The Dark Ages are the time in a LEGO fan’s life when they stop building with LEGO (typically in their teens when they get distracted by school and hormones) before rediscovering their passion years later (usually in their mid-thirties when they have children). Not every LEGO fan has a Dark Age (I myself only had a short Slightly Dim Age), and not all of them have the same trajectory I laid out above. Enough adult fans of LEGO (AFOLs) have gone through some sort of Dark Age that the term has an entry in The Brothers Brick LEGO Glossary.

But this is not a term that is used often, if ever, in the brickfilming community; probably because the brickfilming community tends to skew a lot younger than the AFOL community (75% under 21 in the 2013 Bricks in Motion census). This makes sense. Until very recently, it was really hard to make movies at home. Kids in the ’60s and ’70s may have been able to play with LEGO, but unless they were really lucky they didn’t have the equipment to make a brickfilm. That’s why the Magic Portal and this recently discovered brickfilm from 1973 are some of the only brickfilms we know about from that era. Most brickfilmers are either: 1) too young have had their Dark Age yet, 2) just entering into their Dark Age now, or 3) immune to The Dark Ages.

For a Dark Age to really be a Dark Age, you need to leave the hobby and then rediscover it later. Until very recently, there weren’t any noteworthy examples of a brickfilmer returning to the hobby. Then this happened:

To be fair, Nathan Wells has been back on the scene for a couple months now, but this film makes his comeback official. The video cleverly addresses the reasons for his absence (I laughed very hard at the part about lost subscribers due to Minecraft videos) and is also a visual tour de force showcasing Nathan’s skills as a set designer, cinematographer, and animator. Nathan Wells is a legend among brickfilmers, and this film reminds us why.

Nathan Wells returning to the fold means that there is hope out there for all the other brickfilmers who have fallen into The Dark Ages. Which brings us to the Saga of Stonebreakers10.

Most brickfilmers entering their Dark Ages don’t have a big laborious public breakup with the hobby; they just stop posting LEGO videos on their YouTube channel. Stonebreakers10 (Matt Giudice) is different. Matt wasn’t just a brickfilmer, he was a meta-brickfilmer, and his video I am a Brickfilmer was part of his successful campaign to become a winner of YouTube NextUp. He also made a hilarious video about brickfilmer problems. But after winning NextUp as the token brickfilmer, the Stonebreakers10 channel started to become populated with more and more live-action videos and fewer brickfilms.

Then, just over a year ago, Matt released a heartfelt video explaining his decision to leave brickfilming before posting his final brickfilm.

Even his final brickfilm is about his decision to leave brickfilming. His sigfig argues with characters from his past brickfilms, who all exclaim that his decision to leave brickfilms “just doesn’t seem logical.” This is clearly a decision that Matt (who paints himself as indecisive) had a lot of trouble coming to terms with. The video ends on an ambiguous note:

“No more brickfilms for the rest of your life?”
“For the rest of my life? Well, that just doesn’t seem logical, does it?”

The final screen reads “TA TA FOR NOW.” Given the lackluster performance of his live action videos, maybe that return will come sooner rather than later. Or not. I’m certainly not trying to be a stone to his flower. The value of having the shared concept of The Dark Ages in the LEGO fan community is that we don’t judge people who leave the hobby. We know they’ll be back some day, and like the Renaissance artists or Nathan Wells, they’ll produce even better work than they did before they wandered.

What do you think about The Dark Ages for brickfilmers? Do you know brickfilmers who are struggling with a Dark Age? Did you go through a Dark Age? Tell us in the comments.

Quite recently there have been some discussions about whether brickfilming is on the decline. People have said that the “golden age” of brickfilms is over (whenever that was). They support this opinion by pointing to the surplus of mediocre and sub-mediocre animations that are coming out each and every day. It seems to many that truly “great” brickfilms are produced less and less often. I, however, do not see this as being true. Even if it were the case, it does not change one simple fact: it’s a great time to brickfilm. At no other time in the short history of the art has there been so much opportunity, so many resources, and an abundance of encouragement. Allow me to explain.

