For the last school year I taught animation to student groups from two schools within a project called Kultur und Schule. The idea is, that students should meet artists there and try something new apart from all the useful things they learn in schools… The program runs some very interesting projects (which of course depends on the artist offering it), and mine.

No, seriously: I thought it might be difficult to keep them on it for a whole year. But they did a great job. The kids of one of my classes who did the video below are around the age of 16 now. It was their last year at school, and they spent much more time making the film than they should have…

They made everything by theirselves: the puppets, the sets and the lighting, the animation and most of the sound effects, too. At the end we ran out of time so we took a few iMovie sound effects to brush the piece up a bit. They tried to be very professional, and learned quite a lot (all of them animated for the first time). What I really like is the kind of humor they show… They're very influenced by media and have a huge repertoire of ideas and quotations. But see for yourself:

Here's a small translation for everyone who isn't familiar with the German language:

Evil Mistress (from the off): Note to self: I definitely must dissect a clown. – Igooor?

A poster reads: Circus Buttercup at the Land Of Igors/Horror Valley on Remembrance Sundays at witching hour

(Crowd is cheering while entering the circus tent.)

Evil Mistress: Go! Get me the clown! …Go!

While Igor throws the smoke bomb, the audience asks surprised: What's going on?

After the Evil Hand has vanished, the Evil Mistress says: Igor!? …I must follow them!

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I think the rest is pretty self-explanatory, but if have any questions about the story, feel free to ask.

Things the kids learned:

• simple puppet and set making from materials like plasticine, paper, cardboard and watercolors
  
• setting up an amateur animation studio
  
• developing stories and planning animation
  
• that animation isn't the biggest part of producing an animated short
  
• it's all about planning
  

I learned:

• If kids like what they do, motivation isn't a problem.
• If you show them how important things can be which they don't like very much, they'll do it.
• It's great fun to work with teenagers, and it can be hilarious.

Thank you Pia, Janine, Maren, Maike and Ilhan for the great time!