THAC 2024 has begun! Best of luck, everyone!
Accepted entries:
kikolokopo_toys
Stud by Stud
Mudborn Studios
Rick’s Bricks
@Stopit_ (YT) / Angry Bird (Discord)
Tomas And Kermit Productions
Lincs Films
Beefy's Brickfilms
Gaundi
Caleb Animations
Onewiththestud
AFB
Benji Studios
Ry Ry Animation
BrickFlix
ProCreeper
Silas Heagen
Blandeer
STARFACELEGOINC
Paleozoic Bricks
RainbowFilms
Dylans plastic productions
The Four Monkeys
Yetgo
Paul's Bricks Studios
CLIP productions
Random Warehouse Studios
GlitchyZoo Entertainments
ETHAN MONSTROSITY
jb films
Tom AKA Cap
VielMuehe Productions
Legolightbulb
PurpleNinja Productions
Greenwood Studios
Hornburger
Laura Lowe
Jdashimus Prime
Moochi2022!
Starwarsstudio100
SandersClan
LMGBros 772
Lop
Schher Films
mysteriouspi
ForlornCreature
Bricker bro
SpinjitzuBrickStudios
IronSeagull Studios
Laughing Lego
Owen Garcia
Periwinkle Productions
Jade White
spyriuscrew
Dangerous Safe Pictures
Ship in a Bottle Studio
BlueTeamStudio
Cole Hughes
LegoDiamondBoy
Maosl
PELOKETCHUP
Orca Studios
BricksByJacob
FDN Productions
kani_meidun
Caiden Studios
Star Brick Studios
ziltrag
Tmns5097
Bricky Kicky
TinyMushroomFilmsYT
The Tenacious Brick
A-Brick
SpongyProductions
Stanley Q-Brick
C LEGO Films
Shiny tec studios
Joshua Nelson
BossmanAnimations
Formal Lens
Epic Productions
Flannel Shirt Guy
Buttermilk Dude
BrickwillStudios
Robukka
AeroNomad
Nurtnaut
Shadow Wolf 909
m1kut
Mustache Maniacs
Growth Productions
Jacob Crow
KnightPrime1
animationbase1982
2x4 Productions
Albatross_Animations
TangoTay
Red Bullet Animations
Bricks N Blocks
Pancakez Animations
Orbital Lizard Studios
Conner Mattia
TurtleFlight Studios
Kalais
albiorix
Max Butcher
Locker 74 Productions
Cake Bricks Studios
BenLAnimations
GediRitter
MindGame
Zoned Clay
Easterwood Productions
Lost Acronym Filmer
Dudeman108
Fistful of Studs
Opaltron Animation
Jaxcychan
Steve Collins and Daragh Twomey
PR film studios
Aleko Pictures
Monsterbrick63
Mighty Wanderer, Tiny Angry Dog Studios, Sean M
Spinysky
DaGarbes
Shark Suit Studios
Buck Brothers Projects
Austin Ramey and Sean Willets
Knauser
Corbanzo Films and Toad Productions
DosBrosComix
Super Squid
Fiontar Floinn
AngryCatBrickfilms
Leaf Animations
Puskov
Captain Green Jay
Imaginator Productions
Hamrichonn Pictures
RedManAnimation
Demian
T&M Media Pictures
Osom Studios
Dylan Landes
PATATAS PAN/Malhuse
Thunda
JO Co
Gabriel Dalrymple
Harmichonn
Chaizin
JIJ Studios
MIGHTY DUDE
Bluebrick
Leena Chandran
Bozbet Productions

SUBMISSION EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]

Check out the announcement video:

All entries must clearly show the THAC 2024 logo for three uninterrupted seconds. The logos may be inserted digitally or printed out onto the set. Several high-quality resolution versions of the THAC 2024 logo can be found here.

The Twenty-four Hour Animation Contest, or THAC for short, is a Brickfilming competition that lasts exactly 24 hours. All writing, recording, animating, and editing must be completed within the span of one day. It is as challenging as it sounds, but equal parts fun and a major staple of the community!
The theme is The Journey Ahead.
The color mod is a blue piece connected to a red piece.
The letter mod is N.
Submit your video link to [email protected]. before 7:00 AM EST on January 7th, 2024, any entries sent after this time will be disqualified.

