Arlo’s Work Experience at Monkey Baa
We love having young creatives join us at Monkey Baa, and last week, we had the pleasure of working with Arlo, a talented filmmaker from Sydney Secondary College. He joined us for the creative development of Where is the Green Sheep? after winning Best Animation at the Capture Film Festival (an award sponsored by Monkey Baa in partnership with the NSW Department of Education).
Discovering the links between animation and theatre
One of the biggest surprises for Arlo was seeing how puppetry and animation go hand in hand. “I found it really interesting to see how puppets and animation work together. I hadn’t realised how similar they actually are,” he said.
He spent time watching the puppeteers perform scenes, suggesting ideas for transitions and figuring out how props like flowers and blankets would be used. He also picked up some new software skills to help make storyboarding easier.
“I’ve always loved animation, but this experience has shown me just how much theatre and animation share when it comes to storytelling. It’s been amazing!” — Arlo, Year 10
Inside the creative development
A big part of Arlo’s experience was seeing how different elements of the show come together. He sat in on a set placement meeting, where he saw how drawings turn into full sets and helped discuss how the different sheep would move and interact on stage.“It was great to be part of the discussion on how the sheep would move—like which way they’d fly off or how they’d interact with the props and things on stage,” he said.
He also got a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the sheep appear as puppets, while others exist as animations on screen. “Seeing the performers switch between puppets and animation in real-time was amazing.”
Arlo spent time exploring the space, checking out the different puppets, reading the script, watching the puppeteers rehearse and being mentored by director and writer, Eva Di Cesare.
At Monkey Baa, we know how important it is to create career pathways for young people in the arts. Our work experience placements and partnerships spark interest in the arts and give students like Arlo hands-on insight into the many possibilities within the creative industries. By opening these doors, we hope to inspire the next generation of artists.
It was a joy having Arlo in the room, and we can’t wait to see what he does next!
