This featured brickfilmer post is part of a series of articles highlighting animators who supported the Bricks in Motion Documentary project on Kickstarter.

Michael Tourette (HoldingOurOwn) is an enthusiast of toys and 1980s culture, a LEGO animator, and a married Catholic and father.  He received his first Lego set in the 1970s, at the age of 3.  He returned to Lego as an adult in 1999 with the release of Lego's first licensed property: Star Wars: Episode I.  Tourette first became interested in Brickfilming after discovering the medium in a 2011 issue of BrickJournal.  After reading about it, he began watching brickfilms online. Of the brickfilms he watched, Chris Allbee's Joe Brickmond was what inspired him most. He praises the series for its deep characterization.

After becoming interested in the hobby, Michael decided to write and animate a series, Holding Our Own, in the style if television sitcoms (including a laugh track!) Initially new to stop-motion animation, he learned by doing. The gradual improvement of his animation talents is apparent from beginning to end of his series thus far. Animating television-length episodes is a lot of work, especially when problems (such as a hard drive crash that nearly erased an entire episode of animation) get in the way.

Michael prefers a "purist" approach to making his films, relying on LEGO elements and simple, flat backdrops for the sky. He also believes in the importance of a strong story:

"A strong story essentially is the most important aspect of a multimedia presentation.  Equally important is to present the viewer with a thought-provoking message. I'm not afraid to cover topical and controversial issues, but I want to do so fairly, without telling the viewer how to think. I also want to balance the line of mature storytelling at an adult level while still being family-friendly."

He's written seven scripts and two outlines for his Holding Our Own series.  Two are complete, with the third near completion.  The fourth is in the process of being animated.  Brickfilming his series has expanded his interest into writing other screenplays.

The second episode of Holding Our Own, "Diss Jockey," features the animator's favorite character, the mother Angela, as a 1980s DJ who trash-talks the artists whose records she spins.  Her feminist daughter, Melissa, quickly turns from proud to embarrassed when she discovers this.  The story covers themes of women's roles and dealing with political correctness.