SteampunkDoc

Were you waiting to post the next part until after I commented? If so, I am so very sorry. I like the over-the-top ideas like the cat on the head, and the angel singing is a nice touch. Also, the way you wrote the summary is great, I can easily imagine the pacing, timing and 'feel' of the short, and it makes the idea sound pretty good. Have you made any progress on the pre-production elements since your last post? Storyboards, sets, character designs, Ect.? It's been a month and a half, so I sure hope you've got some more for me to grade. That being said, (And I know this is partly my fault.) I think with a lesson like this, progress should be reported/updated a bit more often. I know brickfilming takes time, but this (For all I know) hasn't even gotten to the scripting phase yet, and the longer things drag out, the more likely that they won't get finished. After all, you do kinda want to get this done and over right? Again, I haven't been a good example of that, and I'm sorry.

I love it! I was a bit put-off by the CGI-ness of the last trailer, but this more than makes up for it. Great visuals, Smaug, a focus on Bilbo, Smaug's voice, Thorin beginning to turn evil, Smaug being amazing, the Dul Goldor army, Smaug being threatening, Beorn, oh, and Smaug. The only thing I'm not keen on is the Legolas love story, but since she isn't mentioned in LOTR, it obviously has to end in these movies. Today's trailer seemed to to a better job at looking at characters, and setting up the plot than the last one. And while it didn't include any of Howard Shore's music, (That I know of) it still managed a very strong Middle-Earth feel. And out of all that, at the very least we get some more Smaug.

Leewan, 6 and a half feet tall? Wow. That would be so amazing. Eurotrash, thanks! And here it is! And there are even more in my photostream. SteampunkDoc

'BUMP' Oh...Oops. Planned on updating this more often, sorry. Anyway, I've nearly finished the thing, but can't post too many pictures at the moment. For now, here's a little teaser to show just how far it's come. I'll try to finish it and then post pictures of the final thing tomorrow, and again, sorry for taking so long. As for replies, thanks everybody for commenting on this! Yes, most everything in the movie is WAY too big for minifigure scale, but not for mini-scale. I hope to get a mini-Gypsy Danger together sometime in the future, but until then we'll have to wait on somebody else. Animating on this will be a pain, but I'm thinking the outcome will be worth it. I'll be sure to post the results from that whenever they're done. SteampunkDoc

Thanks for enrolling! I look forward to seeing your full entry-thing, but I do have one question. Would you rather me give feedback on each part, or wait until the end and do it all at once? For now, I'll assume the former. While the idea is nothing spectacular, I think with the right execution and creativity it could be pretty good. One thing that you want to nail down is the tone on the short. Comedy, yes, but is it over-the-top, and if so, how much? Is it realistic, but with a more satire-type humor? Or will it attempt to use dark-humor in some way? Remember, it's not always the story itself that makes things original, but it's the telling of the story. And I'm sure you've figured all that out already yourself, just don't forget to describe it in the next step.

Just spread a bunch of Lego out all over the floor and put a no shoes sign on the door. Even if they break in once, they won't be able to walk around for a while to do it again.

LOVE the behind the scenes video. Your use of gears, levers and unconventional techniques is amazing. (Putting the dogs on tape and running them over slopes, the clock rig, the mud rig, the precise markings for the pans, Ect..) That just goes the huge amount of work and time that went into this masterpiece. No wonder it turned out so amazingly. Fantastic, simply fantastic.

