BUDDING directors brought their soft toys to life as they used the stop-motion animation techniques that helped create the Wallace and Gromit and Star Wars films.

It was still lights, camera, but with little action, as the young cinema magicians meticulously shifted their props between takes to create the illusion of movement at the 14 Locks Visitor Centre in Newport last Wednesday.

Filmmakers like Emily Clarke and Cerys Skuse then added sound effects to complete the animation features they either took home on memory sticks or uploaded to YouTube.

Centre education manager Tom Maloney, 54, said: “We probably made 15 to 20 films.

“Some even brought their toys.

“Children really enjoy the animation workshop.

“We get some good feedback from it.”

For more information on animation activities that are held at the centre in Cwm Lane, Rogerstone, log on to fourteenlocks.co.uk