• Location: Australia
  • Joined: January 6, 2011

Topic: NOTICE: Need important questions answered, If you have time, Thank you

Hi everyone,

Look, I just want to know some important questions as i'd like to begin my journey in the stop motion with lego.

I have alot of lego, infact i probably have over 150 lego minifigs, i have alot of custom weapons, from many sites,
and custom built.

I have lots of lego pieces, including yellow colored, white colored, green colored, red colored and blue, also
a little bit of black.

I have many random lego bits, including side corner lego's and all different sorts of interesting things that even
confuse me, but i have collected over many years.

I also have one 32x32 grey base plate, yes it upsets me to say i have no dark or light grey blocks, but i plan to
get it in the future.

My software/camera;
Camera: Logitech C920
Audio software: Cool edit 2000, Audacity.
Microphone: It is a logitech USB microphone, dont know the name of it buts a great microphone.
software: Gimp, Helium frog, Will be getting sony vegas soon, monkey jam.
Lighting: 3 Lamp's, that can be adjusted to move up down left and right, pretty much 360 degrees.


My questions are the following;

My first question is;
1.) So i have made a test, and look i did it on monkeyjam at 15 FPS, now i had a few problems here infact a few questions on top, my first problem was it was moving to was either to fast to slow or just to choppy heres the link to it so you can understand better and be able to answer me more understandably.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcstuG7_VGY
Another question were i was lost with this is, I moved the first character and took each frame, i did not do double shots on the first lego character the second one i took 2 photos at a time doing so from monkey jam and tried at
30 frames per second for the second character who was running. It still seemed to be choppy.

2.) My second question is understanding how to move my characters, when i say move i don't just mean move his left leg, then move his right i want some detail and I'd like to know why my film is choppy and everyone else is so good, is it because im using monkey jam am i doing the movement wrong please if anyone can help me you don't how much this would mean to me. I know a lot of people point me to YouTube
tutorials, for once I'd like someone with experience being in this community producing excellent great Lego films
for fans like myself and thousands more to enjoy for once I'd like someone to take time and be able to answer my
questions so not only i can gain some experience and start my dream, but will also help so many more people out there who need help exactly like me.

3.) My third question really bugs me, its the question of making a lego speak but having all the right hand, or head movement necessary to make a line such as ''I have found the scroll, what is your will my master?'' So using that line for example while this lego character is sitting down, this part confuses me please don't tell me just practice because trust me i have been, that's why i have come here for some assistance. So my question is how many frames would i need to make a that sentence, how many seconds would i need? How many hand movements or just head movements would i need? If you can make a tutorial on these questions that would be Ecstatic if you can write it down that's just as fine i just want some simple yet effective answers.

4.) I want to make a walking scene how do i do it, when you watch my youtube link i feel embarrassed like i have a HD camera, i'm really trying why is it so choppy, i mean i want people to know that i'm very serious i really want to make something, i love lego animations and i love the people who did it, i appreciate people taking time to make these things for me and other fans, i would like people to appreciate my work one day as well. I want to do it out of passion of my heart. I want to feel the magic in making an amazing lego film and for people to love it, that would be a dream come true. So without the already existing youtube videos out there for walking and running cycles could someone explain more thoroughly, i love a lot of the tutorials but for some reason i must be missing something cause when i use fancypants guide, infact his a fantastic guy and i have learned a few things about lighting that really helped and got that question out of the way and for the record i love his videos and i don't think nothing is wrong with his tutorials, but for some reason when i do it at 15 FPS, it just doesn't look like a normal film should, my one is choppy, i would like help i do not want lectures, please.

5.) My 5th question is when making a fighting scene, for example I'd like to make 2 male minifigs having a brawl using there hands, meaning one punches the other, the other punches him, but while doing so how can i make the timing perfect to make the speed not to fast, yet not slow but also not choppy, i want to make the speed just normal, as in he throws his fist at the other persons face really fast, but i don't want the other person to just fall down quickly making it look unrealistic. I want to know what i have to do to make it perfect timing so i can add in the sounds, the movement, the frames and the quality all together. I want to be able to make a lego man run at a number lego then stop in front of him throw a punch, then the other to retaliate and hit him back and go from there though without making it unrealistic or to choppy. I want to learn, I don't want people to judge me just by the few i made over the years the older ones being when i was a younger kid with a cellphone, that's how much passion i have to want to do this. The above question is just an example anyone who can help me can answer this question with any scenario even one being were 2 Lego's are talking and another lego comes in and attacks, i just want to know how to do the frames, how many frames i would be expecting whether to take doubles, do it at 15 FPS, whether to tilt the camera, whether to do smaller movements, or whatever it is essential to making it as realistic and enjoyable as possible at the same time.

6.) My final question is once i get the basic concept done of all the questions up above, I'd like to know how to put all of it together, as in adding effects, credit scenes, syncing the voices to the parts needed, camera movement if necessary and any other essential finishing touches.

First and foremost Thanks to everyone who put there time to read this, i really appreciate it, im not saying you have to, i don't want to force anyone, I'm just hoping for someone or even a few people answering certain questions giving me some kind of instruction that can help me and other people, something easy to read in fact if you have time what i feel the best kind of tutorial from writing then posting  picture so writing and showing pictures to me is the best of help and its those little things that make that huge leap and can really change peoples perspective of the whole view of things.

So once again thanks everyone in advance.

Generalned

Moderator Notice: This user has been banned for mass vandalism of the Brikifilms wiki.]
"You don't know what you have till you lose it, but then when you realize it, it's probably to late.."
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  • Location: United States
  • Joined: June 21, 2011

Re: NOTICE: Need important questions answered, If you have time, Thank you

Generalned wrote:

GIANT WALL OF TEXT

OK, here we go.
First, you probably either need to get some more baseplates, or make sure you have enough colored plates to just about cover one. Having all your floors Light Bley will get boring and plain very quickly. And getting some Light and Dark Bley bricks would be nice. But remember, it's not about how much Lego you have or don't have, it's about what you do with it that matters.

#1. Having the video play at 30FPS, but taking two pictures of each frame will not make it any smoother. That would look the same as 15 FPS, the only difference being that frame will be doubled, and each one's time being seen would be cut in half. Doing that more-or-less only results in a larger video file, and therefore ties up more memory. (There are a few small benefits to doing that, but since it doesn't help the animation itself, I'll leave that for later.) Smoothness all depends on how much you move your figure for each frame. So this video and this article should help.

#2. Watching the above video should help with this one. Just be sure to ease-in and out for every single movement, no matter how small it may be. The capture program has nothing to do with the actual animation, it only "Captures" what you've put in front of the camera. Some programs have cool, useful features that others don't, but in the long run it really doesn't matter, it's the creator/animator/producer that makes the film good or bad, not the programs used to put it together.

#3. Well, this all depends on several things.
   A. The style of animation. (Figures in ANP's films move very differently than the figs in Smeagol's because of the different styles that those two use.)

   B. The genre of film. (A horror film will probably have more subtle movements than an all out comedy.)

   C. The individual's "Personality." (A happy-go-lucky character and a depressed character will not move the same.)
   There's a lot of variable's with this one, so I recommend that you just watch a bunch of films, and then do some experimenting.

#4. This and this should help. In addition to the aforementioned video by Fancypants.

#5. The above answers should help a lot. mini/wink
Now, let's say you wanted a figure take a third of a second to fall down. You would then calculate this with your frame-rate (Let's say 15FPS) and just do the math. In this case he would need 5 frames to go from standing up, to on the ground. This just takes a bunch of practice, and eventually you'll develop your "Animator's sense" and not need to calculate things to make then look good. For fight scenes, just go by your instincts, figure out what moves, camera angles, and general events you want, storyboard it, (Some animator's use storyboards, and some don't, so this is optional) then just let yourself loose. 90% of the time I improvise my fight scenes, All I do is figure out who I want to win, (And how) then just keep having them pound each other until the timing feels good, then wrap it up.

