LEGOmation
Created | Updated Apr 23, 2002
LEGOmation is basically a form of claymation. Claymation is basically a form of stop-motion animation filming. LEGOmation deals with the development of stop-animation movies using LEGOs as props and characters. It is a good deal of fun, if:
1. You have a lot of patience.
2. You have nothing better to do.
3. You have a lot of time on your hands.
Once you are absolutely sure that you will not be embarrassed when people find out what you have spent all your weekend doing, you may proceed on to the development of LEGOmation short- and medium-length films. A good, well-developed and smooth five-minute production normally takes around five to seven hours of solid work to film. Once again, if you are not willing to put in a lot of time, then LEGOmation is not for you.
Before going into detail about the filming technique itself, I will go ahead and explain what legos are. Legos are plastic bricks with hills on the top, that connect into the bottom of other bricks. Many different pieces and colors can be found. There are even lego people, which are the pieces mostly used in LEGOmation.
LEGOmation is comprised of a few very easy and simple steps. Following are the materials that you will need and the steps that you must take to produce these films. It is impossible to film LEGOmation without these necessary tools:
1. A camcorder.
2. Lego people.
3. A flat lego building board.
That is it. Next, you will need to find yourself a good place to produce your film. The spot needs to be quiet, secluded, and preferably not a major thoroughfare. A good place to start out is in a gameroom, basement, or even your own bedroom. Anywhere that you will not be bothered and will not have to fight wars to keep people from walking by is a good spot. It is also a good idea to do it when few people are around, in order to avoid the many troubles listed above.
Now that you have set up a spot for filming, set up your lego people on the board. It is a good idea to start with one person until you get the basics of smooth movement down, and then to move on from there. Reading the camcorder manual before attempting the rest of this lesson now is a wise choice, since you cannot film anything if you do not know how your camcorder operates at a basic level. If you have a remote, familiarize yourself with its buttons. Using a remote will save your films much shakiness, and will make them look better overall. Obtaining a tripod is also a good idea.
After performing these tasks, you may now begin LEGOmation filming. First, take a five-second shot of your scene for your first frame. This helps when you transfer all of this to VHS format, because then you do not have to pause at the exact starting frame. Then, move your character. Do not move him too much at the start; start out small with something like moving his arm up and then back down again. After you make your first move, take a quick snapshot with your camera. Do this over and over until you feel like you have got enough to call a short film. After you are done, film the last frame for five seconds, and rewind.
Whether your first screen test turns out looking anything like a movie is, of course, your judgement. The best way to learn advanced techniques and ideas is to figure them out yourself, for then you will develop a truly unique style. Few viewers will actually be concerned with how accurate or good your film is from a filming standpoint, so do not be overly worried about little details such as minute movements in the board and other things. A few keys to a good LEGOmation film are:
1. A good plot. A good way to figure out a good plot is to write down things such as main characters, setting, or even an outline of the action.
2. Humour.
3. Smooth movement and lighting.
Obtaining editing software may be key in order to create more advanced films which include sound. Sound is not easily done using simple LEGOmation, but with editing one would be able to add it in using dubbing. With the lego movie editing package, or the LEGO & Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set, you can cut out scenes, create special effects, and add sound. The package includes a minature filming set pre-devised, a big book of moviemaking tips, PC movie camera and movie editing software. The approximate U.S. price is $179.99, and you can find it and order it on http://shop.lego.com/ or through the lego catalogs that are mailed.
Have fun, be safe, Share and Enjoy.
1. You have a lot of patience.
2. You have nothing better to do.
3. You have a lot of time on your hands.
Once you are absolutely sure that you will not be embarrassed when people find out what you have spent all your weekend doing, you may proceed on to the development of LEGOmation short- and medium-length films. A good, well-developed and smooth five-minute production normally takes around five to seven hours of solid work to film. Once again, if you are not willing to put in a lot of time, then LEGOmation is not for you.
Before going into detail about the filming technique itself, I will go ahead and explain what legos are. Legos are plastic bricks with hills on the top, that connect into the bottom of other bricks. Many different pieces and colors can be found. There are even lego people, which are the pieces mostly used in LEGOmation.
LEGOmation is comprised of a few very easy and simple steps. Following are the materials that you will need and the steps that you must take to produce these films. It is impossible to film LEGOmation without these necessary tools:
1. A camcorder.
2. Lego people.
3. A flat lego building board.
That is it. Next, you will need to find yourself a good place to produce your film. The spot needs to be quiet, secluded, and preferably not a major thoroughfare. A good place to start out is in a gameroom, basement, or even your own bedroom. Anywhere that you will not be bothered and will not have to fight wars to keep people from walking by is a good spot. It is also a good idea to do it when few people are around, in order to avoid the many troubles listed above.
Now that you have set up a spot for filming, set up your lego people on the board. It is a good idea to start with one person until you get the basics of smooth movement down, and then to move on from there. Reading the camcorder manual before attempting the rest of this lesson now is a wise choice, since you cannot film anything if you do not know how your camcorder operates at a basic level. If you have a remote, familiarize yourself with its buttons. Using a remote will save your films much shakiness, and will make them look better overall. Obtaining a tripod is also a good idea.
After performing these tasks, you may now begin LEGOmation filming. First, take a five-second shot of your scene for your first frame. This helps when you transfer all of this to VHS format, because then you do not have to pause at the exact starting frame. Then, move your character. Do not move him too much at the start; start out small with something like moving his arm up and then back down again. After you make your first move, take a quick snapshot with your camera. Do this over and over until you feel like you have got enough to call a short film. After you are done, film the last frame for five seconds, and rewind.
Whether your first screen test turns out looking anything like a movie is, of course, your judgement. The best way to learn advanced techniques and ideas is to figure them out yourself, for then you will develop a truly unique style. Few viewers will actually be concerned with how accurate or good your film is from a filming standpoint, so do not be overly worried about little details such as minute movements in the board and other things. A few keys to a good LEGOmation film are:
1. A good plot. A good way to figure out a good plot is to write down things such as main characters, setting, or even an outline of the action.
2. Humour.
3. Smooth movement and lighting.
Obtaining editing software may be key in order to create more advanced films which include sound. Sound is not easily done using simple LEGOmation, but with editing one would be able to add it in using dubbing. With the lego movie editing package, or the LEGO & Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set, you can cut out scenes, create special effects, and add sound. The package includes a minature filming set pre-devised, a big book of moviemaking tips, PC movie camera and movie editing software. The approximate U.S. price is $179.99, and you can find it and order it on http://shop.lego.com/ or through the lego catalogs that are mailed.
Have fun, be safe, Share and Enjoy.
