Topic: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

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Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

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An incredible stop motion adventure following two children and an old man on a quest to rescue their brother from the clutches of a fearsome foe. Following Zathen’s abduction by his worst enemy, his two younger siblings must learn to face unknown fears and follow the guidance of a wiser man. Amidst harsh weather, villains, and twisted backstory, the trio’s dedication to their quest will be firmly tested. Climaxing at the enemy stronghold, Bound provides an interesting and fun adventure for the family in a format and scale never before seen in brickfilm. After all, there are no holds barred when someone’s soul is on the line.

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Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

If you are asking why it's now free, and I'm pretty sure more than...three people are, I'll explain. We had an international distribution contract for the film, and had presales ranging well above the film's budget. At least 6 international countries had requested it for distribution, and more than one for theatrical release. It was getting overdubbed in French. The Berlin Film Festival requested permission to show it. Things were looking awesome. But then a little crew known as The Lego Group saw how Bound was doing, and they're a little zealous for their brand protection, well, everywhere. So one letter from their legal department commanding us to cease and desist was all it took. We had two lawyers rooting for us who tried to work any kind of deal out with TLG for more than two months. They wouldn't budge. So our loss is your gain! Enjoy Bound, download Bound, share Bound all over the universe. Or even other universes. Free to the world, free to share. Long live epic brickfilms!!

Last edited by Mudskipper (June 3, 2016 (04:19pm))

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

So sad to hear that TLG shut you down. It's a pity.

Anyway, I love the film. You did a fantastic job bringing the production quality up a notch (or three) and delivered a very polished and very epic final product. Visually, it is a beautiful film. Your choice of shots is great, and it has a sense of scale that goes well beyond the norm. The music is moving, which is a strong testament to the skill of your composer.

I found it a bit odd that the Lego name was evidently erased from all the studs. I'm sure that was done to avoid all the legal issues that eventually overtook you, but it made for a unique look. For a bit, I even wondered if you had used Megabloks bricks. (Oh, the blasphemy! mini/tongue ) You did a great job removing the name, and it's too bad all that work went to waste.

Now, I think I've mentioned it elsewhere, but the only part of the film that falls down a bit is the script. I found some of the humor didn't work for me. (Most everything when they refer to themselves as Lego or pop out body parts.) Those broke the world building that had already occurred, and the tone felt a bit jarring against the otherwise serious film. The built in a factory/toy like nature of the characters seemed inconsistent with the real-world side of being 'saved' and trusting the real God of Heaven. It's like it couldn't decide, and tried to eat it's cake and have it too.

Then, a few scenes/events felt rushed. The kid's choice to go after their father, for one. Again, I feel like I've written a detailed review of this before, though I can't seem to find that now.

While the script may sink a bit under the pressure and expectations, the film itself is still incredibly stunning.
This stands as a proud and tall testament to your team's skill and dedication. This is certainly something that you can be very, very proud of. Thank you for investing so much of your time and energy into this film. Don't be discouraged by TLG's orders. God allowed that to happen for a reason. Just trust him with the result.
God bless,
Pritchard

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

Pritchard Studios wrote:

So sad to hear that TLG shut you down. It's a pity.

Anyway, I love the film. You did a fantastic job bringing the production quality up a notch (or three) and delivered a very polished and very epic final product. Visually, it is a beautiful film. Your choice of shots is great, and it has a sense of scale that goes well beyond the norm. The music is moving, which is a strong testament to the skill of your composer.

I found it a bit odd that the Lego name was evidently erased from all the studs. I'm sure that was done to avoid all the legal issues that eventually overtook you, but it made for a unique look. For a bit, I even wondered if you had used Megabloks bricks. (Oh, the blasphemy! mini/tongue ) You did a great job removing the name, and it's too bad all that work went to waste.

Now, I think I've mentioned it elsewhere, but the only part of the film that falls down a bit is the script. I found some of the humor didn't work for me. (Most everything when they refer to themselves as Lego or pop out body parts.) Those broke the world building that had already occurred, and the tone felt a bit jarring against the otherwise serious film. The built in a factory/toy like nature of the characters seemed inconsistent with the real-world side of being 'saved' and trusting the real God of Heaven. It's like it couldn't decide, and tried to eat it's cake and have it too.

