One by one he combined the pieces into the shape of a man and danced him across his balcony.

A simple press of the fast-forward button had him transfixed. Ben had made his first stop-go animation and he was hooked.

Four years later the 14-year-old from Brooklyn, NSW, has had his films shown in Brooklyn, New York.

Competing with filmmakers twice his age, Ben took out the best animation at the Brooklyn Film Festival this year. 

But there is a bigger prize he has his eyes set on – a second junior Tropfest crown at this year's Trop Jr festival which takes place on Sunday.

"I'm still nervous," said Ben. "Every film that goes up on the screen gets closer and closer to yours."

It is a dream he shares with other teenage film-makers, Harry Vasey, Liam Alexander and Darwin Schulze, who are punching above their weight with their second screening at the prestigious Trop Jr festival.

All three are stop-go animation enthusiasts inspired not by the computer-generated imagery of Avatar but by the classic claymation of Wallace and Gromit.

Humble beginnings have not stopped the three from dreaming.

"I want to be like [Inception director] Christopher Nolan," said Darwin.

"Kubrick is more my style," said Liam, while Harry is thinking more David Fincher (Fight Club and The Social Network).

But before they scale those heights the 14- and 15-year-olds are more concerned about the "young 'uns" lurking behind them.

"You can do it from a very, very young age now. All you need is an iPhone camera. We didn't even have that," said Harry.

Darwin and Liam are similarly surprised by the technical nous of the next generation.

"My younger brother is six and he already knows how to make trailers on his iPad," said Liam.

Tropfest Jr finalists

A Day in a Life of a Superhero: Jaeger May

Chameleon: Ella and Mia Van Dort Gilmore

Milk: Darwin Schulze

One Cranky Seagull: Ben McCarthy

The Emu and the Panda: Liam Alexander and Harry Vasey

A Pirate's Life: Bailey Roth and Natasha Baynham

Defy: Megan Humphreys

I Can See You: Jonah Vetticad and Theano Cassimatis

Buloo: Jobe Adams

Chance: Paige Bebee

Just a Dream: Yianni Rowlands

Knock 'Em Dead: Catriona Warren

Out of Reach: Oliver Crawford Smith and Oliver Bailey

Why Do Parcels Arrive Late?: Toby O'Keeffe

Tied: Grace Dephoff

Tropfest and Trop Jr will screen at Centennial Park on Sunday December 7.