This next part is much, much better. Your walk cycle is good, and the smoothness of the animation is coming along. There's still some set/camera bumps and light flicker, but that's more equipment issues than anything. There was also some prop bumping, but you are getting much better. Sometimes the animation looks pretty good, but other times the easing gets neglected. It's also a bit unnaturally slow at times. (Lacking that 'pop' or speed of real motions. For example, the doctor's head turn at 1:28. That kind of thing needs to be quicker to help show the surprise and shock.) Now let's talk about that pan. (0:53) Since there are several things going on here. First, the movements are about the same in each frame, which works if they're really really tiny, but not when they're bigger. Second, you moved over, and then zoomed in. This gave the impression that you didn't really know where you were going with that. You wanted the guy centered, but then panned away. Forcing yourself to turn back. Third, the pan kept bouncing forwards and backwards on it's journey right. An easy fix is to build a rig just for the pan. Basically, build something that will hold on to the camera well enough, and then below that put a line of tiles bordered by bricks. This forces the camera and it's brick-built case to only slide left/right or forwards/back, and not all at once. The animation is to the point were you just need more practice, and you did a great job with pulling the camera down onto their level. Next time, I'd personally like to see another camera movement or two. Those can really add to a short, but are difficult to master. It's pretty obvious that you've read through them several times, but I'd still like to see you complete Creating a Brick Flick: Part 1 - Pre Production as well as Creating a Brick Flick: Part 2 - Production. Yeah, it's a lot of the same things that you've been doing, but it would give you an excuse to test out your own creative juices.

Yeah, not sure about getting somebody that's already been prominent in the franchise, but I'm sure we'll all accept him as The Doctor come Series 8. Of course, depending on what you count, he could be the third Peter to play our beloved Doctor. Also, does this mean a more fatherly-type relationship like the classic series? That would be nice to see again.

https://www.facebook...102503469389096 Sorry, still looking for a Youtube link. It looks nice, but I'm a bit sad in that the extended cut only adds about thirteen minutes. Oh well, they're getting my money anyway.

Alright, new video, new advice. First, I noticed some camera shaking, but since you're using your phone there's not much you can do to fix that. The camera's position is fine for an establishing shot, but once a few seconds are passed, you'll wanna bring things in. (More on that in a second.) Not only does this make things more dynamic, but if you only have a few players in the frame, it's easier to concentrate on perfecting the animation. Also, camera placement/angles play a huge part in creating the desired atmosphere. A good rule of thumb to start with is to cut for each line of music. It also depends on the pacing of the scene, and what is happening. It you ever do a slow talking scene, then feel free to go through more than one line of dialog, but if you ever film a big battle scene, you'll want to cut a lot quicker. Another thing I addressed in the second lesson is this: 'Most beginners tend to elevate the camera above the characters. This causes the viewers to “Look down” on the world, and destroys the illusion of being in the world. Keep things about face-high on the figures. Again, depending on the storyboards and angle choices, you may want to/need to elevate the camera, and that’s fine. But as a general rule, keep things about face-level.'' Again, while the tall looking down clip fine for an establishing shot, you need to brings things in and down fairly quickly. Take this video for example, . It's about the perfect example of an amazing music video. (Can't say I love the music itself, but the execution is flawless.) He begins with a farther out shot, but spends the rest of the video on close-ups and mid range stuff. He also includes a lot of camera movements, but even without those he changes angles a lot and tries to keep things interesting and fresh.Some of the animation is fine in yours, but the doors didn't swing open smoothly. And what's the walk cycle you're using? It doesn't appear to have too many frames. Next time I'd like to see the camera come in some, and single out somebody or something, with that receiving your full animating attention. But that's up to you.

Well let's see here. Was the zoom done manually, or digitally? It looks manual, and fairly well done. It got a bit rough there at the end, but quite good. I admire the ambition of going so big. You've got a lot going on in this clip, and while each part isn't perfect, coordinating so much is quite a feat. There was a tiny bit of flicker, but remarkably little. The prop bumping does get distracting, but that's the only real problem. The animation was a little choppy/jumpy, but you've picked so difficult motions. (Guitar, violin, banjo) Overall, it wasn't perfect, but I really admire the ambition. Keep it up, and I'm looking forward to seeing more. You've done well.

Thanks Faefrost! And thanks for the name! Didn't know about third movie, haven't made it that far into the series yet, but that first scene with Jack was a real inspiration.

Whoa, and just when I had given up hope of it ever being noticed.... So, I've done a few updates, but most of the progress has been made in the planning stage. For one, I've seen the movie, and loved it. (I reviewed it here.) So that really helped get this thing to a higher priority. I've also decided to go with a Gipsy Danger look, but have ran into a bit of a snag. Clear cockpit pics are hard to come by for Gipsy, but while I found one, ( ) it looks nothing like the tiny cockpit design in this picture. A design I had ran with up until now. So...if somebody could tell me, does the cockpit change between Gipsy 1.0 and the refurbished version? if so, I'll continue with this, if not, I dunno. Never mind, Found out it changes a lot. I think I'll continue on with my original design, but at the cost of true accuracy. Thanks for the comments, and I'll try to get more pics up soon-ish!

