Rupavati Devi Dasi:
I mentor stop-motion animation workshops for children of school-going age, as well as adults.
During the last three years, stop-motion animation movie-making workshops have been held at various locations in Singapore, and one in Thailand, as well as in New Zealand in March 2018. Each workshop was customised to realise the aim and objective of the individual participant, and these have ranged from individual and group personal projects, digital-media school assignments, a five-day holiday program, to a ten-week after-school ECA program.
The workshop attempts to engage each participant in constructing a written and visual narrative through understanding the basic norms of good storytelling by using the three-step method – the beginning or introduction, the middle or a conflict requiring resolution, and the end or a resolution of the conflict .
The process involves brainstorming ideas and themes, writing a screenplay, drawing the storyboard, designing and creating the characters using paper cut-outs, clay, hand-drawn art, images, Lego and found objects, and bringing them to life through a stop-motion animation software called Hue Animation that is being widely used in schools all over the world. The project is brought to completion after adding either a voice-over and/or sub-titles, background effects and music.
The workshop is designed to combine, and balance the use of tactile and digital techniques, encouraging creativity and innovation.
My role during the workshop is to familiarise and guide the participants with the various techniques involved in stop-motion animation movie-making, and create their own movie to the best of each participant’s ability. This self-directed endeavour also motivates participants to share the skills learnt with their peer group as well as other enthusiasts.
At the end of each workshop, the participants receive a library of digital document , recounting the process and providing other interesting information that enables them to practice stop-motion animation & create self-directed projects .
The purpose of these workshops is observation and research towards writing my thesis for an Art Therapy study at the Centre for Educational and Clinical Arts Therapy in Australia. The focus of my thesis is to explore stop-motion animation movie-making as a therapeutic expressive-arts tool for children & adults.
Apart from HUE Animation used during the workshops, . There are many other stop-motion animation software, with free trials, for mobile & other digital devices.
The movies made by the children, at various workshops, are showcased here:
https://vimeo.com/user47394944
I’m now working towards building a website to offer online learning.
I invite devotees to please share their experience of how they came in touch with Srila Prabhupada and Krishna consciousness. I look forward to creating movies from these narratives, and would be happy to guide those interested in the process of stop-motion animation movie-making.
Vara Mohini (Rupavati Devi Dasi)
Email: artinmotionkidz@yahoo.com
rupavatidasi@yahoo.com
I recently read an excerpt from Kurma Dasa prabhu’s book, and was delighted to learn Srila Prabhupada’s instructions regarding Krishna conscious stop-motion animation movies:
“It had been advertised that Srila Prabhupada would give class that night. But since the program had run so late, it was decided that regular evening classes would commence from the next day. Madhudvisa suggested that William Kerr could show his movie In God’s Name in Prabhupada’s room instead, and Prabhupada agreed.
As the last rays of the sun highlighted the multicoloured facets of the stained glass windows of Prabhupada’s room, William nervously threaded the film. Madhudvisa introduced both William and the film. “I think you remember William, Srila Prabhupada. He filmed your lectures last year, and also the Ratha-yatra parade. This film was made about a year and a half ago in early 1974. William got a grant from the government to make it. It was filmed at the Sydney temple, which was in Double Bay at the time.
“William wanted to capture a day in the life of a devotee, and he hopes to be able to distribute it widely. It’s a full-length colour documentary. I think you’ll enjoy it, Srila Prabhupada.”
A few more devotees squeezed into the room, and as Prabhupada relaxed on his chaise longue the lights dimmed. The film opened with a devotee blowing a conchshell, to wake a room of sleeping brahmacaris at the auspicious brahma muhurta hour. As they enthusiastically bounded to the shower, the young brahmacari woke Madhudvisa, who bowed down, rolled up his sleeping bag and then bowed again.
By an editing quirk, it appeared that Madhudvisa’s second offering of obeisances was to his sleeping bag. Prabhupada laughed along with the devotees at the inadvertent humour. The film clearly showed — with the help of a voice-over commentary — the sadhana, or the regulated daily practices of a devotee. This included taking bath, applying tilaka, putting on a dhoti, attending kirtana, japa, Srimad Bhagavatam class, guru-puja and tulasi puja. The film was interspersed with footage of Srila Prabhupada at the 1974 Gaura Purnima festival in Mayapur.
The movie also showed street kirtana, book distribution and chanting at the Sydney Domain, and a Sunday feast program and drama. Prabhupada laughed as two obese, beer-bellied men in blue Toohey’s Lager singlets, appeared on the screen. Wiggling their hips and chanting, “Ali Baba, Ali Baba,” they made unsuccessful attempts to sing and dance along with Lagudi as he danced on one leg like a whirling firebrand.
Prabhupada joined the devotees in their applause at the end of what had been an entertaining hour. Most devotees then left the room and went to the temple for arati. While William was packing up his equipment, Srila Prabhupada asked him about his plans. William, who had once been a brazen and up-front news cameraman, nervously explained to Prabhupada that he was hoping to be able to make films about Krsna using stop-motion animation. He described to Prabhupada the basic techniques involved.
Prabhupada liked the idea. Srila Prabhupada said: “Yes! You do a film on each chapter of the Krsna book. Each chapter is a story by itself.” After an in-depth discussion about the art of using one’s talents in the service of Krsna, William left feeling encouraged. But he knew he had a big job ahead.
Srila Prabhupada was happy with the day’s temple inauguration. He wrote to a well-wishing gentleman in Delhi:
We just opened very large headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. The festival took place with great pomp and it was a great success. Many outsiders came and took part in the festival. I installed two very large, beautiful Deities, Gaura and Nitai, in a very beautiful all-marble temple room. Things are going on very nicely in the Western countries.”
Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada-‘The Great Transcendental Adventure-‘Such a Nice Temple’ – Melbourne, 1975 Kurma Dasa
Source: http://www.radha.name/digital-books/sastras-acharyas-and-swamis/iskcon-devotees-and-srila-prabhupada/srila-prabhupada/book
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