Winter animation workshops offer hands on film skills, limited enrollment

The Los Alamos Performing Arts Center will run two four day workshops this month that teach young people how to make short films from concept to edit. Session 1 will be held Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will focus on stop motion animation. Session 2 will follow Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will cover special effects production. Each session includes an optional supervised one hour lunch break.

Curriculum for the stop motion class covers 2-D and 3-D animation fundamentals including storyboarding, character and set design, and hands on use of animation equipment with materials such as clay, LEGOs and cut paper. The special effects session teaches use of the green screen, GoPro cameras and common effects techniques to support short film projects. Both classes include instruction in Adobe Premiere for editing students short films.

Organizers emphasized small group learning. Class size is limited to six students per session, and sessions cost $145 each. At full enrollment each session will generate $870 in tuition revenue, and if both sessions fill the combined tuition comes to $1,740. That modest revenue supports programming capacity while keeping sessions intimate enough for one on one guidance and teamwork focused projects.

For Los Alamos families the workshops offer more than a winter activity. They provide a creative outlet during school break, reinforce collaboration skills through group film projects, and build technical competencies in digital media tools that transfer to school projects and entry level media work. The short format concentrates instruction and practice within two full days, which may appeal to parents managing holiday schedules.

Space is limited and parents are advised to register early. To sign up call or text PAC 8 at 505-920-5845, or email pac8@losalamos.com. Sessions cost $145 each and are open to local students interested in animation and film production.