Perched 1000 feet above sea level,
on a bleak and beautiful Pennine ridge,
the village of Sunniside has a harsh climate and stupendous view.
Villagers describe themselves as living on top of the world,
but for many life is a constant struggle
against the elements or economic forces.

Here, in the Community Centre of this Co. Durham village
a series of Animation Workshops were held
to engage local children in the
creative processes of film animation.

Synopsis

The Sunniside Project began on Saturday, September 13
and ended with a screening in the local chapel
on Sunday November 30. Participating artists were
Dave Brunskill, Nick Daniel, and Carl Harrison.
Seventeen local children took part in a project
on the following theme -
"On Top of the World".

For five Saturdays in September and October,
the young people from the Sunniside village
explored their collective and individual visions of the future.

This Animation Workshops project linked up with
'Visions of Utopia',
a major regional project being co-ordinated by
Artists' Agency.
The aim of this project was to enable artists,
young people and the general public
to identify and explore visions of better lives and better worlds.
'Visions of Utopia' culminated in a regional festival
in November 1997.

Review

The Animha team really enjoyed this one.

The kids made four short animated films,
working in three groups, roughly divided by age.

The first three films were made in 3D animation, using clay models etc.

The youngest group made a fantasy film
about Sunniside Village in the year 2550 AD when Aliens visit the earth.
After a bit of bother with a werewolf
they all settle down and have a
wild street party!

The middle group of youngsters made a film called
"Archie and the Walk".
This is a wacky take on reality
set in the not too distant future.
Archie is oblivious to the dangerous events he encounters
during his daily stroll because he is more interested in
watching the TV he has attached to his
baseball cap!

The older group of children portrayed a harsher view of the world
with their film called "The Manhunt".
A couple of phsycos escape from the local prison
and lead their pursuers
into the jungle before meeting their final judgement.

The forth film is a fantastic music video
set to a vibrant new techno theme tune...
"On Top of the World".

This lively and colourful piece
involved all the kids and combines
drawn and cut out animation
with live action of the kids performing
in wacky and wonderful costume
around their village .

Presentation

The world premiere of the compilation film
"On Top of the World"
was well attended at Sunniside Community Chapel,
which was converted into a cinema for the night.

A short documentary about the project was screened
with the animations and all participants
received their own vhs copy of the film.
The kids were there with family and friends,
and of course we all had a party afterwards.
This film was made in association with the ASIFA Workshops Group.
It was included in a compilation of animated films
by children from around the world
and screened at an official programme at the
CINANIMA Festival in Espino, Portugal, 1999.

Thanks

This project received support from
the Arts Council of England A4E National Lottery scheme
and Wear Valley Arts.

Special thanks to
Julie Ward and the Sunniside Community Association Team
for all their efforts.