Inexpensive, Abundant Tech

With the rise of webcams, smartphones, and DSLRs, gone are the days when not every Tom, Dick, or Jane could pick up a camera, a box of LEGO bricks, and begin animating. Rapid advances in technology have put brickfilming in the hands of almost anyone who wants to try it. It is easier to do than ever before, especially in comparison to when Lindsay Fleay first created “The Magic Portal” on a film camera back in the 1980s. Combine this with the software options filmmakers have today and it is relatively easy to get started. The upfront cost could be as little as $40-$100. Compare this to the $11,745 budget for “The Magic Portal,” the bulk of which was probably spent on things like film stock, processing & transferring, and simply getting access to studios with sound editing equipment.

Perhaps herein lies the real problem. When brickfilming was harder and required a greater investment, people were less apt to begin unless they were serious about it. Today, there are still plenty of people who are serious about making quality animations. It is simply harder to find them and become noticed in the sea of mediocrity.

Distribution on a Global Scale

Let’s consider Lindsay Fleay again. When he finished “The Magic Portal,” the internet was still in its infancy. There was no YouTube, Vimeo, or DailyMotion. Getting a brickfilm to an audience was not as quick and easy as rendering, uploading, tagging, and then tweeting. Lindsay’s only option for distribution was to work with a film distributor and apply to film festivals, a time-consuming process that doesn’t always yield results.

I won’t even begin to take the time to intimately describe the ways in which the World Wide Web has impacted this art. That’s a topic that would require a post of its own.

Encouragement from the LEGO Group

Over the short history of brickfilming, copyright issues have constantly plagued animators. For quite some time, it was apparent that the LEGO Group did not condone or even support a group of fans that wanted to make movies with their product, and then distribute them. Lindsay Fleay came against this very issue when he wanted to get his film out to the world, or at least a greater portion of it. Basically, LEGO told Fleay to stop all of his actions and turn over all of the content. Thankfully, Fleay was able to resist and retain his creation, but he was never able to distribute it like he dreamed.

As the internet began to grow and mature, companies began to change their policies on how they would allow people to use their products. Over the past two decades it seems that the LEGO Group has slowly changed their stance on the issue of brickfilming. They have switched from actively discouraging brickfilming to actively encouraging it.

For instance, over the past few years, LEGO has sponsored a number of brickfilming contests. Just recently, there was one such competition that was held to accompany the production of the upcoming LEGO Movie. This contest even offered the opportunity of featuring one of the winners in the movie itself! Also, the Tongal video challenges hosted by LEGO must be considered. LEGO was and still is paying animators young and old to produce brickfilms that they end up using for advertising and promotional purposes. Twenty years ago, the chances of a teenage, amateur animator to be paid $10,000 by LEGO were slim to none.

Oh, and I must not forget to mention the smartphone and tablet application that the LEGO Group recently released. It allows users to create and then share stop-motion brickfilms using the camera on their devices! Clearly, LEGO has become a supporter of sorts.

Doorway to a Broader Future

Ever heard of Christopher Nolan? You know, the man who made a few Batman films that a couple of people like? Did you know that he once made videos with LEGO? Or take Lindsay Fleay—he went on to do 3D animation work on major films like “The Matrix,” “Moulin Rouge,” and “Happy Feet.”

I say this to make a point that has become very real in my own life. What started as a simple hobby turned into a doorway for greater opportunities. I’ve been interviewed by LEGO more than once, helped on a larger film project, and more recently have been asked to create some small animations to be used at the end of a feature-length documentary. All because I started to brickfilm. None of these opportunities would have been possible without my hobby.

These things did not happen to me overnight of course. It’s taken me several years to get to this point, but it goes to show that brickfilming can eventually be a door to greater projects. I’m sure if you ask other talented brickfilmers, they could say the same thing. Just look at Dylan Woodley, the teenager who was commissioned to create an official LEGO version of Ed Sheeran’s LEGO House music video. Now that’s impressive!

