Squash and stretch is another important term used in animation, but because of the nature of Lego doesn’t pertain so much to Brickfilms. The basic reason for squash and stretch is that it makes the animation […]

As most know, there is a huge price difference between professional and consumer cameras. Most of this difference is attributable to the quality of the lens. The quality of an image is directly related to the […]

One of the most necessary requirements of filming smooth, fluid animation is keeping the camera rock steady. Ideally, find a tripod with solid legs and the ability to tilt, pan, and a head that firmly locks into […]

The basis of a good story is centered on good characters, and just because Lego minifigures are plastic doesn’t mean that their personality has to be plastic.  As Lego has progressed, so have the characters.   You […]

Entire books have been devoted to lighting and many professionals have spent their entire lives perfecting the craft. However, with knowledge of the basics, you will be able to create quality videos. For a […]

Onion skinning is a 2D computer graphics term for a technique used in creating animated cartoons and editing movies to see several frames at once. This way, the animator or editor can make decisions on how to […]

Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a special effects / post-production technique for compositing (layering) two video streams together based on color hues (chroma range). The technique has been used […]

Digital Remote Still Capture

Frame Grabber Software

Manual Picture Taking

Not long ago, animators didn’t have the luxury of immediately seeing the images they were capturing. Now there are many […]

So it is time to choose a camera. If you are like most people starting off, you will probably work with whatever is already around— or maybe it is what your parents have. Not long ago, most people would have […]

If you just do an Internet search and you will see that there are more than enough references on how to write a script. Instead of going over the same information, it is more important to know how script writing […]

Though storyboards are beneficial in animation, many do not use them as often for Brickfilms. Brickfilms are shorter, and therefore do not take as much planning. Also, the person who creates the script/story is, […]

It is your choice to record audio before or after you have done your animation. Before works well because you know how long to animate each movement, but after works well if you have done good pre-production. […]

Motion pictures are shot at 24 frames per second (fps). Twenty four fps gives video the “film look” that most are used to. Like most digital footage, 24 fps is the norm even if it will not be transferred to […]

Now that you know have your story ready, it is time to set up your scene. The main goal when setting up your scene is that you have control over everything. First, pick a room that has the least amount of […]

1. Pick a sturdy surface that I in a room where there are no lights. If there are windows, cover them. Set up your Lego scene and move the lights to light the scene.

2. Get your camera and set it up where you […]

An exposure sheet is essentially a spreadsheet to give instructions to the camera operator on how the animation should be shot. Traditionally there are five columns with each cell being used for a different […]

When creating your Brickfilm, treat it as if you would writing a treatment for any other idea you have for a movie. With Brickfilms gaining in popularity, there are more and more people making them. You can set […]

There is a lot of different video editing software to choose from. This is not a complete list, but gives some options to choose from.

Final cut http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/

Pinnacle Studio <a href="http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/&quot; […]