The VIDEO ZONE is currently featuring clips from Year 8 students who recently worked alongside professional animators in a series of workshops to learn how to use the animation software, iStopMotion.

The students visited Coalhouse Fort, Tilbury to gain an insight into its history and influence in the local area and then used their experiences to develop stories for their films. Coalhouse Fort was built in 19th Century and remained in service until 1956. The ‘Coalhouse Fort Project’ started in the 1980s to maintain, restore and promote the fort.

Once back in the classroom, the students wrote their short stories, created storyboards and created their animated movies using iStopMotion on the top of the range facilities at the Academy.

The Year 8 students worked alongside professional animators Lizzy Hobbs and Wendy Scott on the project which was part of the Royal Opera House Creative Partnerships programme.  The films will be used in an 'app' that is being created by pixelwork who are a graphic and web-design agency working with Coalhouse Fort.  Visitors to the Fort can load the app, and our animated films will automatically play as certain locations are reached.

The GALLERY is now featuring photographs from the pre-prom reception held at the Academy.  Staff, students and family members came along to wave them on their way...