Conclusion

Sure, there are a lot of bad brickfilms being created today. But does this mean brickfilming is on the decline? Of course not! Just like any art, there is plenty of junk to sort through. Finding the quality work can be hard at times, but that does not mean it is not out there. Trust me, it is. [If only there were some sort of blog that highlighted great brickfilms… –Ed.]

Here’s a quick call-to-action to the animators out there: don’t get stuck looking at all the negative aspects of the art. If you’re sick and tired of seeing cliche shoot-em-up action videos, work extra hard and create something truly unique and amazing. The opportunities, resources, and encouragement have never been so available.

Now is a great time to start brickfilming; more so than ever before. Get up, grab some LEGO, find a camera, and get animating!

“The Magic Portal” – YouTube

Behind the scenes of “The Magic Portal”

So I speak from experience when I say that there is nothing quite like the feeling of contributing to a successful Kickstarter campaign. We are at a wonderful historical moment where it is possible for a relatively wide range of people to become direct patrons of the arts for a relatively small amount of money (i.e. these days you don’t need to be a Medici to help support working artists).

One thing that has become quite clear to me in the past few years is that we all end up paying for the culture we consume (i.e. animations we watch) one way or another. Sometimes we pay by watching ads before YouTube videos, sometimes we pay by spending a few dollars on the iTunes store, sometimes we pay by buying a movie ticket or a DVD, sometimes we pay with a subscription to NetFlix. However, those are all examples of paying to watch something that’s already been produced. It’s a rare an wonderful thing to get to pay to help make something which does not exist become a reality.

Which brings us to:

You should all be familiar with the work of Nick Durron (whose real-life name is Jonathan Vaughan, but I am incapable of thinking of brick animators other than by their usernames on YouTube/Bricks in Motion), if for no other reason than we’ve featured it here twice. With “Melting Point,” he is setting his sights higher than ever before and attempting to make a 30-minute brick animation.

The story follows a cop, Tony, as he tries to protect the city from a ruthless villain intent on melting the entire plastic world.

By this point, you should already have enough information to want to go donate , but if you need further convincing, don’t miss his clever promotional video which has lots of call backs to his previous works. The part of his pitch that really convinced me to donate is his ambitious desire to build an entire LEGO city as the set for the film rather than using CGI. We here at the very-soon-to-be-officially-renamed BrickAnimation.com are big believers in using physical, brick-built effects instead of CGI. I’m proud to be able to say that I am helping support another brick animator stay true to his vision by doing something the slow, costly way. If you look carefully at the project management triangle, you’ll notice that the majority of good projects are neither cheap nor fast.

On that note, I really ought to get back to putting the final touches on my Kickstarter project (I finished animating it earlier this week!), so I can finally get my backers their richly-deserved rewards.

I saw “Gollum does Gangnam Style in LEGO” by Hampster Productions earlier today and had several thoughts:

1. Gollum’s arm animation is impressive.
2. Excessive violence is not an appropriate response to something that annoys you.
3. Oh wait, didn’t I do this same concept back in 2003?

This bizarre moment of déjà vu caused me to reflect on how frequently disturbing violence is causally included in brick animations. Some times it’s there for comedic effect.  The “Dane Cook Gets _______” meme was all about making a central act of violence funny through clever presentation. TV Tropes calls our ability to selectively turn off our empathy so we can laugh at the pain of another comedic sociopathy, which is both apt and chilling.

Far more frequent are the violent brick animations without a punchline (or story). Custard Production‘s “Lego Street Shootout” is perhaps the best known of this type, but it’s hard to turn over a rock without finding a dozen of similar animations on YouTube. What is the appeal of all this stylized violence? I’m really curious to hear what people think.

Let me preface this by saying how great it is to see the LEGO Group supporting the brick animation fan community with a stop motion app and numerous video contests with substantial prizes. Additionally, I know how much hard work goes into every brick animation released on YouTube, so all the entrants to the ReBrick contest should be very proud of their accomplishments.