There are several ways of keeping track of everything, but there's not a short and easy way of animating a crowd shot. #1, Get a buddy. Even if they don't know Lego from Mega Bloks, they can at least help you keep track of which figures have been moved. But if he/she can animate, then you've just split the crowd responsibilities in half. #2, Make a grid/track sheet/whatever you wanna call it. Basically, write on some paper the different moves each figure should make, and check them off as you move them. The best set-up for that is some grid paper. Mark the figures on one edge, adn the moves on the other, and then check everything off as you go along. #3, Split the figures up into groups. Then just make sure each person in said group is in the same pose. For example, Figs A, C, J, K and Z should all have both of their legs down in frame 1, but Figs B, H, I, and X need to have their left feet forward. You don't need to write this down, but it would help. Just keep an eye on which ones match each other. #4, Check your previous frames...A lot. If you have onion-skinning, use it. If not, then flip back and forth between the last frame and the live view. This will instantly reveal any non-moving figures. #5, Work in a logical order. Left-to-right and top-to-bottom, or something like that. That way you won't loose track of which figure you're on. And don't forget, budget a lot of time for that shot. Like, a whole lot. It will always take longer than you think, and you may very well have to try it more than once to get something usable. That being said, crowd shots can look great when done well, and nothing else can quite set the scale of a setting like a great overhead view of a bazillion people walking around.

Ohhh, pretty fireballs. Is there any reason to not love this MOC? It's a great action scene, and includes everything from skeletons to evil knights, fireballs to exploded walls, and everything in between. The castle looks great, and easily looks like part of a greater whole. The catapult is a good design, and I love how there are several different landscapes and building techniques in this. You should be very proud of yourself for making this.

I like all the complex, and yet basic angles on this thing. They really give off a streamlined luxury feel. The rounded front was a good design idea, and it leads to a bit of contrast with the sharp angled back. You've also done a good job balancing exposed studs with tiles and SNOT. The special font in the corners of the pictures is hard to read, and I can't say I love the matching swirled border. But the model itself deserves a bit more attention for sure. Great job!

(Tags for big picture) Thanks for posting that Deskp, the white Azog looks a lot better! Much more pale and creepy. Sure hope Lego makes the normal one white. The head piece is still awful, but I can always change that out. Laketown looks nice, but over-priced. At least that'll mean that it'll go on sale all that much quicker.

So....Ant-Man's introduction in Avengers 2 instead of his solo movie? I could do that. Sounds cool, although they'll have a hard time making it bigger and more threatening than the alien attack from Avengers 1. What's the release date on this one again?

Pacific Rim Go and see this now. It's fantastic. OK, so this is one amazing movie, and the first ten minutes are not only visually stunning, but set the tone and backstory for the rest of the movie. So yes, you'll be sucked right in, and stay hooked until the very end. I have a few teeny-tiny issues, but they didn't really hit me until after the credits started running, and the rest of the movie more than makes up for them. Now, the movie throws you into things, with the first few years of the war summed up in a few minutes. I feel this is a good idea, since we get more story on it throughout the film, and it allows any sequels to easily add in ideas or events without messing with the timeline. It also gets right into the one thing that I went to see, the fight scenes. There's a nice action-y intro, and then the titles, and a five-year (Or so) jump, although that gap isn't made that clear until later. The rest of the review will be spoiler-y, but trust me, it's well worth the time and money. I was sitting in the back by the door, but hardly noticed the people going in and out. It was just me, the monsters, and the mechs. Overall it was great fun, and does a great job at entertaining. So go watch it...now. Can't see why this ain't dominating the box-office. It should be.