#6. I don't really get what your asking here, but here's what may answer it.

A. Voices:
   1A. You can get the lines before you animate, then figure out which movements you want to go with which words, then calculate how many frames each movement should take. (Recommended.)

   2A. You can animate, then get the lines and add/subtract frames afterword to match the voice. (Not recommended.)

B. Camera movements:
These follow the same guide lines as all other animation. So watch this, it's more-or-less "Camera movement 101."

C. Credits/title screens:
Open Sony Vegas, click "Help", click "Show me how..." then "Adding text and backdrops."
Credits are only title screens that either scroll up, or switch from screen to screen until they show all the names.

D. Syncing audio to video:
See above for voices, and with sounds, bring a sound into Sony Vegas, then just scroll back and forth until you have the sound placed where you want it.

E. Effects. Don't ask me, other than masking, I don't hardly use any effects.

Hopefully at least some of the above will help you. mini/wink

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Pritchard Studios's Website

  • Location: Earth
  • Joined: July 4, 2011

Re: NOTICE: Need important questions answered, If you have time, Thank you

A couple more things to add:

About #3: After you finish your script, and know what genre you want, here's the way I animate dialogue scenes (I find this the easiest way): If you want your character to say ''I have found the scroll, what is your will my master?'' the first thing you need to do is find the emphasis points. EX: ''I have found the scroll, what is your will my master?'' the words I have underlined are your emphasis points. Act out the scene and picture how your character would say it. I think he would hold the scroll up when he says "scroll". So, therefore, animate him holding up the scroll. Then I think he would hold up the other arm when he says "master". So, animate him moving his other arm. Then, in post-production add the pauses necessary.

Also, the most important thing of all: Practice, practice, practice! It's going to take time and practice to be a good animator. I admire your passion and enthusiasm, those are the very two things you need to create a great brickfilm. mini/smile

EDIT: If you have more questions, search around BiM first. There's some really useful stuff around here.

Last edited by PlainBrickProductions (August 27, 2012 (01:44pm))

- PlainBrick
Formerly MrLegoProductions
http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z354/mrlego15/bg67_zps34f3201a.png
Youtube - My Latest Video
  • Location: Australia
  • Joined: January 6, 2011

Re: NOTICE: Need important questions answered, If you have time, Thank you

@Pritchard Studios, Thankyou so much for replying with a long and inspirational reply i honestly really appreciate it, i am willing to put all the time necessary to get to perfection, so i will watch and read the links, and yes your answers have defiantly helped me,  you have given me a lot more understanding of the concept if i have any more questions I'll be sure to post it here. The repelling spider with its 15 FPS picture tutorial was helpful i prefer them over youtube just as i dont have alot of data atm so its hard for me. So thank you for that.

@MrLegoProductions thank you also very much for your reply i appreciate how you can understand how excited and passionate i am to begin learning and creating brickfilms. I infact also found your emphasis points method really helpful. And i will keep practising and i'll put them up on youtube when i can to keep you updated hopefully it will get better!

Thanks alot guys for your replys i really appreciate it!

Generalned

Moderator Notice: This user has been banned for mass vandalism of the Brikifilms wiki.]
"You don't know what you have till you lose it, but then when you realize it, it's probably to late.."
Working on a better community
Proverbs 26:21
  • Location: Australia
  • Joined: January 6, 2011

Re: NOTICE: Need important questions answered, If you have time, Thank you

hey guys i am happy to say thanks to your help i made a second video which i am proud to say has improved since my first one, thanks to you guys, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32mJrvbE … ature=plcp

I hope you like it.

Thanks everyone in advance.

Generalned

Moderator Notice: This user has been banned for mass vandalism of the Brikifilms wiki.]
"You don't know what you have till you lose it, but then when you realize it, it's probably to late.."
Working on a better community
Proverbs 26:21