Write the subject of your email in this format:
THAC 2024 Entry, [Your username], “[Title of your film]”
For example: THAC 2024 Entry, LOTW Studios, “The Citizen of the Year 2: Bum’s Revenge”
Entries must be uploaded to one of these websites…

1. Unlisted YouTube video. To make your video unlisted, go to the video page and click the little blue icon next to the video title, then select UNLISTED from the drop-down menu.
2. Password-protected Vimeo video. To make your video password-protected, go to the video page and click Settings, then under the Privacy tab, choose "Only people with a password". Please remember to include the password in your email! If I cannot view your entry, I cannot accept it.
3. A Google Drive link. Be sure to change the privacy settings so that anyone with the link can access it.

THAC 2024 has begun! Saturday, January the 6th at 7:00 am EST. It will end exactly 24 hours later, on Sunday, January the 7th at 7:00 am EST. You can find out how much time you have left here: https://countingdownto.com/?c=5246783

Anyone who is not banned from Bricks in Motion is eligible to enter THAC. Send your finished entries to [email protected]. You do not need to have an account on Bricks in Motion, but it is encouraged that you join the site or Discord and get involved with the community. Judges may participate but are disqualified from being ranked and from receiving prizes. Joint productions are allowed, but it is up to you to divide up the prizes if you win anything.

• Your entry must be entirely animated and edited during the 24-hour period. To prove this and as a long-time tradition of the contest, mod elements must appear in every shot of your film with the exception of 15 seconds. More on this below.

• Your entry must consist of primarily LEGO (or similar building block toy) stop motion animation. Live action, CGI, and hand drawn animation are allowed but stop motion must be the primary focus.

• Your entry must consist of at least 30 seconds of stop motion animation. Looped footage that consists of less that 30 seconds of animation will not count. There is no maximum time limit.

• No mature or explicit content is allowed. This includes but is not limited to: swearing, excessive gore, overt sexual content, and blatant drug references. (If you are unsure about whether your film will be accepted, ask me or one of the judges).

• The use of strobe lighting WILL NOT BE ALLOWED without a content advisory and an additional advisory in the email for judges reviewing the films. Strobe lighting that the judges deem egregious and excessive will be disqualified.

• You may not make your entry public until after the deadline. The entry you make public must be the entry you submit to the judges. You cannot create a version of your film that includes the mod element to send to the judges and then release a second version of the film with the mod element removed. Once the judging process is over and the official results have been announced, you can make any changes you wish.

• Use of copyrighted material (such as music) is allowed, though be aware of copyright infringement. Use of copyrighted material will not affect the judging of your entry. Additionally, due to time restraints of the contest, music may be created before the contest. While using copyrighted/trademarked material is allowed, you are discouraged from basing your entry on pre-existing franchises such as Star Wars, Marvel, etc. There is no direct score deduction, but a film that uses pre-existing intellectual properties will not be viewed as favorable as a film that creates something entirely new.

The THAC 2024 theme is The Journey Ahead . This could be interpreted in multiple different ways. It could be preparing for a big journey, it could be a character setting out to go on a long adventure, or it could be more of a metaphorical journey to something new. It could also be incorporated into the structure of the film itself. I highly recommend looking up various definitions online for inspiration and to get creative with your interpretations!

To assure that you create your entry within the 24 hour time frame and to prevent cheating, we require the use of the “mod element.” A mod element is a visual component that must be physically included in each shot of your film to prove that it was made in the 24 hour timeframe. There is an exception however, with a 15 second lenience rule. You do not have to include the mod element for a maximum of 15 seconds. Hopefully, this will allow you to film close-ups or other shots where it may be difficult to incorporate the mod elements. Additionally, we want to provide leeway to entrants who forget to include a mod element in a shot or two. In short, if you omit or forget the mod element in a few shots–that’s okay! Just make sure the shots without the mod do not exceed 15 seconds. Additionally, we do allow mod elements to be cropped out in some shots but you must provide proof that the mod element was present, by sending an uncropped still of the shot. You can send this either by messaging me on discord or by including it in your submission email.

There are two mod elements to choose from–you do not need to use both, you can pick one or the other, or even mix and match them. The first mod element is a color mod. This is a combination of two random bricks that must be connected together or touching. The second mod element is the letter mod. This could be any one of the 26 letters in the English alphabet. You may use upper or lowercase versions of the letter, but the letter must be recognizable.

This year’s mod elements are a blue brick connected to or directly touching a red brick and the letter N.

