Bricks in Motion
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Forums - Bricks in Motion » General Film Discussion » What's the most important thing in a Brickfilm?
A film could have the best, most original story in the world animated in 5 fps with the minifig just teleporting from place to place and a kid with a pre-puberty voice voice acting......... I don't think I'll understand the story.
It needs good editing as filmyguy said.
Films that will really captivate the audience must have several sharpened elements, you can't have one perfect element and a bunch of mediocre elements. Story isn't enough to keep me interested. I saw Race to Witch mountain recently, and while the effects were superior, the story was well crafted, the characters were so shallow, I really didn't care if anyone got killed off in the end. If you decide to take aim at a certain element, try to keep all the other elements in tune as well, a futuristic film with muskets will disappoint, a colonial film with star wars blasters will disappoint. If you want a summary, nothing is more important than anything else. If you can't an element of the film good enough, and you care about it enough to release it, let someone else help you.
Everyone who is saying plot is correct, everyone who is saying "camera quality" or whatever is wrong.
Indeed, technical aspects, while important, aren't everything. Our most beloved brickfilms: TCOTY, The Magic Portal, and possible the most fitting example Taco Trouble, all have at most average quality, yet they are all highly enjoyable because of their stories and/or their gags. Yes, a brickfilm's quality is important for the sake of the viewer, who doesn't want to be squinting, dizzy, or getting a seizure from light flicker, but it certainly does not rank "number-one-most-important-thing."
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!]
Also, in my personal opinion, Avatar has a better plot. It's not my absolute most favorite ever, but I found it much better and far less predictable than It's a Wonderful Life.
Dude seriously!?
Avatar could NEVER happen in a million years. I get that it's a euphamism for what happened to the Native Americans, but we as a species have learned since then (I hope), and it will never happen again.
IWAL however, occurs to millions everyday on the face of our planet. People who take themselves for granted realize, or are told by others, just how much of a difference they make in the lives of others. Thousands of suicides are prevented by people simply stepping back and realizing just how important they are.
Yeah, It's a Wonderful Life > Avatar
Last edited by mcoov (August 4, 2011 (07:58pm))
A film could have the best, most original story in the world animated in 5 fps with the minifig just teleporting from place to place and a kid with a pre-puberty voice voice acting......... I don't think I'll understand the story.
It needs good editing as filmyguy said.
Ok when you put it that way, I see what you mean. So I guess it's 50% story and plot and 50% editing and quality. I see what you mean.
No, not story, but screenplay. You could still have the most original story in the world but if the pacing and stuff is bad then your film will be bad too. What's important is the thought that goes into it.
Making the LEGO pieces move.
Last edited by Asteroidmagenta (August 4, 2011 (11:30pm))
The most important thing in a brickfilm eh?
Your enjoyment making the film.
It doesn't matter as long as you're having FUN.
Plot is by far the most important aspect, but the other aspects should reach at least a certain level of decensy for it to be watchable, they just shouldn't be horrible, I guess.
I think that the technical aspects, and the story are both very important. Say you are watching a crappy 3fps film, with no background, but it has good story. You would probably turn it off after the first 45 seconds. But say we have a spectacular, smooth as a baby's butt smooth animation, with amazing set design, but the story keeps dragging, on and on, and on. You'd get bored of it. Alot people would turn it off after a while. So I think that they are both very important. They both are needed in a good brickfilm.
Different brickfilms have different things that make them great. If I had to choose one thing that's the most important for a brickfilm it's how well executed it is, (though that's a fairly vague thing to say and covers basically the entire process). Really, if you have a simple story but execute it well, I'll probably watch it. Though a solid story is also nice.
Also, in my personal opinion, Avatar has a better plot. It's not my absolute most favorite ever, but I found it much better and far less predictable than It's a Wonderful Life.
Anyway, I'd actually like to withdraw my previous statement from the matter, after thinking it over some more.
...
Then why'd you post it? 
This thread is kind of like asking 'How do you make a good Brickfilm'. The rules of filmmaking are like LEGO itself: it can be de-constructed and re-built into anything.
But I suppose the most important thing is that its entertaining. If you can engage the viewer then you've done something right...
If you have a good idea...and people enjoy your film and having fun while making it! I don't entirely agree with story being the best thing.
Enjoy making it, be proud of your work, and aim to entertain your audience. In my eyes at least, that's what film should do.
The most important thing in a brickfilm is the same as the most important thing in any other sort of film.
A film could have the best, most original story in the world animated in 5 fps with the minifig just teleporting from place to place and a kid with a pre-puberty voice voice acting......... I don't think I'll understand the story.
Observe, Taco Trouble.
The frame rate is awful, the camera quality terrible and the voice quality an ear-scraping mess, but it's undoubtedly one of the funniest and most entertaining brickfilms in history. If you fancy reading a bit more on this, have a look at this thread.
Good technical aspects are the key to being able to tell a story that others can follow and that is believable. Once that's set, it's all about the story. Unfortunately though, a good story you can mostly only establish if you're brickfilm is at least 10 minutes long.
For the films that haven't got the privilege to be of a certain length necessary to establish a (real) story, I think it's all about cleverness. Good technical aspects combined with "cleverness", and "positiveness" (prime examples are Days of our Pizza and A Clone Halloween) - that's what I find leaves a good feeling in your stomach after watching and what lets you feel the simple joy of watching Lego men move all by themselves.
Good technical aspects are the key to being able to tell a story that others can follow and that is believable.
You're joking, right?
The key to "being able to tell a story that others can follow and that is believable" is to actually know how to write a good story in the first place. Good technical aspects don't write the story for you. Oh, if only I could name all the films out there that have good technical aspects but are otherwise worthless, confusing films...
Hands, if we didn't have them we couldn't our burning love for Brickfilming. Unless we used our mouths, but that would slowly drive us to insanity.
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