That being said, the results of this contest highlight the problems inherent in video competitions that involve a public voting component. Opening a contest to public voting seems like a great way to ensure a fair result, right? (Yay democracy!) However, unless people are incentivized to watch multiple entries, voting will always favor entrants with large, established audiences. One might as well just compare the number of YouTube subscribers each entrant has and declare the winners that way. Additionally, if the voting period overlaps with the entry period, entries finished early will tend to accumulate a disproportionate number of votes. These means that great videos entered by up and comers close to the deadline are basically doomed. (Yay democracy?)

Public voting doesn’t always ruin video contests. Sometimes, public voting will be used in conjunction with judging so that there is a “People’s Choice” winner/finalist in addition to a winner selected. Other times, judges will whittle down the field of entries to a few finalists and let the public vote to determine the winner (as opposed to the reverse, as ReBrick did). I have also seen really elaborate voting systems (i.e. the annual IAWTV nominations) where voters don’t necessarily have to watch every video, but a back-end system ensures that every video is viewed and voted upon by an equal number of voters. In this situations like this, voters are been treated like judges, so it’s more of a crowd-sourced judging than a random popularity contest. So, if you are creating an online video contest, please be thoughtful about how voting is implemented. Judging is almost always better than voting.

Having watched all the entries to the ReBrick contest, here’s the video that I think should have won because it best fits the theme of “spooky fun” and is well made:

And here’s one that was legitimately scary (to me at least):

One final note, the ReBrick contest has lessons for those who seek to enter online video contest too. Read the rules carefully, lest you be disqualified like two films were that would have otherwise been semifinalists were in this contest.

“The Machine” is the latest of a handful of brick animations that blur the line between stop-motion and live action. According to the animator, it was filmed at 25 frames per second (FPS), and had motion blur added in post-production to make it ever smoother. The short is worth a quick watch for the great cinematography and the inspired animation of the eponymous machine, but I’m mostly using it to launch into a larger discussion of FPS.

Choosing an FPS is an important part of making an animation, there is a constant balancing act between the smoothness of the animation and time required to make it. An animation set at 5 FPS is bound to look jumpy, but it can still be engaging (this is the frame rate I recommend for beginners). As the FPS increases (10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30), the animation gets smoother, but the time investment to create it rises steeply. Many brick animators settle at 15 FPS as a good balance between smoothness and amount of time invested, but there are a few that venture into those high ranges.

The best cautionary tale in this respect is “Dr. Jobs and his Scary Laboratory.” While the single completed episode of this series features some of the smoothest animation I’ve ever seen in a brick animation, the incompleteness of the remaining segments stands as a testament to the dangers of independent animators pursuing hyper-real frame rates. But let’s pretend for a minute that time is not an obstacle, what would the optimal frame rate for brick animations be? Is super-smooth, life-like animation the end-all be-all?

Personally, I think very high frame rate animations can feel sterile, and I find attempts to perfectly simulate real motion in animation to be uncanny. I am reminded of Jean Baudrillard’s essay on Simulacra and Science Fiction:

There is no more fiction… it is the real which has become our true utopia… presented with transparent precision, but totally lacking substance, having been derealized and hyperrealized.

What do you think? The more frames per second the better? Or is the charm and art of animation precisely in the frames an animator chooses to include (and which to exclude)?

“The Machine” on Youtube

“Dr. Jobs and his Scary Laboratory” on YouTube

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

After the pillars of the community left, the Brickfilms.com forums became a desolate wasteland; filled primarily with spambots, questions about what had happened to the once great site, and a trickle of sub-par animations.

The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Brickfilms.com has continued to sputter on, undergoing several redesigns in the hands of subsequent webmasters. The latest of these launched in the last month. On the plus side, some of the old content (the film directory) from a previous incarnation of the site — which was hidden in the last redesign — is once again accessible. On the down side, the film directory is an absolute nightmare to navigate.

On the humorous side, the site is riddled with bizarre errors. My favorite of these is that the “contact us” links on the site currently link to an old forum discussion about contact with alien lifeforms.

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?