Thank you! I was certainly not expecting so warm a response. Yes, it's all lit from behind, except the figure. And the depth-of-field really wasn't my choice, being stuck with a webcam. There was no way I couldn't have gotten the whole thing in focus, even if I had wanted to. I'll keep that in mind and not make the background as dark next time. It's mostly just a plain hallway, but still. Yes, I've gotten a few comments on the glare before, and don't remember why I left it when taking the picture. The visor idea is fantastic, and I wish I had thought of that earlier. Pass? Brilliant, now somebody better give me my BF&CA camera tag.

I love friendly debates. Mr. Balrog only had limited magical abilities. Fire projection being the main one. He doesn't have the more varied abilities that Dooku does. (Telekinesis, lightening, choke, Ect...) Also, the fight as purposed included only the two combatants, not any backup or healers. (AKA, no Valar help, and death is death.) Just because he didn't die until afterwords doesn't mean that he couldn't die. And a lightsaber is far better that any sword, and may could even cut through a wizard's staff. But that being said, you are right. I didn't take everything into account.

True, although I was strictly going off of perceived powers, not implied. And Gandalf didn't raise himself from the dead. First, he died. Really and truly, then was sent back by the Valar since his task was not yet done. The Istari can die. Saruman did, Radagast might in the Hobbit movies, and Gandalf did. Yes, should all the implied and assumed powers of the wizard be counted, then he would win. But as I said, Gandalf appears to be a much more combat orientated wizard than Saruman, and just because he fought in one way doesn't mean that Saruman could/would do so also. You also have to remember that Gandalf's arm was broken in the battle of Five Armies. Thus showing that he could be hurt by normal means. Saruman's stabbing was after he lost his powers, but we never see how that may have affected him differently at another time. And don't forget that the movies, my primary source, de-power the wizards to some degree. Also, the Balrog was a totally different animal, being a primarily physical, and not magical, threat.

Well, um....It's a good thing that ain't white, and that's he incredible ugly. (The figure, not the guy holding it) Cuz otherwise I may have wanted the figure. Surely Lego wouldn't make two brand new molds for a Comic Con only figure, so that's good news, but I'm not a fan of that head. Gotta say, this custom looks a lot better. Feel free to disagree.

Ok, I just have to join in. I assume this is at fairly close range, and with no other combatants. To find the winner, we have to examine the power levels and capabilities of both, and then find out how the battle should go. We will also have to seek out similarities and differences, as well as examine the equipment of both men. Saruman-There's a bit of difference between the book and the movies. In the book, his offensive powers are not detailed, and only had his persuasive voice explained. (Other than his extensive knowledge of mechanics, ring-lone, and general wisdom, although those wouldn't do that much good in a fight.) In the movie, he influences the weather, (Caradhras) flings a fireball, and does some telekinesis tricks. In the animated film, he also flings a great fireball from Isengaurd all the way to Helm's Deep, and breaks the walls by said device. He has his staff, but again, while it can be assumed that it possesses more magical abilities, nothing is detailed. It can be used as a melee weapon, and as a spear. Saruman rarely gets into battles himself, so he lacks the offensive equipment and experience that Gandalf would possess. Thus making him a valued ally in the planning and preparation phase of a war, but less helpful in the actual battle. Dooku-Going strictly off of the movies, is one of the best duelists, as well as highly skilled in the Force. He chokes, electrocutes, and nearly smashes his enemies using the force, and even when simply lightsaber dueling, he has proven himself a worthy opponent. Also, possession of a highly advanced lightsaber would give Dooku quite an edge in a sword fight. Both are political leaders, both turned from the light to the dark, and both served a more corrupt, more evil villain. Both had large roles early into their trilogies, but were offed at the start of the third movie. In the movies, they were also both stabbed in the back by former friends. (Grima literally, Palpatine figuratively.) Both were of course played by Christopher Lee, and both died gruesome deaths. They also both have beards, and both wear robes. Thus, Dooku's offensive and combat abilities far outweigh those of Saruman, and while the latter has considerably more knowledge and wisdom, Dooku would have won this fight hands down. Counting other sources such as video games adds to Saruman's abilities, and would make them about even in the area of Magic/Force use, but even then he could not match Dooku's movie skills in physical combat. So, Dooku would win. Although chances are that they, being very like-minded, would strike up an agreement and turn on others before destroying each other. And that's hard to say, since my love for LOTR is huge, and love of Star Wars is little to none.