Bricks in Motion
We are a friendly filmmaking community devoted to the art of stop-motion animation using LEGO® and similar construction toys. Here, you can share your work, join our community of other brickfilmers, and participate in periodic animation contests!
A place to discuss, share, and create stop motion films.
Ad
You are not logged in. Please login or register.
A Day for Heroes
Here's my newest, and most proffesional brickfilm. I hope you guys like it, being as This is my fist ever film with proper background music and speaking (which I still need to work on!).I really wanted to focus on the camera movements and shots. I think they are quite good, please let me know what you think.
It was entertaining at the end. I chuckled when I heard the Soundtrack from "Back to the Future".
It was entertaining at the end. I chuckled when I heard the Soundtrack from "Back to the Future".
Thanks. I love that theme tune, I will use it again in the future....
That was a really fun film! I really liked this!
Some of the pacing was a bit slow, and you'll want to invest in a new camera, but the animation was good an the sound wasn't that bad. I really thought it just felt really good watching it. You put a smile on my face, well done! Excellent effort put into a well made result!
4/5!
That was a really fun film! I really liked this!
Some of the pacing was a bit slow, and you'll want to invest in a new camera, but the animation was good an the sound wasn't that bad. I really thought it just felt really good watching it. You put a smile on my face, well done! Excellent effort put into a well made result!
4/5!
Actually, I've been having a problem with my camera. I use a logitech quickcam pro 9000, and I still haven't got it working yet. I may switch to a DV camera, which I have.
Thanks for the comments 
I will use it again in the future....
Or in the past?
Yeah, somewhere in time.....or space
I apologise for the 'bump' and everything, but I just found out this got a 3 out of 10. 
I completely understand that my video is not perfect, the picture quality and editing, etc, are all quite basic. I wasen't expecting it to do that well anyway. But I'm 13 and still use freeware like WMM and SMA, so what exactly do you expect? I mean, the members rated this an average of 3.3 out of 5. And now it's 3 out of 10!
I don't want to look really moody or anything, but this was my first ever film with speaking (all by me) and also, as I said, I don't use any complicated software. If there is a fair reason that this film is rated so low, then I accept that. But it's quite dishearting to put alot of effort into a film, and have it rated like this. I'm not really sure if I want to post anymore films in the dictonary now, which is a shame because I like the idea of it being reviewed. But if I put alot of effort into it, and the staff don't even like it much, whats the point? I don't mind being criticised at all, but I don't understand this.
Please, I just want an explanation for this, sorry for the 'bump' again.
EDIT: Noodle informed me that this will be re-rated. 
Last edited by Filmfire96 (July 11, 2010 (01:18pm))
The type of software and your experience level are irrelevant to the rating. A mediocre film is mediocre, regardless of the equipment. Getting a lower rating than you would expect is no reason to stop submitting films. Just keep practicing and filming until you get better.
Don't worry Filmfire, what these people think of your film is completely irrelevant to how should feel. What NXT said wasn't helpful at all. How many times have you come across someone saying "Practice and you'll get better at it"? Sure, it's true, but because of its overuse, that phrase is no longer advice, it's losing a game and being told you're not good enough for the game.
The staff of this website is so "busy and finding it hard to catch up" that they aren't the sort of staff that you walk down to the cafe where they all know your name. No, they get friendly with other mods and then just chat with them to make themselves look wiser keep to the respect. You joined this site not so long ago so the people here really don't know who you are because you haven't made a big name and you're not exactly receiving piles and piles of praise, so not aware of who you are, what you're using, where in your brickfilming life this was made or anything like that, they critique your brickfilm.
This seems like a fair idea, but with a staff like that you can't really expect any sympothy or care. You're going to have to learn to not complain with this sort of stuff and ignore them. If you're the sort of brickfilmer who make one film then waits just to get it reviewed before doing anything else, then you're going to be disappointed. You should feel proud of your film. You made a film with a story, characters, dialogue, you animated it well and plenty of people enjoyed it. You don't really know how many people really like this, so feel proud, not disappointed.
So yes, practice, but don't take it personally. Brickfilming is a hobby and it's nothing that you should come all overexcited for. You're on Bricks In Motion now and you're a talented animator.
Good luck!
That was a good piece of advice splash.
Cheers everyone. I just thought that maybe there was a reason for the rating, which was why I wanted to know how to improve for next time. I won't take it personally, and I am in the making of a new film, which I hope you'll all really like. 
That's good! I'll definitely look forward to your new film. I'll just go ahead and subscribe here.
For the sake of not derailing your thread I'm not even going to start on how idiotic Splash's post is.
