The Dallas Post Sunday, June 26, 2005 FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Above, Rand Whipple, from the Box Theatre in Bloomsburg helps Max McKeon, Elk Lake, take the video for a production on Main Street, Tunkhannock as part a summer digital arts workshop at the Dietrich Theatre. Seated are Roy Anderson, Biggerville and Jon Buzzerd, Clifford. At left, Alicia Buzzerd takes live video of her sis- ter Alyssa, which is dis- played on the screen in the background. The picture can then be manipulated on screen and projected. Working the computer is ‘Laura Cox from Dalton DIGITAL CAMP Continued from Page 1 “Let’s pretend my foot is Godzilla and it will squash this town,” said Alicia Buzzerd from Factoryville. Or, suggested Laura Cox, “a very big hippo splashes into a pond and then the water splash drops become little birds and fly away.” The process proceeded from there. The kids shot live video of themselves with a Sony Vega video maker on the street or rolled around on the floor in the studio, whatever fit into their story line. That was when it started to feel like Hollywood. A group of three boys — Max McKeon, Jon Buzzerd, and Roy Anderson — decided to shoot outside on Tunkhannock’s Main Street. Fortunately, road crews had coned off the street for tree removal and, after finding the ideal spot to shoot in, the boys were able to get 20 frames of themselves for their video. They need- ed good ambient lighting, a clean backdrop and some interesting color. Whipple advised them on good design and composition. They then went back inside to cre- ate a “claymation.” This is a flexible clay figure that will be photographed in a series of still pictures to illustrate movement. “It’s very hard to do this; we need very small changes in move- ment of the figure,” cautioned Whipple. The process is called “stop action animation” and Roy Anderson patiently moved a clay figure minutely until he got 20 frames of the clay fig- ure, which equals 200 frames when movement is applied. The animated clay figure video is then incorporated into the reality video frames. When the video is complete the boys are on the street together, joined by the clay figure. Meanwhile, a group of girls worked on a clay animation city that could be destroyed by the foot of Godzilla. Other children created their own back- drops and animated props using poster board, scissors, clay and their unlimited imaginations. Workshops continue through the summer. The workshops are held at the Dietrich Theatre on 60 E. Tioga Street, Tunkhannock. Morning ses- sions are 10 a.m. to noon and after- noon sessions are 1 to 3:30 p.m.. The theatre number is 996-1500, or log on to www.dietrichtheater.com. 3613
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