This is one of my favorites in the contest.  The cinematography looks fantastic, I think you did a good job of emulating the look of film as you had intended without taking it too far.  The colors throughout were all really nicely controlled and gave it a warm, filmy look.  The shifting focus in some shots was a nice touch, I might not have minded a little wider range of focus from time to time but it did give the film a dream-like quality.  The titles and credits also help create the indie film look.

The music was effective, it added to the atmosphere without being distracting, a good impression of some of the music you mentioned had inspired you in this film.

As far as the concept, I liked that you took the theme in a very different direction from other entries in the contest, I think the theme was clear but creatively interpreted here.

The River - Night Owl
4.5/5

Wow, this was very different. Absolutely gorgeous film, Nikolas. I was expecting a lot, and you certainly delivered. At the same time, I can't help but think that some of your films would work so much better in live action. It's really amazing to me that you managed to pull something like this off with LEGO. Beautiful work.

- Leo

The filming here is beautiful. Very reminiscent of Apocalypse Now... When the boat moves into the "whiteness", I couldn't help but scoff that this is just a journey into the "Heart of Lightness". The music is well done and, better yet, used to great effectiveness. I appreciate the experimentation with soft focus: focus is usually neglected as a cinematographic tool in brickfilms because everyone is eager to get a perfectly crisp image. Still, it distracts me a little. I watched the youtube version.

I will have to contemplate the plot for a while. I really enjoyed the film but I did feel as if maybe it was reaching for more breadth and detail than can be illustrated in seven minutes. The ambiguity amplifies this.

When I first watched this I immediately thought: Terrence Malick pastiche.
This is possibly the most interestingly captivating lego animation I've ever seen. I love the fact that instead of making a "Lego Animation" you made a live action film using stop motion and lego bricks, if you know what I mean.
I'm not usually a big fan of Brickfilms in general, but if this is the direction people are going to take them, then you can count me in. Instantly my favourite Brickfilm. Seriously.
Please continue to make more, Nik.

This is just amazing,this contest has thrown up some of the best brickfilms I have ever seen!
I can't say anything more than what everyone else has said,it's just amazing!

I missed the ending during the premiere, so it great to watch it a few times. The opening scene was epic so I was expecting a bit more that figs standing in the rain at the end. Cinematography was spectatular for a brickfilm. Very nice work you'll win for sure.

Other:  DOTBW      Take Out      Crime Stories      Cyclic     YouTube

Well said, Robukka.

That was excellent, Night Owl. One of the best brickfilms in a while.

Wow. I think I'm the only one on here that actually has some criticism for this film... oh well. Please don't take this in a bad way, Night Owl. I just think that at least someone should step up to the plate and bring some reality to this thread.

Again, don't think that I'm a nitpick. I'm really not. I agree with most of the things that the people are praising about. And I agree that it is one of the most well made brickfilms that I've seen. If only it had a stronger story, this one would have a good chance of being my favorite brickfilms. As it is though, it will have to take its' place lower on my list.

-ht

High Tower, I'm pretty sure you figured out a lot of this already, but I guess I don't mind explaining more, not because I think you didn't get it but because I would like to present my viewpoint.

The film is set during the Civil War; I thought it would be fairly clear by the uniforms and weapons, as well as by the conversation at the beginning. I don't think everyone heard the dialogue, since it was rather quiet compared to the music preceding it. I considered putting a "1864" card at the beginning but didn't really feel that it would fit. I sort of hoped that the succession of people the man encounters on the shoreline would indicate that he is going into the past. I think most people picked up on that part, but I won't deny that I do sort of demand a lot of the viewer.

It's true that the film is deliberately vague, but it was really because I wanted to create a film that, like 2001 in my mind, essentially would awe the audience with an experience they couldn't quite comprehend. I consider this to be a type of storytelling as well, and I think that the reason that some people have been confused is because they were looking for things in the film (a tangible plot, a resolution) that aren't there. It's something that has happened to me before while watching movies, so I'm fairly well aware of it myself.

As for the language; I don't consider blasphemy to be adult language, though I know it will offend some. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that.