I echo your thought that it should not be a 3 out of 10 and I'm considering looking into the matter (my rating would probably be 5 or 6, personally). With the new reviewers it's possible someone just got confused- but it's also possible that's just what someone felt the film deserved and I can't help that. I know there's one specific member who has been giving low user ratings to films (not on the review panel), and I'm going to be asking him if he understands the system, but again, if he does and he just thinks a film deserves a low rating, it's his call.
Also, I lied when I said I wouldn't address Splash's post, but I think this is important enough as aide to you as you that is merits an answer. Don't listen to that crap about how someone telling you to practice is "telling you aren't good enough", because it isn't. No one gets anywhere without practice. You should be making films for your own satisfaction, yes, but if you care about how other people rate your film and want to improve, that's where practice is essential. People are going to rate your film how they like, the only thing you can do is work your hardest, get better and hope they enjoy what you come up with next time. How long you've been here may get you an extra bit of consideration, but people aren't going to say you're bad only because you are new and vice-versa. Someone on a game production blog I read said it best, I think:
My point isn't that Picasso [famous artist], or Bell [world renowned violinist], or Cactus [popular game designer] are being praised for doodles or garbage just because they are well-known. This I cannot stress enough. My point is simply that because they are well known they are given the benefit of the doubt. As a result, their work is not immediately discarded, and so is given the time to speak for itself.
As I said in the beginning, I didn't think your film was bad, and it was obvious you put a lot of effort into it. Don't get discouraged because of one rating though. Keep trying. You obviously have the drive to make great things, just apply that, listen to any critique you get, and keep moving. And ultimately, even when you are the great brickfilmer everyone idolizes, you will still be able to do this. You will never outgrow the benefits of listening to critique. All in all, I see great potential in you, and I don't want to see you quit because of some numbers, but also want to stress that these low numbers are what teach us how to get better, and not to ignore them completely. It's a fine line to walk, but I think you can make it.
Okay, I did forget to mention that taking critique is very important. My post was quite misleading because of that. A lot of my post I meant, but I didn't mean it in a way that critique doesn't matter. I meant it in a way that it shouldn't put you down or take any of your pride away. Criticism can be very important actually. If someone tells you what to work on, then work on it, but if they say so many things need worked on that they make it seem like your film is bad, then that doesn't really matter. The person critiquing you may think that it's bad, but how good the film is doesn't really apply to you entirely, what does apply is what you're learning, and from what you've learnt so far, what you have done. Filmfire has clearly taken on some tips to get to where he is but if it's 3 out of 10 then should an opinion matter to him?
If somebody doesn't like his film he shouldn't feel like he's being attacked by people. I think that it's good if someone likes it and he should be pretty happy that people like his film, but if they don't like it, as long as they've pointed out what's wrong then you can learn. You should take criticism, but take it as learning from a mistake that you made, and forget the past. You should feel good about a film like this. There's not much to be embaressed about in this film.
Thanks to Squash for pointing out how flawed my post was, but a lot of what was intended in the first post still is stuff that I meant, so don't ignore it completely.
I actually only meant to write a short post, but here I go on again. I don't want to start a flame war with you Squash, so if you have anything else to pick with me, PM me so this thread doesn't derail and become a bad place. I just hope there's not much more to say about this than there already is though.
I hope you do well in the future, Filmfire! Read the critique, but don't let it hurt your feelings.
Now, I leave tomorrow for 2 weeks, so no one will be seeing much of me. Bye.
I'd say this deserves at least a 4 in animation since one of my first animations in the directory got a 5.
I don't mind being criticised, infact if that didn't happen I would probabally get 1s out of 10. 
But all of what you guys have been saying is true. I need to practise, otherwise I won't ever get any better, which is ok if you're perfect, but I know very little/no animators in general like that. I will keep trying, and posting films here in the future. The only thing which got me a bit was the fact that I didn't really know where I went wrong. I thought that the person who reviewed it perhaps found a major flaw in the film, hence the low rating. I wanted to know where I went wrong, so I would not make the same mistake twice, but I'm sure I won't anyway.
Still, my next film will be better quality, and hopefully as I get more programs, I'll improve.
Thank you for politely bringing this to our attention. One of the new reviewers was responsible for the original ratings of this film (I won't throw them under the bus by saying who), but suffice to say that I agree the majority of them are too low. It will be re-rated shortly.
Splash... you will be addressed via PM.
Thank you for politely bringing this to our attention. One of the new reviewers was responsible for the original ratings of this film (I won't throw them under the bus by saying who), but suffice to say that I agree the majority of them are too low. It will be re-rated shortly.
Splash... you will be addressed via PM.
Thanks Noodle!
I'm really happy this will be re-rated. Thanks for checking it. 
Also, the support I was getting from everyone else was great, so cheers everybody.
Posts [ 1 to 20 of 22 ]