Then, a few scenes/events felt rushed. The kid's choice to go after their father, for one. Again, I feel like I've written a detailed review of this before, though I can't seem to find that now.

While the script may sink a bit under the pressure and expectations, the film itself is still incredibly stunning.
This stands as a proud and tall testament to your team's skill and dedication. This is certainly something that you can be very, very proud of. Thank you for investing so much of your time and energy into this film. Don't be discouraged by TLG's orders. God allowed that to happen for a reason. Just trust him with the result.
God bless,
Pritchard

Thanks Pritchard! I don't disagree with you. In fact, I quite agree with the element of "having our cake and eating it to". I wrote the film when I was 15, so that plays into the script issues. And as to the Gospel presentation, I agree that it's a little cheesy, and ill fitting. Because I believe it's absolutely true, I don't think that takes away from it's relevance. It was just poorly incorporated into this piece of work. Some of it was pressure from outside sources, some of it was being 15, and some of it was expectations from my crew of friends/backers. I won't apologize for it being in there, but it certainly could have been better incorporated.

Thank you so much for your critiques and kind words!

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

I must say that few brickfilms are as inspirational to me as Bound. The scale of sets and expansions, the animation (especially in shots as large as the market), the lighting (although the cave had a bit too much flickering), the sound design and custom score, the plot and character development, the VFX...basically everything makes this one of the best brickfilms around. As for critique, I think Pritchard covered it quite well. And although it's a real shame that TLG stopped it's progression in a sense, I hope that it will be freely shared everywhere.

Also, will it be available on iTunes or elsewhere as a buy-able download (instead of as a DVD)?

Last edited by legoguy501 (June 3, 2016 (11:51pm))

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Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

Pritchard Studios wrote:

So sad to hear that TLG shut you down. It's a pity.

Totally agree.

We havn't watched it yet (we're very busy these days...), but you said it was getting overdubbed in French. Is there a chance to watch a French version one day, or at least a version with French subtitles if it has already been translated? We would really be interested in that! mini/smile

Last edited by France & Alex (June 4, 2016 (01:12am))

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

A truly epic brickfilm. Everything from the sets, the lighting, the excellent animation-and I think how you incorporated the  Message was pretty well done too. There wasn't really a villain, and that's good. Not every story needs a big bad villain, just a conflict. The only complaints I would really have were mainly the ones Pritchard Studios wrote, about pacing and such. All in all, I am most glad that people can get an epic adventure with an actual deeper meaning about God behind it. It stinks that TLG had a problem with it, though. mini/sweat Great epic brickfilm!

(Also, I loved the Princess Bride reference. It is one of my favorite movies)

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

France & Alex wrote:
Pritchard Studios wrote:

So sad to hear that TLG shut you down. It's a pity.

Totally agree.

We havn't watched it yet (we're very busy these days...), but you said it was getting overdubbed in French. Is there a chance to watch a French version one day, or at least a version with French subtitles if it has already been translated? We would really be interested in that! mini/smile

France and Alex, I regret to say that the French overdubbing was a part of our distribution agreement, and will no longer be happening. Sorry!

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

legoguy501 wrote:

I must say that few brickfilms are as inspirational to me as Bound. The scale of sets and expansions, the animation (especially in shots as large as the market), the lighting (although the cave had a bit too much flickering), the sound design and custom score, the plot and character development, the VFX...basically everything makes this one of the best brickfilms around. As for critique, I think Pritchard covered it quite well. And although it's a real shame that TLG stopped it's progression in a sense, I hope that it will be freely shared everywhere.

Also, will it be available on iTunes or elsewhere as a buy-able download (instead of as a DVD)?

Actually Legoguy501, if you look under the video on the Vimeo link, I have provided a Blu-Ray download link for you all. It is 5.1 GB, but at least it's 1080p!

