Read what animators and educators have to say about I Can Animate
- Curtis Jobling, animator, artist, author, designer
- John Lemmon, John Lemmon Films
- Innes Kennard, ELearning Facilitator, New Zealand
- John d’Abbro, (OBE) Head Teacher: New Rush Hall School
- Andy Williams, Centre Manager: Sunderland CLC
- Anne Garner, Head Teacher, Church Aston Infant School
- Rosemary Gledhill, Jessie Younghusband School
Curtis Jobling on I CAN ANIMATE
Born in Blackpool and raised in Warrington. Curtis first worked on Wallace & Gromit's "A Close Shave", followed by puppet painting on "Mars Attacks!" Since then he has had numerous picture books published and worked as the designer of "Bob The Builder". The BBC's, "Frankenstein's Cat" is his latest creation.
- YOU get to decide what happens in that world.
- YOU get to create the characters.
- YOU get to supply the voices and sound effects.
- Plus you don't have primping, preening, prima donna actor types to worry about!
"I was first made aware of the I Can Animate programme when I was hosting a series of animation workshops with a primary school in the North East of England.
The children who took part in the class had little knowledge of film and certainly no experience in animation.
To see how quickly they took to the task with the help of the I Can Animate software was quite simply breathtaking.
Here was a group of children who knew nothing about animation who within one day had made their own short animated films.
The programme is so user, friendly and aesthetically pleasing to work with that even a bona-fide technophobe like Jobling here was able to pick it up!
The great thing about animation is that it's a medium that children can get their first taste of movie making in. When you make your own animated short film, effectively you get to play "God", creating a whole world from either scratch or things around you.
I Can Animate and most early animation projects lend themselves readily to claymation - there can be very few children in the UK who haven't built models from plasticene at some point in their early years.
By using this as the starting point the whole task of making a film is less intimidating to youngsters, using something they have a familiarity with. It's recognised that not all children have the same level of skills with a pencil in their hand, but literally anybody can attempt animation with claymation. To master claymation well, that's another lesson entirely!"
Curtis Jobling
John Lemmon Films
"I sometimes teach animation in schools and it always amazes me how quickly students grasp I Can Animate. They are creating animations within seconds of launching the software!"
I Can Animate "Down Under"
"From explanation to anticipation to excitement in a few clicks I Can Animate is a wonderful vehicle for capturing kids' stories in a creative and simple way. While the application is for the most part an invisible part of the learning process it demands collaboration, conversation, planning and decision making.
Instant editing allows important moments to be captured and refined with ease. Whether they be five or fifteen, Kiwi kids relish the creative power I Can Animate puts at their fingertips.
It's integration with other applications make I Can Animate an essential part of the 21st Century Kiwi classroom where kids take responsibility for developing and sharing their stories."
John d’Abbro OBE, Head Teacher
"It is not my usual experience to write testimonials, but I believe that I Can Animate is an outstanding piece of software.
The New Rush Hall School is a 'Trailblazer' Specialist School, working with children experiencing Behavioural, Emotional and Social difficulties. We have used the software within a range of settings. Both primary and secondary aged children have used it to create animations on a variety of themes. We were amazed at the ease of use of the package and just how quickly and readily the children were able to use it with good effect.
Being able to incorporate the use of chroma key colour and background images brings out the full effect of combining text and graphics. In the past we have always shied away from using animation-based software within a school setting, as it was both complex and expensive."
Andy Williams, Centre Manager
"The software not only delivers appropriate opportunities for disengaged and disaffected pupils, but also engages Gifted and Talented (and all other ability levels in between!) allowing them to discover their creative talents in an appropriate educational environment. In short I heartily recommend this software and encourage teachers and pupils to try it, without delay."
Anne Garner, Head Teacher
"I have recommended this program to many colleagues and feel that there is no other software program that can compare for ease of use and the ability to motivate pupils to create imaginative digital animations and have a positive impact upon their learning and self esteem."
Rosemary Gledhill
"This is an exciting, innovative product - at our school we have only just begun to explore its possibilities and are hoping this year to make use of the chroma key facilities to give even more exciting results!"
