WHILE most teenagers are tinkering with Lego at home, 14-year-old Tamborine Mountain College student Felix Hooper is taking his creations to the classroom – teaching others how to bring miniature worlds to life through stop motion animation.
This September school holidays, Felix will run a two-day stop motion course as part of the HOTA Kids Takeover on the Gold Coast, before travelling to Bellingen in January to deliver a five-day workshop at the annual Camp Creative.
Felix said his love of Lego began when his father introduced him to it as a child, but it was online videos that sparked his curiosity for stop motion.
“I found out about stop motion on YouTube watching people make Lego animations, and I felt inspired to try my own,” he said.
“My mum downloaded Stop Motion Studio on her phone, and I started there before moving on to an iPad and just teaching myself new skills.”
These days his set-up is simple – a table, an iPad, and a few books for support – but the results are inventive.
His projects often combine multiple Lego sets, clever camera angles, and even green-screen effects.
“I once made a Lego racing simulator and used real F1 video game footage to project onto the Lego screen,” Felix said.
“I enjoy thinking of clever ways to add things in, like making a helicopter fly or recreating car crashes.”
His passion for motorsport is clear. With a room full of Formula One memorabilia, Felix says his long-term ambition is to study aeronautical engineering overseas and one day work as an aerodynamicist in a Formula One team.
He is also pursuing acting, with a recent role in Netflix series Irreverent, and hopes to gain a commercial pilot’s licence in future.
While his career path may not lie in stop motion, Felix said the hobby has given him the confidence to share his skills with others.
“I first ran a stop motion course at HOTA when I was 11, and it was pretty low-key, but I loved it,” he said.
“This year I wanted to create something for Camp Creative because I thought other kids might be interested in learning too.”
For other young people looking to turn a hobby into something bigger, Felix has simple advice.
“Follow your passions, enjoy what you do, and opportunities will come naturally,” he said.
For students wanting to join the workshop, visit the HOTA website and search Stop Start Motion Workshop. Tickets are $10.