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

Well, TLG is getting better about brickfilms, but no one ever said they were perfect. Even though it's now free, I'm still happy to have paid for the film. The scale is epic, with mind blowing sets and really nice animation, though the first 10 minutes (?, it's been a little while since I've seen it) of animation were a bit rough, but you improved quickly for the rest of the film. I won't offer a ton of critique, since like I said, it's been a while since I watched it, but i will agree with Pritchard that the script falls short of few times, but I understand you were young when you wrote it. I look back at some of my old scripts and cringe super hard. My big complaint about it is that I prefer the message of a film to be subtle, and in Bound it's more of a major plot point. But that's really my only issue with the piece. It's an incredible film, achieving a scale never before seen in a brickfilm, and you should be really proud of what you've accomplished. I'm really sorry you got shut down, but don't let it discourage you from taking on another project; I'd love to see another film from you guys, though it doesn't need to be on quite the same scale. mini/wink

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

As I've said before, this was a really impressive achievement! Congratulations on completing such a large, ambitious project well, and my condolences things didn't work out with your release plan.

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Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

Wow that stinks that the TLG shut you down, and just like backyardlegos I'm glad to have bought it before it was released free. That way i saw it before some others and was very happy to support you.  You guys did a great job on Bound and I love the Gospel message in it.  I'll be praying for you guys! Also you did a great job on animation Greg. Its some of the best in brickfilms i have ever seen.

God Bless

Real Love is Sacrifice, a choice to Love others more then yourself and to put their needs before yours.

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

This brickfilm was brilliant! The animation was near perfect in my opinion. I enjoyed the small Don Quixote moment as well, but the Gospel message was especially well done. God bless indeed.

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

I liked this film a lot!  mini/bigsmile
The sets were fantastic!
and the animation and effects seemed really good to me.
I actually like the "LEGO humor", although it did feel inconsistent with the arrow scene.
There were a few bits of voiceover that seemed like they could have been better, but it was mostly very good.
While the Gospel presentation may not have been perfect, it did feel like it belonged, and was an integral part of the plot, not something that was just tacked on to make it "christian", and I'm glad you put it in.

Keep making great films! mini/yes

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Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

I've seen this film a couple times now, and it's still really good. Sure, it's got some flaws, but any film made in 6 years at home will! A great film every time I watch it. mini/smile

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Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

This is a masterpiece. I agree with the others that the writing at times wasn't perfect, and the message of faith could have been done better. As others pointed out, I thought it was strange how they make references to being Lego and the humor in general did seem out of place in an otherwise serious film. That being said, I still really liked the humor and it isn't always a bad thing to inject a little comedy to a drama. Although my films are mostly serious, I don't try to take myself too seriously - I add a few jokes here and there and I generally feel like it works. Anyway, this is a real epic that will go down in Brickfilm history as an epic masterpiece. You really should be proud of what you have brought to life in this marvelous work of art!

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

This is a great film. Well done on completing such a movie of such scope. It is unfortunate that Lego were jerks and got up in arms. You would think they would be encouraging and be supportive of this project?
But sadly they were not and to be honest I think it sends the wrong message.
Congrats again and good luck with future projects.

Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

"Jerks" is a little harsh.  In TLG"s defense, the Lego logo was Photoshopped off each stud in this film.

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Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

HoldingOurOwn wrote:

"Jerks" is a little harsh.  In TLG"s defense, the Lego logo was Photoshopped off each stud in this film.

I must agree that saying LEGO is a company of jerks that want to destroy art is extreme.

However, unless I'm misunderstanding you, HOO, LEGO didn't do what they did because their logo was missing. In fact, that was a measure made to help dis-associate it from The LEGO Group. I think the reason LEGO did what they did was because of a lack of LEGO disclaimer (unless I just didn't watch closely enough, I didn't see one mini/sad ) and to protect their brand. It's very unfortunate, and I sympathize with Greg. I would have loved to see Bound take off in the ways it might have. See, for LEGO, they want to make sure people's art isn't representing their brand for them. With Bound, even if it did have the disclaimer and no LEGO logo or anything, it might be confused by audiences (especially children) for an official LEGO film. I assume that's what LEGO is trying to prevent.

It's terrible indeed, and I'm sure it's complicated. Much more complicated than I speculate, for I'm just an outsider making a few quick remarks.

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Re: Bound - The Epic Brickfilm

This was beautiful. All those sets... mini/love

I would have to agree that the weakest part was the script, but I understand how it turned out that way with all the expectations and when it was written.

Great job overall, and I'm sorry you couldn't follow through with the distribution plan! mini/sad