According to Bricklink, the acceptable colors are:

Dark Turquoise (Bricklink color ID 39)
Light Turquoise (Bricklink color ID 40)
Aqua (Bricklink color ID 41)
Light Aqua (Bricklink ID 152)
Dark Blue (Bricklink ID 63)
Blue (Bricklink ID 7)
Dark Azure (Bricklink ID 153)
Little Robots Blue (Bricklink ID 247)
Maersk Blue (Bricklink ID 72)
Medium Azure (Bricklink ID 156)
Sky Blue (Bricklink ID 87)
Medium Blue (Bricklink ID 42)
Bright Light Blue (Bricklink ID 105)
Light Blue (Bricklink ID 62)
Sand Blue (Bricklink ID 55)
Dark Blue-Violet (Bricklink ID 109)
Violet (Bricklink ID 43)
Blue-Violet (Bricklink ID 97)
Medium Violet (Bricklink ID 73)
Trans-Dark Blue (Bricklink ID 14)
Trans-Medium Blue (Bricklink ID 74)
Trans-Light Blue (Bricklink ID 15)
Trans-Aqua (Bricklink ID 113)
Chrome Blue (Bricklink ID 52)
Glitter Trans-Light Blue (162)
Mx Teal Blue (Bricklink ID 146)
Mx Tile Blue (Bricklink ID 143)
Mx Medium Blue (Bricklink ID 144)
Mx Pastel Blue (Bricklink ID 145)
Mx Foil Dark Blue (Bricklink ID 214)
Mx Foil Light Blue (Bricklink ID 215)
Dark Red (Bricklink ID 59)
Red (Bricklink ID 5)
Trans-Red (Bricklink ID 17)
Mx Red (Bricklink ID 129)
Mx Foil Red (Bricklink ID 217)

Here is the overall Bricklink Color Guide.

The letter mod may be upper or lowercase. The letter can be rotated but not mirrored. It must be clearly identifiable as the particular letter. It may be written on a piece of paper or sticker, drawn directly onto a brick, printed onto a piece, or built from pieces and even integrated into the set.
The letter mod may exist as a printed LEGO piece, but it must clearly be that letter. Expressions on a minifigure face or folds in clothing on minifigure torsos are not letters.
Mod elements must be physically present. They cannot be digitally added in post-production.
Minifigure parts such as a red torso attached to blue legs count as the color mod.
Baseplates also count as part of a color mod.
You do not need to include the mod elements in the title or credits.
Check out Chris W.’s video about mod elements: https://youtu.be/YKO2McX25jY

Entries will be judged on criteria including originality, production value (animation, set design, cinematography, sound, etc.), story, and creative interpretation of the theme. Films will be discussed and ranked by the judges until a consensus is reached. The top three films will be eligible for the prize pool. Entries below 25th place will not be publicly ranked.
The judges this year are:

Penta
Penta is one of the administrators of Bricks in Motion and of the Brickfilms Wiki. He is known for his History of Brickfilms video series, the Benny n' Lee series, and for Taco Trouble 2: The Trial. He is also a co-host of The World of Brickfilms Podcast.

Jay Silver
Jay Silver is known for his game-changing brickfilms The Gauntlet and Rise of The Empire, as well as being one of Brickfilming’s most iconic voice actors, often heard in many a THAC entry. 

Roody
Roody immediately drew attention with Plinks, a fun and dynamic brickfilm, which came 3rd place in MANiFest 2021. The unique animation and character of their films can also be seen further in films such as Lip Sync Test and Epos from THAC 2023.

AoW Gamer
Hans has won multiple awards through the years at the annual Steinerei festival, with his films Fishy Falballa, BOND und das dreifaltige Chaos, and Definition Unendlichkeit. He has also entered multiple THACs and is a staple of the German-speaking Brickfilm community.

LOTW Studios
LOTW Studios is the current host of THAC and host of the World of Brickfilms Podcast. He is most known for his App Man series and came 1st place in BRAWL 2021, with his entry The Tracker Tracked.

The LEGO Group via the LEGO® Ambassador Network, are very generously providing us with the prizes. A huge thank you goes out to them! The 1st place winner will have the choice to pick out of the 3, followed by the 2nd place winner, who chooses between the 2 remaining prizes, with the 3rd receiving the remaining prize.

Please note that there is the possibility of supply shortages with sets, but the prizes we are offering are:

Boutique Hotel 10297| Viking Village 21343| DREAMZzz Fantastical Tree House 71461

If you have any questions, please contribute to the discussion below, or message me on the Bricks in Motion Discord!
Feel free to post updates in this thread, post on the #thac-discussion channel on the Bricks in Motion discord, and post about your progress on social media, with the hashtag #THAC2024.
Best of luck!

Last edited by William Osborne (January 7, 2024 (07:41am))