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!
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Aside from the new mod element rule, everything will operate the same as previous years.
Providing an uncropped frame is no longer part of the THAC rules...
I was unaware of this. Thank you for clarifying this point.
Oh this is going to be interesting
Hopefully I'm not mid trip back to college when this happens. 
About the new mod element rule: ... And two, to save you time if you forget to include the mod element in a shot or two. In the past, I know I've had to go back and re-film something because I forgot the mod element. We want to avoid disqualifying someone for forgetting the mod element in a shot but creating an otherwise perfectly acceptable film.
I think I could make an entire short film of shots I forgot to put the mod element in over the past few years of THAC! 
I really appreciate this consideration (though I'll hopefully avoid it this year with enough sticky notes!).
The new mod element rule sounds like it's probably a good thing, but I'm confused by the wording as to what it actually means. I'm guessing it means the following:
If you forget/omit the mod element in a few shots, it's ok as long as the length of those shots don't add up to more than 15 seconds.
The new mod element rule sounds like it's probably a good thing, but I'm confused by the wording as to what it actually means. I'm guessing it means the following:
If you forget/omit the mod element in a few shots, it's ok as long as the length of those shots don't add up to more than 15 seconds.
Yes,... also the way I read it...
And omitting is ok when the shot requires it.. for instance looking at a blue sky for a few frames anticipating something to fly in.. (e.g. a yellow-pink car 
). Giving you more freedom in shots (and saving you the hassle of explaining why these frames don't have the mod and proving they were made for the contest... as in line with the rules of former THACs... (not that I have any experience as a participant 
)).
thistof wrote:The new mod element rule sounds like it's probably a good thing, but I'm confused by the wording as to what it actually means. I'm guessing it means the following:
If you forget/omit the mod element in a few shots, it's ok as long as the length of those shots don't add up to more than 15 seconds.
Yes,... also the way I read it...
And omitting is ok when the shot requires it.. for instance looking at a blue sky for a few frames anticipating something to fly in.. (e.g. a yellow-pink car
In your example of a blue sky and a car flying in, that would have been acceptable in previous THACs without the 15 second leeway, since the mod is seen at some point within the shot. This is because the mod does not need to be seen in every frame, just every shot. In the case of this THAC, you could have a shot of the blue sky without the mod (and it would add towards your 15 second leeway time), and then a separate shot with the car/mod element.
If you forget/omit the mod element in a few shots, it's ok as long as the length of those shots don't add up to more than 15 seconds.
Yes, that's correct. You are not required to use the 15 seconds, but they are there if you would like to or need to use them.
Brick Broadcasting wrote:thistof wrote:The new mod element rule sounds like it's probably a good thing, but I'm confused by the wording as to what it actually means. I'm guessing it means the following:
If you forget/omit the mod element in a few shots, it's ok as long as the length of those shots don't add up to more than 15 seconds.
Yes,... also the way I read it...
And omitting is ok when the shot requires it.. for instance looking at a blue sky for a few frames anticipating something to fly in.. (e.g. a yellow-pink car
In your example of a blue sky and a car flying in, that would have been acceptable in previous THACs without the 15 second leeway, since the mod is seen at some point within the shot. This is because the mod does not need to be seen in every frame, just every shot. In the case of this THAC, you could have a shot of the blue sky without the mod (and it would add towards your 15 second leeway time), and then a separate shot with the car/mod element.
So apparently I misunderstood the mod rule like always... (up till now)
Thanks for the clarification Chris! )
Sorry, but what exactly is a mod element? Just never come across the term before. It seems like a stupid question, but I feel that I should know what it is if I do decide to enter. Thanks.
Just for clarification, this 15 seconds is a total across the film, not just 15 continuous seconds which is then reset to 0 each time the mod appears?
Sorry, but what exactly is a mod element? Just never come across the term before. It seems like a stupid question, but I feel that I should know what it is if I do decide to enter. Thanks.
A mod element is just something to ensure that the film was made in the 24 hours. The basic idea is that if the judges can see either that year's letter or color combo in every shot of your film, they can tell that you aren't trying to cheat. I'd recommend checking past THAC announcements; it's helpful to see how it all specifically works the day of!
Just for clarification, this 15 seconds is a total across the film, not just 15 continuous seconds which is then reset to 0 each time the mod appears?
Yes, 15 seconds total. You do not have to include the mod element for a maximum of 15 seconds of animation. When you have reached 15 seconds, you must then include the mod element in every shot. The 15 seconds can appear anywhere in your film and do not have to be in order. The time is not reset at any point.
Sorry, but what exactly is a mod element? Just never come across the term before. It seems like a stupid question, but I feel that I should know what it is if I do decide to enter. Thanks.
TurtleFlight is right. A mod element (moderator element) is used to show that your film was created within the 24 hour time limit and it has become somewhat of a tradition to use them for THAC and BRAWL. There are two different mod elements that will be announced at the start of the contest–a color mod and a letter mod. The color mod will be two different color bricks that must be connected or touching. And the letter mod will be a randomly selected letter from the alphabet. You can hand draw the letter, print it out and stick it on to a wall, or build it out of bricks. You do not have to use both mod elements, but one or the other must appear in every shot with the exception of 15 seconds.
I am very exited for this! Hmm, so this year we have 15 of seconds that can be full of shots without the mod element in them... And these 15 seconds don't have to be all in one piece, right? I mean we can break up those seconds and use them to fill in those shots that would look better without the mod element, as long as they make up maximum 15 secs of our vid? I'm up for the challenge! 
I want to enter, but I don't know if I'll be available. Am I allowed to step out if I've already entered but then realize that I'm not available that weekend?
And these 15 seconds don't have to be all in one piece, right? I mean we can break up those seconds and use them to fill in those shots that would look better without the mod element, as long as they make up maximum 15 secs of our vid?
Yes, that's right. The 15 seconds do not have to be in consecutive order.
I want to enter, but I don't know if I'll be available. Am I allowed to step out if I've already entered but then realize that I'm not available that weekend?
There's not a registration process for the contest, BrickAnimator. You enter by simply creating a film and submitting it via email before the deadline. You don't have to commit to entering, so if you decide to enter that's great but if you can't, that's perfectly fine.
I can't wait! It's been two years since I last attempted THAC - Now it's time to try again with a proper plan.
I think the wording of it was strange to begin with, which has caused a lot of confusion. I had to read it a few times before I got it. Think of it this way:
Use the mod as in previous years. If you have a few shots in which it just doesn't work (an extreme closeup of a face, for example) or if you happen to forget to put it into a shot, don't sweat it. However check out the shots in which you didn't include it. They must not add up to more than 15 seconds. If your shot includes the mod element at some point in it's duration, even if it's not in frame the whole time, that's fine, and you don't need to count that towards the 15 seconds.
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