Lego

Animation
101


Contents:

How to Animate

Faith in Filminterview

The Animator and the Boy short story

A Interview with the Builder Brothers

UnrenewableBrickfilm review

How to Set up a Good Animation Table

Letters to the Editor


So you want to start in animating but dont want to spend any
money? Heres how you can do it!
1. Getting started. I assume you
already have a camera, one or two
desk lamps, and some Lego. So
first things first-- grab a Lego
baseplate! Set it on your table and
tape firmly.

2. Grab your camera. If you have a
tripod, put the camera on it. If you
dont, its pretty easy to make a
Lego camera holder. The
important thing is to keep your
camera steady.

3. Grab a mini-figure and your
lamp. Set the minifigure on the
base plate and set your lamp on the
table. Position your lamp so light
falls on the minifigure.


4. Turn your camera to shortest
possible timer (normally this is 2
seconds)
5, Take photo of minifigure.

6. Move minifigure slightly.

7. Take another photo.

8. Repeat until you have a
complete movement (a few steps,
etc.)

9. Find animation software. There
is a lot of free animation software
on the
web that works great. I started with
Frame by Frame and now use
iStopmotion.

10. Import photos into frame-
capturing software

11. Set frame rate to 15 frames per
second

12. Play back and enjoy!




How did you get into brickfilming?
-It all started in November of 2010. For some reason my mom was leafing
through a random Christmas catalog and saw a stop-motion kit for sale. She
asked if I was interested in that kind of thing as a Christmas gift, I replied
yes, and the rest is history.

What gave you the idea for STEAMPUNK?
-I can't really say that there was one special source for it. I like the building
aesthetic for sure, and really wanted to make a serious drama type film, so
the idea just kinda grew from there. Steampunk is a theme that is naturally
grayer and grimmer, so that gave me several ideas. The first two shots I
thought up were the opening clips, and the dramatic encounter between Evil-
Red-Shirted-Lady and Captain, so that may help once you see the film.

How or where do you get inspiration? What about story lines?
-Good question, I'd have to just say that life itself is a great place to find
inspiration. For example, 'Ax' was born from a fairly common joke
concerning the mis-pronunciation of the word 'ask'. I generally start with a
concept of the tone of the film, and perhaps one or two scenes and/or lines
that I'd like to include, and things just go from there.

Other times I've drawn from movies, songs, or just something that struck me
as being incredible film-able.

It seems like most of my shorts are born when I have the desire to use a
particular building or animating style, along with a compatible tone or feel. I
look through my list of cool shots/effects I want to try and with all of that as
a guide, I fill in the blanks and there we go.

What are some of the normal steps you go through to make a film?
-As detailed elsewhere, I usually have an idea or concept randomly bounce
into my head, and if it sounds good enough, I'll sometimes try to write it
down. I then think over it a while and try to flesh things out into a decent
story. Once I have the basic story and general actions down, I type it up and
proceed to drafting a script. By this time set and characters have also been
imagined, and those are built.
I animate the thing as quickly as I can, without noticeably sacrificing
quality, and then hop into post-production. During the previous weeks of late
planning and filming the posted casting call has hopefully filled all the voice
acting roles. Using the voices, I get everything lined up, then finish with
sounds and whatever music would go well with it.
Finally, try to promote the film with several frames and set pictures,
so by the time it's ready there is a bit of anticipation in the air. Once it's
posted I try to keep up with comments and all, but by that time I'm deep into
planning my next film.

What is your favorite phase of filmmakingpre-production,
production, or post-production?
Pre-production. There's just something amazingly cool about being able to
sit down and go from nothing to a fully-developed script complete with sets,
character designs, and shot ideas. Not that the others aren't fun, but they tend
to drag out a bit longer, and just aren't quite as cool. (Until everything's done
and it's released, in which case the whole process instantly becomes worth
it.)


