This is an interview with Tyler Higgins, teacher at Children's Technology workshop.
Q. When did you start teaching claymation?
A. I started teaching 4 years ago for the Children's Technology Workshop specifically at iCamp and in after school classes all over Marin and the bay area.
Q. At the time, how popular was the class?
A. Animation is one of our most popular classes, but that was not the way it was four years ago. Claymation seems to be gaining popularity over the past year, specifically in Mill Valley, San Anselmo, and Novato.
Q. Is the 11-step process shown on my blog the most commonly used?
A. Yes, the eleven steps you have outlined in your blog are commonly used at the beginner and intermediate levels of claymation.
Q. How long does it take to make the average short film, like at class?
A. Claymation, when created in a CTWorkshop program, usually takes place during eight one hour classes. However, the Wallace and Gromit movie, "Curse of the Were-Rabbit", took five years to create with over 500,000 frames, and a staff of 50 people working on it! When I teach claymation at iCamp, it can take 20-40 hours to make a movie with over 1,000 frames.
Q. Now, what is your most popular class?
A. I would have to say animation and Video Game Creation are our most popular classes currently.
Q. Look at the Questions About Claymation post. Do you have answers to any of them?
A. There can be a twelfth step, called chroma key. It's when you use a computerized image for the background. It's commonly known as the "green screen" effect, and is something we offer only at iCamp, as it requires a very balanced light source, and a slightly more complicated technical side.
Q. Who signs up more, boys or girls?
A. I have more boys sign up than girls. But, in the last year, we've seen the number of girls triple in each animation class and in our camps.
Q. How old is the average moviemaker?
A. Average age would be around nine and a half to ten years old.
Q. Since you said there was a twelfth step, where will it go(between which two steps)?
A. The twelfth step would be to use the chroma key function to bring in a computerized image of your backdrop. It would come after the step where you get the live camera, and prior to the first picture taken.
Q. In what county is claymation most popular?
A. Marin county, specifically Mill Valley would have the most popular animation class.
Q. What grade likes claymation the best?
A. All elementary school grades enjoy animation, but most specifically would be 3rd-5th.
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