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Bricks in Motion
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!
A place to discuss, share, and create stop motion films.
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Foreward: TL;DR proves my point.
I think you guys are largely missing the point. There were bad brickfilms being made even in the good years of brickfilming — you can't expect that LEGO Studios set to have been bought mostly by adults for their own use, do you? I got that set and made at least 20 terrible films before I started wising up, and I'm sure there were plenty more kids doing just the same thing. Just because you didn't see most of them doesn't mean it didn't happen.
You can't blame licensed themes for the downfall of brickfilming. No large corporation like LEGO or YouTube is responsible, at least not directly. I've already stated my reasons for why I think brickfilming is dying, but let me clarify.
I think most new brickfilmers don't want to put forth the effort to make something great. For example, I see loads of members looking into getting $500 DSLR cameras — new members, who as far as I know have never made a semi-memorable brickfilm in their life. What is the logic behind this? Why not just get a $80 webcam? Heck, that's what Buxton uses, and his quality is superb! Isn't a $500 investment a little grand for someone just starting out?
I think the logic here is "better camera = better quality." Now let me explain that. When I say better quality, I think these newer members are thinking of better starting quality — that with a DSLR, they don't have to fiddle around with camera settings or lighting; that they can just point the camera and shoot. I've come to this conclusion because I've seen people bashing webcams, like in this post.
i dislike Webcams cuz i dont get the angles i want, and just a hassle for me
This guy was talking about getting a DSLR, which are MUCH harder to get good angles with, if I'm correct, because they're so bulky (don't get me wrong, though — DSLRs are awesome). He also doesn't seem to have spent the time to try getting the best quality out of his webcam. I'm kind of guilty of this myself. I begged my parents to get me an Intous, which I figured I'd use for drawing, because at the time I wasn't satisfied with paper and pencil, even though I never practiced. When they did finally get me one, I did a couple doodles with it and haven't drawn with it since (though I have found that tablets are much better for your wrists than mice are).
I hope you get my point, though. Heck, I've talked to adults about this, and they've all largely agreed that kids today want things hassle-free and instantly, without much work put into it, which is a side-effect of videogames and the internet, unfortunately. I'm sure there are a number of articles about it scattered around the internet that you can read.
Want to save brickfilming? Go pick up a book on animation, or storytelling, or whatever part of brickfilming interests you the most. READ it. A bunch of this stuff you can also find lurking on the internet, if you care to look. Find a forum with active members who are great at what they do, who probably are working in the field. Post your work there; get it critiqued. PRACTICE. I can tell you from experience, once I started doing those things, I knew I was improving. I could see it in my work. I'm not great yet, nor am I really good. I'm still animating simple things like lamps and balls. It's a process. But I KNOW I'm improving, and that makes it all worth it.
$0.02
For me, just the fact that brickfilming has become more of a popularity builder and money maker (youtube partnerships is what i mean), it's lost a lot of it's snazziness it once had.
But that's just my take on it, I still like brickfilming, but it feels like it's lost a lot of it's luster because of the whole youtube making money stuff. I mean, most people's goals in brickfilming is to get a youtube partnership. Not that that's a bad thing.
I agree. Since you're now available to make money on YouTube, people take it as "OH YES WELL I'VE GOTTA START NOW!" and make a brickfilm in about an hour. A lot of brickfilmers on YouTube are sadly starting to get unoriginal, like making a Star Wars or Indiana Jones brickfilm with humour of cursing. And there are of course good brickfilms themed Star Wars and such but that's only about 15%. People are also often waaay too inspired by someone. For example, they see a brickfilm, and they make it the same theme, the same set, a very familiar story and nearly a completely same humour. So, to answer your question, I think it's the fact that a lot of brickfilmers are just kinda loosing creativity, mainly those that are influenced by popular YouTube brickfilmers. (such as Forrestfire, not Keshen or MindGame)
Nope. I think it's always been like that. There have always been good and bad brickfilmers.
As for the Star Warts debate, it's a matter of opinion. I personally like star wars and get a kick out of watching bad brickfilms, as well as enjoying good ones.