What other hobbies or interests do you have?
-I have an obsession with all things Tolkien, play airsoft some, played
basketball for three years, and (Obviously) am interested in filmmaking and
especially the many behind-the-scenes aspects of movies. Building Lego and
participating on several Lego-related forums are some other things fairly
high up on my list of hobbies.

Whats your brickfilming goal?
-Overall I'd like to help point others to Jesus Christ, and the beauty of the
Bible. But another big one is to show folks that you can make clean movies
that are still very high-quality and entertaining. I'd be nice for something to
go viral, but

What are some of your favorite brickfilms?
-Unrenewable, Zombie Genesis, How to Not Rob a Bank, No Crawme's
Sing Along THAC, and The Button just to name a few.


Do you have any funny brickfilming stories youd like to share?
-It seems that both my dogs take a fiendish pleasure in bursting through my
closet and coming to lick me. They usually calm down after a bit of
attention, but the one also likes to hop up on my bed and watch as I work.
Thankfully they are (Mostly) harmless, but they are the cause of more than
one delay and rebuilding of sets. The one has taken off with a minifigure
before, but it was easily recovered.

How did your growing up years affect how you make brick films?
-I've always heavily involved myself in whatever activity I had going on at
the time, so that obsession and dedication carried over into a strong
determination to get things done in the brickfilming world. I was home
schooled, so I had the time to really research, increase my skills, and get into
the hobby at an accelerated rate. Another tendency I had was to 'bit off more
than I could chew' which did come back to haunt me after several film
projects went unfinished due to not being ready for something of that scale.
I'm also a perfectionist to a fault, which trait always provided the motivation
to improve. I'd also say that the way I was raised is directly responsible for
my quirky style and sense of humor.



What does it mean to you to be a Christian?
-To strive towards Christ-likeness in my attitudes, thoughts, and actions. A
goal I can only achieve by being constantly in the Word of God and
cultivating a close relationship with the Lord. To always be a physical
reflection and representative of Jesus here on this earth, and to do my part in
spreading the Good News of the Gospel to all men everywhere.

How does your faith affect your brick filming?
- For sure a lack of inappropriate material, as well as a very clear-cut line
between good and evil. I think another aspect of that is that those that choose
evil will suffer the consequences, but those that choose good are rewarded.
Several of the more spiritual shorts are a result of praying about what God
would have me do next, and acting on the answer I'd say it affects what I
make, and how I make it. Obviously the content is much different, and you
won't see non-Christians taking the very words in the Bible and using them
in animations, but I think goes deeper than that.

My faith determines how much time and money I spend on the hobby, and
while I have been blessed in brickfilming, I feel that it is not due to my own
self, but due to God enabling me with this talent. And no matter what
happens with it, I need to always remember that it is just a hobby, and that if
He asks, I must be willing to give it up for the cause of Christ.

I believe we need more high quality Christian brickfilms. How do you
see your role in that?
-Right now, I think I'm in more of a 'support' type position. I can't actively
brickfilm like I once could, but do still have the ability to encourage others. I
can help with reviewing scripts and sets, with promotion, and sometimes I
even have the chance to help fund another film. I've also written several
tutorials in the hope that other Christians would lean from thse and pick up
the hobby.



What advice would you give a new brickfilmer?
-Be prepared for it to take a lot of time. Not only to develop your skills, but
also to simply get the work done. You are going to have to dedicate yourself
and discipline yourself to spend enough, yet not too much, time on it. There
is a balance that you must find. It's like any other skill, you can't get it
perfected in a day, and others may be able to do it faster or better, but with
time, patience and persistence, you can still finish with a magnificent
product.




The Animator and the Boy
By Kaleb Barkman

I sat there, my eyes glued on the newly animated piece. The animation
flooded the screen. The crisp, clear images flowed perfectly. Now just one
more movement, and it will be finished, I thought.

Now lets move him right just a tad, I said aloud.
No, left.
I said right.
But left will look cooler.
No.
Yes.
Here Ill just move him.
No, its my turn.
Here, I got him!
Me to!
No!
Yes!

