luke: facts about lego movies

Krista tells me that regardless of my blogging subject she will be posting links to my Lego Movies. I should give credit where credit is due, my good high school buddies D. David and G. Gallaher can claim them just as much. (Hmmm, I was tempted to lay into a whole long list of names and thank-yous Oscar style, but maybe I'll just wait until my official nod from The Academy.) So now, a couple of facts for those of you who are interested enough to watch.

Yes, Lego Movies take a long time to make. Stop-animation requires us to take one picture, move the scene slightly, take another picture, move the scene again, take yet another picture, etc. etc. ad nasauem! 7 frames per second for the first three movies, 10 frames for the last. For some reason, though, getting to watch the finished product of 4 seconds or so after 45 minutes of shooting was still rewarding. And for people who grew up with an intense love of Legos as my friends and I all did, spending 50 hours on average per movie hunched on the floor, building movie sets and picking out and posing Lego guys is surprisingly enjoyable. As we improved in our movies keep a look out for special lighting, interesting camera angles and even some CGI! And yes, for those of you who know me, you will probably recognize my voice as I usually was assigned all the sound effects.

The Battle of Bunker Hill - Our first movie. It was for a school project for a class that I wasn't even in. There were five people in the group, so my friend let them write the paper and we'd work on the movie. The camera was not too stellar and the animation is a little clunky, but I still think this one is my favorite. No, that is not my voice in the rather long and boring introduction. Keep your ears tuned for Monty Python references in this movie and all the rest. And if you recognize the soundtrack from another box-office smash, I claim it is purely coincidence.




Ninja Slain by Cook - I am not completely certain what our generation's obsession with ninjas is all about, but we were definitely a part of it. No particular point in this one other than to make another movie. With two Lego Movies under your belt you have probably noticed the high level of violence in the movies. My apologies, but there's really not a whole lot you can do with Lego men on film than have them fight each other. (It's all red playdo by the way.) We haven't found the proper chemistry for a heated drama yet. Please note near the end of the movie the amazing wine-rack in the kitchen. That thing was extremely fragile and kept having to be repaired during shooting, but I love it!




ABC's - This one was also for a school project, but this time both Gabriel and I were in the class. For Art we had to do a stylized alphabet. So cue up a Sesame Street style alphabet presentation. As creative as it might have been, it got really boring by the time we were halfway through. So we added a little flare. (It's kind of unclear in the movie, but the reason the cops show up in the movie is because the Lego guys beat up their director.)





What's With the Tulip - The previous three were done in high school. This last one is our college installment. So, as one would expect, there are several upgrades. (Including a trailer for a movie that, I assure you, will never be made!) Technically, it's our best movie, and it's hilarious to anyone who is familiar with Pella. I imagine it's a bit confusing to anyone else. It also marks the first time we tried to do anything even remotely romantic in our movies. No worries, it is rather cruelly cut short in about 5 seconds. So if you're ever headed to Pella, IA for Tulip Time please consider this movie our friendly Public Service Announcement.




My thanks to Krista for opening a spot on her blog for me and for her consistent reminders that I had better write something soon cause I have a deadline! God's blessings to you Krista, and to all.

Luke

Blog owner's note: I think these are hilarious. I don't think it is just because I love Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. I think it is also because I thought about how much time had to go into it... and because they are hilarious.