Even though I don't brickfilm, I think the reason you guys feel that brickfilming has lost it's glow is because, well, ever since the Community forum went down, I'm sure some you partially don't brickfilm because it's a hobby, but to get in to the community.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Even though I don't brickfilm, I think the reason you guys feel that brickfilming has lost it's glow is because, well, ever since the Community forum went down, I'm sure some you partially don't brickfilm because it's a hobby, but to get in to the community.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
I don't think so. The two causes mentioned, YouTube and Lego's licensed themes, started way before the Community forum was closed. All the closing did was sort out all the users who weren't really interested in brickfilming and just wanted to be part of the community (fans of Nathan Wells's Minecraft videos, for example).
I think the reason why brickfilming is going down because some new brickfilmers don't put the time and energy to make a good brickfilm. I'll use myself as an example, for BRAWL and THAC I rushed into it and made a bad film that embarrest me. Well I have learned from my mistakes most people on youtube haven't.
Another thing is becuase FF101 250,000 subscribers and generates millions of viewers which causes people to make senseless films like him. I don't want to bash him like that but its probaly true.
While that is true at the same time we should be thankful for FF101's and Keshen8's (and other guys) popularity because if it wasn't for these guys who became popular for their lego films, brickfilming would be some underground stop-motion art now 
who would search for lego animation videos on youtube if they didn't knew that existed at all?
I'm more like an FF101 anti-fan because I don't remember the last time I enjoyed his video but I still admire the guy's ability to grow his channel into something really huge, the guy earns at least 1000$ per month with that amount of views.
Last edited by Leo's World (February 10, 2012 (06:17pm))
Ah! No more FF101!! Remember what happened last time?!!?!?!?~!!!?? 
You know, I was thinking the same thing just a few days ago, but I tried to shove it out of my head. The big thing I have noticed is that there isn't as much going on, the number of films being released seems to have gone down lately. Is it just me, or has the forum seemed to have become less active in recent months? Maybe we should go on a recruiting drive, there are a number of good brickfilmers who are not members here. As the topic of the Community Forum has been brought up, I want to say that I have wish it was still here. It helped me get to know my fellow brickfilmers, and I miss that.
i guess most people who get into brickfilming is by ff101 or keshen8 the thing is they want to better than them but they can't. Amateur brickfilmers start off with licence sets to do it and they do really bad quality films. There's not much experts though and that makes brickfilms go downhill because of the amateurs
I've talked to adults about this, and they've all largely agreed that kids today want things hassle-free and instantly, without much work put into it, which is a side-effect of videogames and the internet, unfortunately. I'm sure there are a number of articles about it scattered around the internet that you can read.
Want to save brickfilming? Go pick up a book on animation, or storytelling, or whatever part of brickfilming interests you the most. READ it. A bunch of this stuff you can also find lurking on the internet, if you care to look. Find a forum with active members who are great at what they do, who probably are working in the field. Post your work there; get it critiqued. PRACTICE. I can tell you from experience, once I started doing those things, I knew I was improving. I could see it in my work. I'm not great yet, nor am I really good. I'm still animating simple things like lamps and balls. It's a process. But I KNOW I'm improving, and that makes it all worth it.
*gives Littlebrick standing ovation and big kiss (on the cheek, lol)*
I couldn't agree more. Many of the "video game generation" have no attention span, demand immediate gratification, and haven't the will or the fortitude to put the time into anything, much less a time consuming, challenging hobby like brickfilming. Study, practice, and put in the time, and a great film will eventually be born.
Littlebrick wrote:I've talked to adults about this, and they've all largely agreed that kids today want things hassle-free and instantly, without much work put into it, which is a side-effect of videogames and the internet, unfortunately. I'm sure there are a number of articles about it scattered around the internet that you can read.
Want to save brickfilming? Go pick up a book on animation, or storytelling, or whatever part of brickfilming interests you the most. READ it. A bunch of this stuff you can also find lurking on the internet, if you care to look. Find a forum with active members who are great at what they do, who probably are working in the field. Post your work there; get it critiqued. PRACTICE. I can tell you from experience, once I started doing those things, I knew I was improving. I could see it in my work. I'm not great yet, nor am I really good. I'm still animating simple things like lamps and balls. It's a process. But I KNOW I'm improving, and that makes it all worth it.