Rgggggg! Bang! Pop! Capow! Inch forward slowly!
Now look at how you just moved the dumb set!
Me?
Yes, you! Now just get out!
Me?
Yes, you! Now just get outttttt!

I stood there, staring at the animation club hard at work. It all looked so nice,
and how could it not, with all that LEGO? All those cameras, and all those
people. Only ten more dollars and I, too, would be animating with them. A
tap on the shoulder.

I looked down at the beaming eyes of youth I had turned away just a short
day earlier. Hey, do you want to animate with me again?
No, I said I dont want to animate with you any more.
But it was so fun.
No. I said no!
I nicely tried to get rid of him. In the town crowd. It was harder than I
thought, considering my limp.
Ha! It finally worked, hes gone, I pulled out my binoculars to see just how
far away he was by now. I scanned the crowd. No sign of him yet. Ha!
Ahhhhh, whats that? Eyes. Big eyes. Big, big green eyes. Ahhh! Oh ye,a I
forgot I still have my binoculars on. Whew. Ahhh, how did you get here?
Oh, I just followed you. Not hard considering all the cookie crumb you left
behind.
Oh, yea, but why are you here again?
I just wanted to ask you one last time if you wanted to animate with me.
No! I already told you twice no! And no, youre not nearly as cool as that
animation club!

As I worked I didnt really think about the pain of mowing a lawn with a
really bad limp, or even about that really annoying kid I had yelled at.
Instead I thought about how in just one more hour I, too, would be a member
of that sweet animation club. And to think in just one hour I would probably
have more animation friends than I would know what to do with! Just one
more hour! Five hours later Whew! Im done! That was one big yard.


I stood there staring through the window. The animation club would start in
five minutes and for the first time, I would have a friends to animate with.
The bell rang. Animation club was starting! I limped in past newly-made set
after newly made set. I was almost to the Lego. I felt pain and my leg went
limp, causing me to fall crashing onto the most beautiful set of all.

My eyes opened. Yells, screams at someone. Someone really bad, by the
sound of it. Then it hit me like a brick! They are yelling at me! They are
yelling like I had yelled, loud and mean.
I got up and ran as fast as I could. I would find that kid. I would apologize
and animate with him instead of some stupid animation club. I would right
my wrongs!

I was exhausted. I had looked everywhere for him. Where could he be? He
shouldnt have been that hard to find, so where was he?

The next day, as I walked back from school I thought, he didnt even follow
me to school.

I decided to stop by the animation club, just to see if maybe they would let
me back in after all. But as I walked up, I realized how that would never
happen. I glanced in. It was all the same. Except for one thing: what I saw
made me jump-- at the first table sat a very familiar boy. And I suddenly
knew just how wrong I had been about him.





How did you get into brick filming?

While I can't actually remember how I got into brickfilming, I remember
starting around 10 years ago, when my brother and I began to create little
animations with our digital camera. We didn't really begin actually making
edited animations until about three years later though, when one of our
friends gave us the LEGO Studios Steven Spielberg Movie Maker kit (he got
it off eBay since it was a discontinued model). This kit acted as a sort of a
starting point for our more advanced animations.

What made you decide to extend the story of The Squire and the Scroll
instead of making a longer book into a movie?

We made the decision the extend the book when we were creating the
script. We found that there were several events in the book that didn't make
sense or that needed explaining, so we took it upon ourselves to turn these
into scenes in the movie. While we could have just chosen to animate a
longer book, we really wanted to make The Squire and the Scroll into film,
and we also liked the freedom to adjust the story to our own style.



Whats the most challenging thing about doing such a big project as The
Squire and the Scroll?


