COMMUNITY STORIES: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF OUR SCHOOL
by Melanie Davenport & Karin Gunn (December, 2007)
A group of students and teachers at Centro Rural de Educacion Superior in Estipac, Mexico, created a cut-paper animated short about a day in the life of their school community. This school, about an hour south of Guadalajara, enrolls about 150 students in the high school level, most of whom are indigenous, primarily Huichol. There are also 150 students enrolled in college-level teacher preparation program. This short film features a mural of the school including the gardens, entrepreneurial enterprises, sports field, and academic facilities. Hinged paper figures populate the scenes, introducing viewers to different activities taking place on campus throughout the day. Students recorded or captured narration and sound effects to complete this portrait of their school community.
The workshop to create this short was facilitated by Melanie Davenport and Karin Gunn during January, 2007. Participants used video and still cameras to document the process of producing this animation, and both pieces were screened for the school community upon their completion. We would like to thank the Florida State University Foundation, the Fundacion Alejandro Diáz Guerra, West Port High School, Pati Diaz, Sarah Corona, and Madre Maria Dolores for their support this project. More information about this project is available at www.teachanimation.org/estipac.html and in the latest issue of The Animation Journal. More information about the school is available in Spanish here.
MORE ON THE WORKSHOP
This workshop, held for 2 hours each day for 8 days, allowed students and teachers from both the secondary and collegiate levels to work together to tell an animated story about a day in the life of their school community. First, we engaged the group in watching and discussing examples of cut paper animation, such as student work from our prior teaching experiences and excerpts from Dominique Jonard’s work with indigenous students in other parts of Mexico. Then, the participants painted a large mural on paper depicting the school grounds and facilities. After a demonstration by Davenport, several individuals focused on producing small paper figures with jointed limbs, representing distinct personalities within the school community, including Madre Maria Dolores.
To film the animation, participants hung the mural on a classroom wall and used tape to attach and position the paper figures in various places. They then took turns animating the figures, using a video camera, laptop computer, and iStopmotion software to record them frame by frame. Students and teachers enjoyed recording sound effects and commentary for each short scene, which were then edited together with the footage into a three-minute-long humorous portrait of their school. Throughout the process of producing the cut-paper short, students also took turns documenting each other working on the project, with both video and still cameras. The images and footage collected were then edited into a three minute “making of” short to help other audiences appreciate the effort that was required to create the animation.
MORE ON THE SCHOOL
This school in Estipac Mexico was founded by Madre Maria Dolores, whose original vision was to provide a rigorous academic education for rural students while also preparing them to become self-sufficient leaders in their communities through entrepreneurial and vocational programs. About 8 years ago, the school began focusing on the needs of indigenous students. The school currently has 150 students enrolled at the high school level. Of these, 98% +/- are indigenous, representing 9 different groups in Mexico, but the vast majority of these are Huichol. There are also 150 students, mostly local mestizo population, enrolled in the Licenciatura, or college-level, program in teacher training for elementary and primary teachers. Our workshops involved students and faculty from both sections of the school.
