Memoir alert
It was June 15th, 2001 when I first discovered what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. At only five and a half, I was pretty much in childhood heaven. – I had a PlayStation 2, VHS tapes of the classic Disney Afternoon of the early 90’s, and was just phasing out of DUPLO, and converting over to the regular, tiny LEGO bricks that I’ve grown to love since. Sure, I had “One Saturday Morning,” “Back to the Future,” and the original Star Wars saga on tape, but, I’d never seen a movie in theaters. – This evening was to be my first experience at the cinema!
Atlantis: The Lost Empire was the film – One of the Disney Company’s last attempts at traditional animation before purchasing Pixar and devoting most of their time to CGI films, and Marvel series. Though I regard the film highly, I’ll admit that it’s plot is a pretty generic action/adventure spectacle! With a crew of explorers and a mystical lost city to pursue, it sure made for a great ride – especially for a first-timer.
From that day on, I knew I was gonna be a film-maker, no matter the hardships.
In 2004, I wrote my first story – another pretty generic adventure. But, at this time, I didn’t have the recourses to put something like that to film, so, I had to settle for a short-story. – A story that has garnered me much praise from both friends and teachers alike. It’s one heck of a conversation starter!
In 2007, great change came over me in two ways. The first: I discovered Youtube for the first time. The second: I heard that the great Steven Spielberg was filming another Indiana Jones blockbuster, set for release the next year. I was so excited! It actually inspired me to, for the first time, put down the pen and paper, and start to put my ideas to film…
For me, LEGO has always been a conscious choice for film medium. I quickly learned this after some testing with filming toys. The Star Wars action figures had to be held by hand, and claymation was WAY to hard for someone like me to concentrate on… I had to find a better way to film, and what to film with.
The answer, oddly enough, came from the old Rankin & Bass holiday specials – all animated with stop-motion and little figures. Thomas Edison must have been proud, as the “light-bulb of idea” switched on above my head. I could stop-motion animate my LEGO minifigures.
The reason I chose stop-motion was clear, and so was my choice of LEGO. Aside from being my favorite toy in the world, I had been lucky enough to stumble upon some brickfilms on youtube. The rest is history, I guess.
I’m SO excited that Nathan Wells created this thread, because, he’s another chapter in my autobiography to be released in about 60 years Beast was one of the first brickfilms I ever saw, and definitely the first one I ever loved. It was the final push in the right direction that I needed to pick up Brickfilming as a beloved hobby. Even if I’m one day directing blockbusters in Hollywood, I’ll always Brickfilm. I just love it, and, I’d like to think the community likes me too. I’ll always contribute my films to the craft – as long as there is a community there waiting to be entertained. (: