“‘Along the way lives are certain to be touched and changed forever, and children will learn that each of their talents is special, and that is enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes’”

— Quote SoKay Hasty, Journalist, Fayobserver, Carolina, on the “Driving Inspiration” global animation programme, 2012

Nothing beats seeing young people become as excited by animation and utilise it to express their creativity and independent voice. Young people’s films I’ve mentored have won awards at the foremost young people’s festivals in the world, from Hollywood to Cairo. I’ve delivered talks and workshops at the UK’s largest young people’s film festivals. I teach animation nationwide in primary and secondary schools, at universities and deliver CPD training to teachers and educators.

Past clients include Apple, BFI Film Academy, Cinemagic, Creative Partnerships, BBC Learn Xpress, Leeds Young People’s Film Festival, Science Museum Group & ToonBoom.

Museums

KS 1 & 2

KS 3 & 4

Masterclass

Live Action

Flipbooks

Flipbooks are one of my favourite workshops. A fantastic introduction to animation, introducing basic animation principles and developing creativity using a simple pad of paper and pencils! The ultimate portable animation workshop, I've run these at indoor and outdoor festivals and education events.

Storytelling workshops

1 word & frame at a Time uses improvisation techniques to create a story and animate in a group. It frees up young people to improve their confidence and creative skills by bypassing overly critical thinking. They co-write, storyboard and animate their story, and time permitting, add a soundtrack!

Learning objectives:

Learn how to tell a short story and visualise it, encourage creativity and improvisation

Learn basic filmmaking and animation skills, Learn basic filmmaking terminology and cooperate in group work.

Stop motion workshops

The magic of bringing toys to life captured the imaginations of some of the earliest animators and epitomises the magic of animation and remains enduring as ever.

The Princess and the Dragon, made at Fun Fishers Summer Club in York, was one of several animations made during a one week residency, utilising resources at the after school club. The story evolved organically as we animated, with many children contributing to the story and it’s soundtrack.

In this Toy Stories workshops at Leeds Young Peoples Film Festival, special life-size animation puppets were used to create a child’s bedroom set, forming the basis for a group film that many children contributed too. The soundtrack was made in a dedicated SFX workshop using all manor of brick-o-brack.

Film Workshops

Film is a powerful and empowering storytelling tool that allows children and young to discover and develop their voice - and express themselves. In education, animation filmmaking is an incredible cross-curricular art-form that can touch every subject. Every narrative filmmaking experience blends art and science, maths and English, and often includes drama, music and many more.

Key Stage 1+2

Made by the Year 2 class of '97 at Stepney Primary School, Hull, in partnership with Creative Partnerships. This programme of work was originally inspired by the schools desire to innovate teaching and learning practice across the board. An underpinning aspect to this was the desire to improve literacy learning across the school.

Made by Year 3 and 4 class of '97 at Stepney Primary School, Hull, during a residency with animator David Bunting in association Creative Partnerships. This programme of work was originally inspired by the schools desire to innovate teaching and learning practice across the board.

Made by pupils at Kell Bank CE Primary School in Healy, North Yorkshire, this award winning animated short commemorates the 750 people who died from the Leeds regiment on July 1st, 1916 and draws on the expertise of the entire community including local artist Simon Palmer, led by Harrogate based animator David Bunting.

An immersive, animated documentary taking you into the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest. A child's eye view of a life changing expedition by their teacher, Mrs Jones and their joint mission to preserve these vital forests. Pupils at Bricknell Primary School collaborated with animator David Bunting and local campaigning organisation, One Hull on Rainforest to create an animated campaign film about the Ecuadorian rainforest.

An uplifting true story of a lifelong friendship. Exquisitely pictured in animation inspired by the watercolour paintings of the Yorkshire countryside, Betty and Dorothy reveal an extraordinary period of change in British country life through war and peace and a friendship that remained constant through it all.

A child's view of life at primary school, from the first day to the last. Featuring interviews across each school year, the film uses stop motion imagery and flipbooks to illustrate the children's' individual journeys.

ASIFA Workshop Group

The workshop group started in 1971. Each year, children around the world, in 23 countries and on 4 continents create animations based on a common theme. The Animation Workshop Group (AWG) is a group of artist-teachers who believe that animation can help children express their creativity and tell their own stories.

Made by under 15s in a week long workshop, these 2 minute films are highly visual with no-dialouge allowed for the world-wide audience.

A great British Picnic. Harrogate Film Festival for ASIFA 2020. Back in March we had a great bunch of young budding Harrogate animators create a two-minute stop motion animation for the global ASIFA event, this year all about food in our country.

Leeds Young Film Festival is presented with the support of the BFI Film Festival Fund, awarding funds from The National Lottery. Animation Central is supported by Arts Council England. Starting from a dot, the evolution of a line evolves in personality and design, finally resting in the city it was created in - Leeds in Northern England.

Reflecting on major peacemaking achievements in the past 50 years, to mark ASIFAs 50th anniversary film by the ASIFA Workshop Group. This UK segment was funded by a partnership between the National Media Museum and Education Bradford Family Learning Team.

Key Stage 3+4 - BIG films by Young People

500 young people in 12 countries collaborated with 10 disable and deaf animators and artists, 8 Paralympians, and 2 disabled musicians, exploring the values of the Paralympics and creating a journey for the Paralympic torch, celebrating its history from the birth at Stoke Mandeville Hospital to London 2012.

An animated campaign film promoting healthy lifestyle choices for young people, Hungry for Health was made as part of the British Library's, Campaign! Make an Impact innovative initiative that uses history to inspire young people into active citizenship.

Produced by Titus Salt School and Amandus-Abendroth-Gymnasium School. Four troubled teenagers, with little musical talent, from Saltaire in England and Cuxhaven, in north Germany, enter a magical world triggered by images of the German folktale 'The Musicians of Bremen'. The journey they take, through the vibrant and unusual world of CuxAire, changes them both personally and physically.

An animated short film made by young women from the youth panel at Experience Barnsley Museum to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1984/85 Miner's Strike. The young people re-wrote verses of the song 'Women of the Working Class' that the Women Against Pit Closures used as their anthem on the picket lines.