Action: Animation! Edition #2 2026 – 2027
ACTION: ANIMATION! is a series of educational workshops for children that showcases and explains various techniques used to create animated films. It is a joint project involving the Poznań branch of Telewizja Polska (Polish Television), the Polish Film Institute, and the TV Studio of Animation Films. Our goal is to promote high-quality Polish animation – creatively engaging children from small towns—and to encourage young people to spend their time in creative ways. All the films featured in this series received funding from the Polish Film Institute and/or co-financing from Telewizja Polska.
Participating in the workshops on behalf of TVSFA are producer Ewa Sobolewska, director Ewelina Stefańska, animator Janusz Gałązkowski, animator Ewa Rodewald, editor Anna Gałązkowska, and production manager Mariola Olejniczak. They are joined by an outstanding production team from the Poznań Regional Branch of Telewizja Polska S.A., thanks to whom the children discover not only the magic of animated films but also the magic and behind-the-scenes workings of a television studio.
ACTION: ANIMATION – MEETING #11
On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., we held the 11th film education workshop as part of the second edition of the “Akcja: Animacja” (Action: Animation) project. Our guests were 54 children—students from grades 2 and 3 of the School and Preschool Complex in Boguszyn. The young audience was introduced to various animation techniques—including hand-drawn, puppet, oil-on-canvas, and loose-material animation—and viewed animated films produced by a studio from Poznań.
We screened the film *The Warsaw Mermaid* from the “Polish Fairy Tales” series, produced using 2D hand-drawn animation; *A Great Worry*, created using a combination of puppet and 3D animation; and *The Flax*, an auteur film painted with oils on canvas directly under the camera. All the films were co-financed by Telewizja Polska S.A. and/or the Polish Film Institute.
Film THE WARSAW MERMAID from “Polish Fairy Tales” series, directed by Paweł Czarzasty
Film A GREAT WORRY, directed by Zbigniew Kotecki
Film THE FLAX, directed by Joanna Jasińska Koronkiewicz
We thank the children and their guardians from Boguszyn for an energetic gathering filled with mutual warmth centered on Polish animated films, for the applause, and for the touching farewell.
WORKSHOP OUTLINE:
* A brief history and definition of film; basic film genres: fiction, documentary, animation (brief overview); film structure, basic concepts, and film language; definitions of shot sizes, frames, takes, scenes, and sequences; presentation of the conceptual structure of a film, from the screenplay and visual designs to the storyboard. Also, an overview of film professions, their specific nature, and the roles of key creators in the filmmaking process.
* Presentation of the successive stages of animated film production:
* Animation production stage – how drawings, puppets, and objects are “brought to life”; a demonstration of the animation process, covering layout, key animation, in-betweening, and phasing. The animator demonstrates their craft, creating successive phases of movement before the participants’ eyes and introducing them to various animation techniques: drawing, cut-out, puppet, sand/loose material animation, paint-on-glass animation, and computer animation.
* Graphic design and background creation stage – a demonstration of various techniques for creating animation frames and film backgrounds/sets.
* Filming stage – how animated films are shot; a presentation of filming techniques ranging from 35mm stop-motion cameras to computer software.
* Image and sound post-production stage.
* Film editing stage – the nature of film editing; a demonstration of picture and sound editing.
* Sound design stage – the role of sound in film; dialogue, sound effects, music, and the synchronization of sound with the image.
* The workshop module and film selection are tailored to the participants’ age group. Each set includes films across various genres (e.g., fairy tales, parables, impressionistic pieces) created using the showcased animation techniques, allowing participants to explore diverse styles of cinematic storytelling.
* The film screening is preceded by a presentation that draws upon knowledge the participants have already acquired, reinforces that knowledge, guides their interpretation, and introduces the filmmakers and their artistic achievements.
* Participants play an active role at every stage of the workshop—for instance, by answering the facilitator’s questions or directly participating in various presentations.
