Calling The Shots is no longer delivering the BFI Stop Frame Camp, we ran the course in Bristol from 2014 – 2024
Delivered in partnership with Oscar-winning Aardman Animations and the University of the West of England’s School of Animation, the BFI Stop Frame Camp offered 25 places for young people to develop their animation skills and work together in teams to make five animated shorts.
The BFI Stop Frame Camp took place over a week for the last ten years. They spent the week living in Bristol’s creative hub, where they stayed in the YHA – a fantastic converted warehouse on the Bristol harbourside, next to the Arnolfini gallery.
During the day, we were based in the fantastic environment of the boomsatsuma studios in the Leadworks, where participants got to grips with ‘lens-based’ animation, using cameras to shoot 3D models or 2D artwork. We also visited the award-winning Aardman Animations, who have been responsible for some of the most internationally loved stop-motion films, TV shows and games such as Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Early Man. We also checked out the University of West England’s brilliant Animation Course.
Over the duration of the camp, they were taught by leading industry professionals and learnt about every stage of production – covering story development, model making, animation production and post-production.
There were also plenty of opportunities to find out more about a career in animation from professionals at all different stages of their working lives, from uni students studying animation, to BAFTA winning animation directors to Aardman model makers, and everything in between.
Previous participants of our industry camps have gone on to gain work experience with internationally renowned production companies such as Warner Bros and Aardman. Some have also gone on to further study at the Arts University Bournemouth, California Institute of the Arts, and the University of the West of England.