The most challenging part by far is actually a factor that most people don't
take into account - interest. When you are working on a project of this
length and scope, it is important to really be in love with the project. After
all, you are going to be working on this in all your spare time for several
years. I have seen so many other brickfilmers start ambitious projects that
look great, but then they lose interest half way and the film never gets
made. When I started The Squire and the Scroll, I was determined to learn
from these mistakes and stick with the film through its entirety. Even now, I
often find myself lapsing into periods of disinterest, and when this happens I
am always careful to find some way to peak my interest again.





How long do you think The Squire and the Scroll will be when it is
finished?

While I can't say for sure, as we don't have a rough-cut ready yet, I guess it
will probably be between 20 - 30 minutes in length. However, this is not
counting bloopers, behind-the-scenes, tutorials, and a whole variety of
content that we plan to release in segments after the film is completed.

How or where do you get inspiration? What about story lines?

I get my inspiration from a variety of things, be it movies, books, nature, or
even school. However, my top source of inspiration is probably music. I
listen to a lot of film scores, and I enjoy imagining scenarios for films every
time I hear one. I also find watching other people's work to be extremely
inspirational, and I have often seen a technique or plot twist used in someone
else's work that has given me an idea for a project of my own.

What are some of the normal steps you go through to make a film?

I generally approach the production of films the same way as everyone
else. I start with an idea, and this idea turns into a script and storyboard, and
then these turn into an animation, and then this animation is edited into the
finished product.





What is your favorite phase of filmmakingpre-production,
production, or post-production?

While I would say that I enjoy all the different phases of making a film, I
would have to say that post-production is probably my favorite phase, since
that is when I get to put the finishing touches on the project and see the fruits
of my labor. I also especially enjoy this phase because it is in this phase that
I do the CG (computer generated) animation. This is a special love of mine,
and I find it extremely enjoyable to spend hours working to get the best
digital model that I can.

How do you decide which parts will be CGI and which ones will be
traditionally animated?

This is a very complicated process, and generally involves me brainstorming
and experimenting with both CG and tradition animation to see which will
get me the best result. I usually try to do as much as I can using traditional
methods, but as is the case with this film, I often have to use CG to make my
landscapes and props much larger than they actually are.


How do you decide who does what when you do an animation?

When my brother and I are working on a production, we always do the same
jobs. I (BuilderBrother John) am always in charge of the animation and
post-production, while my brother (BuilderBrother Daniel) takes care of the
prop design/construction. We work together on certain things, like script-
writing and story boarding, but in general we stick to our specific jobs and
we have found this to really help get things done more smoothly and
efficiently.

What other hobbies or interests do you have?

Well, outside of brickfilming, I enjoy working on computers (as in scripting
and programing), art and graphics design, playing computer games
(occasionally), reading, and writing/playing music (though not music that is
ever used in our films). My brother very much enjoys sports (he plays both
basketball and soccer), reading, playing computer games (more often then
me but still not very often), weight training, cycling, and a whole variety of
other physical activities.

Whats your brickfilming goal?

My brickfilming goal is and always has been to make a brickfilm that will
become a classic - one that people will remember and recommend to their
friends and will be one of the first films people mention when listing their
top 10 favorite brickfilms. It is our hope that The Squire and the Scroll will
one day be that film.


What are some of your favorite brick films?

We have a lot of favorites, but some of our tops would have to be The Great
Disturbance, Unrenewable, The Magic Portal,
The Force Unleashed, and Zombie: Genesis.

What are some of your favorite books?

Some of our favorite books are The Lord of the Rings (all three books), The
Wormling, Midshipman Quinn, Sherlock Holmes, and Jeeves.

Do you have any funny brick filming stories youd like to share?

One story that comes to mind is
something that has happened
numerous times while I have
been animating. Sometimes
when I am animating a long or
difficult scene, I will invite my
friend David over (aka our Public Relations Executive) and he will assist me
and my brother in filming. However, what generally happens is that
somewhere along the line while filming I will look up and find that both my
brother and friend have disappeared. They return shortly later with popcorn,
but instead of going back to helping me they instead sit behind me and try to
toss popcorn into each other's mouths! They also proceed to pester me with
questions like "Are you done yet John?" or "Hurry up John, why are you
taking so long?" And all the while they are laughing and occasionally
tossing a popcorn in my direction. While this may not sound very funny, it
has now become something of a tradition, and now I have even come to
expect it.

