoetrope.  A zoetrope works by persistence of vision which means you’re seeing a lot of still images then your eyes stop seeing the joins in the images so it looks like the object is moving when it isn’t really.’ -Tiannon

Our new photography learners, including Jaydan (pictured right) have begun their NCFE Photography qualification by experimenting with different camera functions and working under controlled lighting conditions. Below are some early examples of their work. 

We look forward to seeing their final selection of 10 images when they complete the first unit of the Level 1 Award.

Celebrating Success

On July 14^th, we celebrated the achievement of our Year 11 leavers as they collected their final certificates and embarked on the next stage in their careers. 

Christiana (pictured left) was our highest achieving graduate with nine qualifications.  

Dean (pictured left) left us with several qualifications despite joining just a few months ago, proving that the programme truly is a ‘Passport to Employability’.

 

We also enjoyed discussing the progress of our younger employees with their families, including the fantastic practical outcomes from their recently completed course in Moving Image Production.


Working in pairs, our learners were tasked with producing two short horror films. You can enjoy the completed work below, as well as an updated behind-the-scenes look at Moving Image Production at Passport to Employability.

In Haunt of the Son, a desperate father turns to a priest for help when his son is possessed by an evil spirit...



In Death Game, two young friends take a shortcut through the woods, with horrifying consequences...



If you enjoyed those, take a look behind the scenes in the video below...
 

Off the Wall

As we near the end of term, we’re celebrating creativity at Passport to Employability. This week’s guest contributor is Year 10 employee Trinity, who reflects on her recent photographic work…

'My name is Trinity and I am in Year 10. I completed this task for the NCFE Level 1 Award in Photography. I had to choose 10 images for my final piece and to create a gallery-style display.

For my final piece, I chose twelve images. The first ten I chose were my favourites from all the shoots I had previously done. 

The additional two I chose were more abstract images and resemble ones I would usually put on my social media. These were Image 2 and Image 8. Image 2 was edited using Paint.net. I took away the colour using a black/white filter and enhanced the brightness. 

Image 8 started off as an accident; it was overexposed. I used Paint.net to decrease the brightness and I liked the idea of using a blurry image for my final piece.

I used a Canon EOS 1200D to capture my photos. I like order in photography because I normally lack order on a day to day basis.'

Elsewhere, employees studying for the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Moving Image Production have been busy editing their final film sequences, which we look forward to sharing with you next week, along with photos from our final farewell to our Year 11 employees.

The Producers

In case you missed it, you can still enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at our employees studying for NCFE Level 2 Moving Image Production below.

'I was very happy to welcome a group of Moving Image Production students to the BFI Southbank. We toured the facility learning about film projection and the various programmes on offer on site. The group were polite and attentive and asked insightful questions. I hope to welcome them back to our events in the future.' 
–Iyare Igiehon, BFI Future Film Audience Development

For their final assignment for this qualification, our employees have been tasked with producing short horror films. After watching a few key texts for inspiration, they began presenting their initial ideas to a focus group before receiving feedback and working in pairs to arrive at a final idea.

After drafting and redrafting their scripts, employees carried out location surveys, devised costumes and shooting schedules, and began rehearsing scenes in advance.

This week, the first of two horror films went into production. Check out a few production stills below.

We look forward to screening the completed films soon!

Modern Times

This week, Creative Industries employees spent a day off-site visiting two cultural landmarks on London's Southbank. At Tate Modern, our employees experienced some challenging and unconventional work...

On Otobong Nkanga's 'Wetin You Go Do?' (2015), Dean commented: 'I think the spheres are good because it shows how the tribe connect together and sing and talk as a team.' Leon agreed, suggesting that it was about 'getting people together as one'. Tiannon had a very different impression, associating the piece with 'anxiety and being trapped'.

On Kader Attia's 'Untitled (Ghardaia)' (2009), Dean described 'a good structure with buildings made out of cous cous.' Calvin saw a deeper message in Attia's work: 'I think it relates to where he's from and what they eat there'. Calvin had some interesting ideas about the food he would use to build a model celebrating his own heritage.


The employees also took the opportunity to put their photography skills into practice...




In the afternoon, they visited BFI Southbank to further their understanding of filmmaking. 




They were given an exclusive tour of the facilities, including a visit to a projection booth, and to the green room in which some of the world's leading filmmakers have been welcomed. 



We look forward to keeping you updated on their own filmmaking exploits soon!