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Storytelling and cartoons

Potenza, Italy

PILOT ACTIVITY FOR ADULTS WORKING IN HELPING PROFESSIONS

STORY-TELLING

Budapest, 8th November 2015, led by Claudia Lilla Kovacs Follow up – local pilot

activity

What: Local pilot workshop based on Story-telling, Digital Animation workshop in Potenza

When: 8th November 2015, 6:30- 8:30 pm

How: Personally organized via Facebook and email

Where: Moksha Yoga Studio, 1075 Budapest, Barcsay u.14.

Name and contact: Claudia Lilla Kovacs, Budapest, Hungary

Email: kovacs.claudia.lilla@gmail.com,

Phone: +36-30-336-1919

Target group: Psychologists, social workers, charity workers

10 participants

Aim of the activity: Beginning from personal level giving self-knowledge

through the individually chosen fairy tales, moving towards group work through working with

characters, motifs. bringing out creativity of storytelling. Creating a new group story on the level of

the narrative and visual depiction. I simply called it Story-telling Workshop without giving it an

adjective.

Description of the activity:

Prologue: Before the workshop I asked everybody to bring a fairy tale, preferably Hungarian, however

most importantly a personal choice for any reason. 1. part

The opening: In the opening circle I used the “Who am I” tree picture we used in Potenza. I asked the

participants to mark themselves on the picture, then show it other accompanied with 1 word and 1

sound expressing the present state. After I asked everybody to stand up and repeat the sound with

a movement then to walk in space. Although the participants were not willing to move much, for me

arriving with all senses and the body in space and in the group is very basic setting for work. An

especially in this case, when the most time of the workshop involves sitting, I felt extra importance

to move a little in space and start working with the fairy tales through movement and sound.

The core motif: Walking in space, watching the walk, the body. Stop and go. How it feels, what it

would like to or need to do, to move. Find the walk that feels good. I gave very little instructions, I

called out body-parts: how is your Shoulder…as I saw the tensions in the participants. After I asked

to think of the personal fairy tale, and choose something of it: the narrative, a motif, a character, a

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feeling or a message. Why is it important, what is like. Try and express it in the movement of walking,

with sound.

Stills, images: Without a break of walking I offered the centre part of space to create statues. The

statue shall come out of the found motif of the fairy tale. I suggested to try out each other’s statues

by taking up the same position. When one takes the statue, the other is free to go and try someone

else’s. Next time going into the ‘garden of tales’, I proposed to connect with someone in space, and

then to connect to others already connected creating a group statue. This first part of the workshop

was very dynamic. The processes went one after the other without breaking or stopping. 20 minutes

in length.

2.part

The plot: By giving number 1 or 2 to everybody in the circle I quickly marked the 2 groups. I asked to

write down the personal motifs chosen from the fairy tales and share it in the sub group, and write

a new story together. I asked to incorporate those motifs. When I felt the creativity is getting high

and the stories are getting complicated I emphasised to think in very simple narrative, to create a

short story, think in “animation”.

When the story was written, I asked to create a group statue that shows the story in one image. Like

an ad, or a DVD cover…

Thinking of the plot of the story I asked 2 further statues by moving into it with one move. (Stop

motion) 30 minutes in length.

3.part

Dividing both stories into maximum 5 scenes. And divide the scenes into maximum 3 shots and create

the story-board. I gave some information on how to look at scenes, when it is a new scene, and how

to think in shots, type of shots and of their effects. 30 minutes in lengths.

Release: The groups shared the stories and story-boards and showed the group statue.

The finale: Coming into a circle I asked one word and one sound for ‘how are you now’.

• Results: Two stories with story-boards are ready to animate. All the participants had a good time. It

was enjoyable, interesting and funny as they said. The atmosphere was light and vibrating. The work

was fluid.

• Recommendations on the methodology:

Opening up all sense before creative work

Breaking the static work with movement

All participants shall have personal input to the story Story-telling in all ways of

expression!

Personal and professional reflections (Pros and cons):

The training in Potenza was very light in the first two days. We had a great subgroup work on the story, and

later on the story-board, however I felt we had too much time. In this workshop I found the need emphasised

the simplicity of the work. Short story.

To think in scenes or shots were not straight applicable to many participants in Potenza, and I realise the

same during this workshop also. Sometimes a shot is a scene. Although this workshop was not designed for

resulting in a professional project, the end results show, that it could easily be that. This time I aimed on a

visual approach, thinking in images. I gave a little hints on technical knowledge, however I felt that more

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instructions would have broken the group dynamics. Next time I will prepare a little different working sheet

for the story-board.

If I ‘d like the group to make an animation as a final result the preparation process would take a 3 hour

workshop.

To create a story-board without animation just does not feel complete to me. Some group members were

thinking I will have to do an animation of their stories as part of the pilot activity. This thought would round

up the work. To me this also underlines, that the story-board creates an expectation to work further. I was

very curious how in a group setting can be realise a story-telling and story-drawing activity in such a short

time. Curious to see how far the interchange of verbal and visual expressions can grow, and how they work

together. I think the visual thinking of stories is very exciting, interesting and important to incorporate. I

think in the future I will offer a different process involving visual expression and only use storyboard as such,

if it can follow animating also.

Previous to the workshop I got many questions from the participants regarding the tasks with the fairy tale,

worries about having to perform in front of the other, or tell the story, or to mention the question: what

exactly we will do during the workshop. I managed to take away the worries, and in the beginning I did say

that full information is not given on purpose. I continuously give instruction. As we got to the third part I

received a very positive feedback about not saying more beforehand. I did say no performance, but I did not

say what we do with the fairy tale. I let to do the job itself giving me prepared ground, and easier

approachable stories.

I believe that by incorporating the body and sounds the presence was stronger and the work was more fluid

and efficient. The level of energy was more constant than if sitting during the whole workshop.

The closing feedback circle was too short. After sharing the stories I found it difficult to ask more verbally.

Any words seemed unnecessary. Yet I feel I did not do a proper round up. We agreed to give a feedback on

my work after, since we had to leave the studio and it was not part of the workshop. As they mostly said the

structure of the workshop was just right. 3 participants said that it would have been interesting to share the

experience in details, to analyse a little of the stories.

I found difficult to lead a group of ten and think of documentation also. I have no documentation of the first

part. For this and for many other reasons I highly recommend 2 group leaders in all cases.

For me it was a very nice experience.

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Copyright

Recipients are free to use all or parts of this document for personal use however are requested to inform the author. Recipients are requested to acknowledge The artist within – Applied eMOTION consortium and the author in any reference to the content of this document. In the event of any further queries please consult the author.

Acknowledgements

This project was possible with the financial support from the Erasmus+ program. The methodological resources and inspiration came from the The artist within – Applied eMOTION long-term adult education project (www.theartistwithin.eu). The generosity from the fund and these organisations is much appreciated.