What advice would you give a new brickfilmer?

My advice to any new brickfilmer is simple - practice makes perfect. If you
want something to look good, you've got to be willing to put a whole lot of
time, sweat, and even tears into it. Also, be sure to ask lots of
questions. There are a whole lot of people online who would be more than
willing to help you out if you want to know anything (myself included), and
often times a well-asked question can save you incalculable amounts of
time. Tutorials are your friend - watch them and follow them and you can
save yourself a lot of frustration later on.

A ten minute film never flew by so fast.
When I first clicked on Unrenewable I wasnt sure what I was getting
myself into. And when the CGI lit up my screen, I thought, Is this even a
Lego film? And then it came and a grin lit up my face-- the lighting, the
mood, and the Lego!


The dialogue was not only well-written, but well-performed. The film score,
which was written and performed by the director, also really added to the
feel of a 1980s detective film.

I was hooked. I had never seen a Lego film be so great. Not even the
less-than-stellar animation and sets brought this one down. The story, FX,
and camera work were just too awe-striking. And when I watched it with my
family they all agreed.




Do you want to get started in animation and dont know how to set up a
workspace? Or maybe you suffer from set bumps and light flicker? If so, this
is probably just the right tutorial for you.

1: find a nice room. Youll need closable window shades, and preferably a
hard floor, If you have a carpet
floor never fear. [You can always
put a piece of plywood big enough
for all the legs of your tripod on
the floor and way it down.]
2. Place a sturdy table in the
preferred spot in your room
3. Set up a backdrop. Many people use blue posterboard. I
prefer a big blue piece of cloth hung behind my table so I
can place a light behind it.
4. Place your set on the table and position your lamps for
your preferred lighting. Hint: make sure the lighting is
bright enough to prevent grain in your animation.
5. Set up your tripod on the floor in front of your table.
Place the camera on the tripod so it faces your set in the preferred direction
6. Close the window shades so your lighting is consistent. Also close your
door and turn off your overhead light so only your lamps are providing light
to your animation.
6. Begin animating!

I hope setting up a great place to animate helps you as much as its helped
me!



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

I am just wondering what camera I should buy? The t3 or t3i? I do a lot of
brickfilming and videoing.

Your asker,
George

The Editor

You will probably want to get the T3i its video quality is a lot better As the
t3 only shoots in 720fps and at 25 to 30fps when the T3i shoots in 180p and
at 30 to 24fps . Also the swivel LCD screen is a nice touch. In closing the
T3i is just a lot more of a camera if you are going to do any video or get into
professional stop motion or photography.

The Editor


Mr. Editor,

I am writing you this letter to tell you how stupid and useless your
magazines are.

Like the part about having to buy desk lamps and how bad it is to use
natural light. Well, I dont want to buy lights! Ive been animating with
natural light since 2008 and I am basically a pro. I know my animations
have some light flicker and the lighting does not fit the mood, but, I mean,
the nerve of you to say that you really have to buy desk lamps if you want to
make high quality brickfilms is unfathomable.

So, in closing, I just want to say I hate your magazines. I wish you had never
written them, because they ruined my life.

Sincerely,

Mr. Grumpily the Third



Dear Mr. Grumpily the Third,

I am sorry you do not like this magazine.

The reason I said that you really need desk lamps is that I
believe to do high quality brickfilms you need to set the
right mood. One of the best ways to do this is with
lighting.

If you no longer want to receive this magazine, you can
always unsubscribe.

Truly,
The Editor




Lighting
By Kaleb Barkman

Lighting
Intensifies
Ghostly films
Horribly important
This aspect is.
Inside dark rooms
Not a lot of it is seen
Grim no lighting is