*gives Littlebrick standing ovation and big kiss (on the cheek, lol)*
I couldn't agree more. Many of the "video game generation" have no attention span, demand immediate gratification, and haven't the will or the fortitude to put the time into anything, much less a time consuming, challenging hobby like brickfilming. Study, practice, and put in the time, and a great film will eventually be born.
Unfortunately, this is true. I grew up playing some video games, but most of them took patience to play, so I guess it was okay, and isn't as bad as the kids who grow up playing Halo or something. 
Your other point was good too. A problem with a lot of brick filmers now, they say, only say positive things, or they completely ignore your advice or insult. Insults are basically constructive criticism in a broader, less specific, and meaner way, but it's still helpful in my opinion, because with criticism, people shouldn't be picky, since it can only be for their own benefit.
Last edited by TheBrianMastermind (February 10, 2012 (09:22pm))
People don't make films anymore. A film has a plot, characters, a setting, a problem, and a resolution. All I see it 10 second pun shorts being pumped out by the child who thinks he's a genius. Make films, not shorts. Before you animate a couple of clones, how about you write a story from your own mind with your own characters and your own plot. You can base your characters or story off whatever, but taking characters from other stories and making a hidden camera style 30 second short on how they react to each other isn't original, clever, or enjoyable.
I think that part of it is that many of the really good brickfilmers either have retired or are too busy with their lives to make anything, so suddenly all the most awesome people are gone, and you're left without good films for a while. (Not to say this current generation of Brickfilmers doesn't have anyone good, but I do miss some of the veteran's works.)
I also think that Brickfilming has gotten more public exposure in the media and on Youtube in the last two and a half years or so that it has in the rest of it's history, so you have a large amount of new animators producing lower quality films without seeking very much help.
I think its declined in some ways, but the opposite in others. It will be interesting to see this forum in Summer when more brickfilmers are active. 
I find that brickfilms have improved technically in the past couple of years (ie special effects, camera quality, etc), yet they have declined greatly in what is really important: plot. Story, character development, conflict, all these have become afterthought. As a result, we just get a bunch of star wars MUVEES and 10 second shorts that go for the lolwut factor. Now as I don't have anything against shorts that make me laugh for a second, brickfilms have gotten a reputation of being short mindless one-liners.
What I would absolutely love to see would be a brickfilm that has a story worthy of being made into live-action short film, yet is presented with such technical detail that the plastic melts away from your memory, and you are left with a great story to follow and cling on for every second. That is what a brickfilm should be. It should be a short film that surprises the audience and leaves them impressed.
I find that brickfilms have improved technically in the past couple of years (ie special effects, camera quality, etc), yet they have declined greatly in what is really important: plot. Story, character development, conflict, all these have become afterthought. As a result, we just get a bunch of star wars MUVEES and 10 second shorts that go for the lolwut factor. Now as I don't have anything against shorts that make me laugh for a second, brickfilms have gotten a reputation of being short mindless one-liners.
What I would absolutely love to see would be a brickfilm that has a story worthy of being made into live-action short film, yet is presented with such technical detail that the plastic melts away from your memory, and you are left with a great story to follow and cling on for every second. That is what a brickfilm should be. It should be a short film that surprises the audience and leaves them impressed.
^This^ And a great example of a brickfilm with a story would be Henri & Edmond - Droits d'auteur. It's got a great plot but also nice action scene blending together into a great classic.
(So many walls of text here, I'll keep it short.)
You want brickfilming to regain the magic it once had? Make it happen.
It's all very well saying that you think it's gone downhill, but that won't change anything. It's up to you to make the next great brickfilm(s), to put real effort and creativity into what you're making and create something entertaining and inspiring. Don't leave it up to everyone else.
(So many walls of text here, I'll keep it short.)
You want brickfilming to regain the magic it once had? Make it happen.
It's all very well saying that you think it's gone downhill, but that won't change anything. It's up to you to make the next great brickfilm(s), to put real effort and creativity into what you're making and create something entertaining and inspiring. Don't leave it up to everyone else.
I know what you mean 
I was just wondering if other people noticed
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