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Topic: Brickfilm of the Week: Through the Hatch (August 28, 2015)

http://bricksafe.com/files/sillypenta/ThroughTheHatch.png

(I will be filling in for Brickfilm of the Week while Nathan is busy filming the animated portion of the BiM documentary with Sméagol and MindGame.)

This week’s Brickfilm of the Week is Through the Hatch by David Clark.

Through the Hatch is an action brickfilm by David Clark. It was first released in 2009, though was possibly finished earlier. It is about a police chase through the attic of a house. As with many of David Clark's other brickfilms, it uses real life for its setting, and makes use of in-set effects and lighting. It is Clark's first brickfilm, and made an impression when posted to BiM in 2010. A sequel, Down the Hatch, was in production in 2006 but was later cancelled, and the scenes that were filmed were released in 2012.

David Clark is a member of Bricks in Motion under the username namchild. He is best known for The Duel, and also placed second in THAC 8 with LEGO vs..

Watch Through the Hatch on YouTube

What Through the Hatch may lack in frame-rate, it more than makes up for in creativity and technique. One of the most impressive animated elements is the camera itself, and I am always impressed by the camera following the car through tight spaces such as the shot at 2:08. The film is a great example of using real-world setting, even if it doesn't explicitly acknowledge that it's in the real world or interact with humans, like in other films such as The Magic Portal or Headache-key.

What are your thoughts on Through the Hatch? What did you like about it? Did you have a favorite moment? Do you know any other brickfilms that make good use of a real-life setting?

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Penta's Website

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Re: Brickfilm of the Week: Through the Hatch (August 28, 2015)

It's very different from any other brickfilm I've seen. The scenes with the flying Lego, such as the jumping and the helicopter is amazing. Of course, all of us know you have to use masking to get that effect, but the masking is flawless. There is absolutely no light flicker, at least I didn't notice any, and that must of been difficult, when covering such a large area. My only judgement with the film is that I don't quite understand what's meant to be happening. I'm not sure if there is much of a storyline, but nonetheless, this is an amazing film!

Last edited by William Osborne (August 29, 2015 (12:30am))

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Re: Brickfilm of the Week: Through the Hatch (August 28, 2015)

This one is actually one of my favourite brickfilms.

One of the aspects I enjoy the most is the animation. It may be seen as sloppy and with low framerate, but it's excellent nonetheless, because the movement is right, and despite apparent slppiness, it manages to be clear at all time about what's going on, thanks in part also to the cinematography. It shows that in animation, framerate does not matter if you don't understand movement: once you get that, you can do it at whatever framerate you want.
It also has some of the best action sequences I've seen in any brickfilm, and it's almost entirely a succession of action sequences. I never grow tired of it, I always end up wanting more.

Another aspect to admire is the audio: the music, the sound editing, the voice acting, everything helps to create this particular world, his mood and his pace. It's a pleasure to listen at.

About the plot: it doesn't really need one. We know who the good guys are, who are the bad ones, and we kind of root for both sides. With that much information we're ready to just enjoy what's on screen.
It may be just a lot of fun and not much else, but it's thrilling, exciting, surprising, and all of the highest quality. Fun doesn't always require a storyline.

I'd also like to recommend another one of his - one that is missing from the presentation of this thread - which is, I think, perhaps his best one. Made for the BiM Avant Garde contest, it arrived 4th: Odd Jobs.

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Re: Brickfilm of the Week: Through the Hatch (August 28, 2015)

Odd jobs was fantastic.

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Re: Brickfilm of the Week: Through the Hatch (August 28, 2015)

This is my all time favorite brick film. I hope he releases more videos soon! mini/bigsmile

Moved an have no room to animate, but I do have a Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/84070766@N07/ My friends and I have been composing a Comic Series: http://cosmosquestcomic.com

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