Thursday 16 February 2012

Research into Lego animations

Information from WikiHow.com:



Build and stage your set, this could be 100% Lego, a real world scene or a combination of the two. Be sure to look through the camera you'll be using, to get a sense of how your video will look. While you're doing this you can check for unwanted elements that need to be covered up or camouflaged, especially in the background.
Next get the Lego minifigure actors ready. As the stock minifig heads are very static you may want to have a few suitable heads ready to go if you'd like for your actors to be expressive. If you can't find heads that work you could always paint some yourself.
Position the starting scene of your movie and your camera keeping in mind that it is imperative that the camera be immobilized; otherwise your finished video will be jerky. Use a tripod or similar device to keep the camera still, then take the picture.
Now it is time to move the actors in your scene, but just a little bit. It is easiest to move the character about two paces on the platform or about half an inch on the floor. Continue this until you are done with your movie.
Use any stop motion application on your computer that can make variable fps time settings. preferably one that can set up to 15fps, It will give the best results.
Sequence your shots in a video editing program and ensure that each shot has an equal duration.


This is an example of a Lego man. His legs and arms can move vertically, but not out horizontally. (This shouldn't be an issue when they are zombies.) Their heads can swivel all the way round and they can bend backwards or forward at the hip joint; again not side to side. It will be easy for the Hero to hold a weapon, for example a light-saber, as the Lego hands are designed to do so. Also as demonstrated by the above Lego man's Darth Vader costume, accessories can be added to give them more of a character. 

Zombie Lego is available:





The last zombie is demonstrating the generic zombie walk which we will adopt in out film opening, and the first is demonstrating the ability to hold weapons or meat. 


Cowboys are also available, so we can use their accessories and/or bodies to give more context to the zombies, and also use them for the humans.


Here are some examples of what we could use for "The Hero":




And this could be used for the "Little Guy". He doesn't have such a manly face, in comparison to the "Hero" figures he looks slightly dazed and deluded. Also his clothes are more colourful and less dangerous looking.



Sandy coloured Lego platforms are also available, and cacti are as well, so we could use a cactus as the object that the "Little Guy" crashes into, and also include them in the mise-en-scene. 
I have a green-screen and good film lighting, so adding a backdrop would not be a problem, and the posters could be made of small paper easily.(I have experience of making small paper things for Lego men)

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