nice idea, but logistically unworkable.

sitcoms MUST have consistancy, something impossible achieve with a group of amature stop-mo film makers from all walks of life, from all over the globe, using all kinds of different setups, equipment and software. it is MUCH more than just having the “same props.”

let alone the fact that this kind of “group effort” (and I’m not just talking about here at brickfilms) is almost always a victim of people dragging their heels, not doing their part, not haing the time, or devotion, or simply not having it high enough in their priorities. I’ve seen group projects, grand in vision, fall apart time and time again.
save for the original directors projects from years ago.
I myself have been bittered on grop projects by being let down by others I thought I could rely on… this is why I’m pretty much a one man show these days.

evidenced enough by bthe entirity of this very “community project” forum. it’s been around for well over a year now, and (correct me if I missed it but) I’ve not seen one project even coming close to actually being completed.

To Bluntman

evidenced enough by bthe entirity of this very “community project” forum. it’s been around for well over a year now, and (correct me if I missed it but) I’ve not seen one project even coming close to actually being completed.

It’s taking longer than expected, to be sure. The biggest problems seem to be coming from the top. We’re having problems coordinating the various departments. The script has been done for some time and Tom has been working hard getting the animators coordinated. Our team of animators are very motivated and will be doing their thing soon. Our sound guy seems to be having some problems but we are working to rectify that… .
This is the first project so it’s to be expected that we’d have bugs to work out.
It will be made- have no fear.
Also- check your calender because Jason still owned this site a year ago… Josh’s post announcing the Community Project Forum is dated June 18th.

To Dew
I like the idea, it definitely has potential. What’s needed is a workable plan. Blunt’s right about how difficult this is but it’s certainly not impossible. He’s wrong however about “sitcoms MUST have consistancy, something impossible achieve with a group of amature stop-mo film makers from all walks of life, from all over the globe, using all kinds of different setups, equipment and software. it is MUCH more than just having the same props “.
I think our diversity is a strength, not a weakness, and a sitcom script in REAL LIFE is rarely written by a single person, nor produced by a single person. They are usually made by a team of writers and producers, from all walks of life, sometimes from all over the globe, drawing from all sorts of experiences. Very much like what we have here.
My number one suggestion to make such a plan workable:
Use a common set. One of our biggest hurdles has been to find minifig heads and torsos that all the animators had in common. A way around this would be to say “all minifigs involved must come from set #xxxx. ” If there is going to be a common set then the pieces for it should also come form one or two LEGO sets to make the pieces easy to find. Of course, as a sitcom, each episode could have a “special guest star”.
I’m sure Tom and the other members from our Project Team can come up with more suggestions.

I like the idea, but I would like to see how far it goes in preparation before I commit to anything.
-KG

Really I’m interested in this idea, I’d love to see it get off the ground. I’ve thought about how to go about organizing the process a bit. First of all, the script team would have to be assembled, obviously. Anyone applying would have to have some kind of experience writing comedy to be accepted. After all, humor is what carries sitcoms along. After the writing team is in place, they should hash out ideas for the theme of the series, the characters, their personalities, their environment, etc. They should also write brief back stories for each of the characters. After that, they would write a few episodes, perhaps four.

Then finding animators would take place, while the dialog is recorded. In most sitcoms, there are only a handful of basic sets in which the show takes place. In “Home Improvement” for example, we have the Taylor’s living room/kitchen, their backyard, the garage, and the set of Tool Time. Of course there are more sets, but most episodes take place in those four. One animator would build one set, and animate all of the scenes taking place there for all four episodes written. I know, that sounds like a lot of work at first, but it’s really not that bad. Say each episode is five minutes long, and each set is featured for approximately one minute. The animator would only have to animate four minutes total. Not bad. I’m not trying to take over the idea, or out-step my boundaries, but I’ve simply suggested an idea of how the production dynamics would work.

About finding common mini-fig heads. That was a problem on the current (time travel, forgive the pun) CP. One thing we tried in the CP was to pick heads from common sets, like Star Wars, but the some animators didn’t have the correct sets. It was a good idea, and would work in some cases, but not here. I think the easiest way to go about finding heads and torsos that everyone has would be to ask them to buy one rather inexpensive set and use parts from that. In the end, we asked everyone to buy a certain head (if they already didn’t have it) for one of the two main characters, and use a standard mini-fig smile for the other character. No one had any major quibbles with that.

I would be very happy to be on the script team if this idea is used! I wouldn’t mind animating either.

Tom

EDIT: Maybe only the editing should be done the week the episode is released, instead of doing everything that week. That would take pressure off of everyone, and the show could still be released weekly.

To solve the set problem:

Every episode could be in a different setting. Like in one episode the main character could be in a house, than the next time he can be in a post office or somthing. Or if the story was about some person lost in space or somthing, each episode would be a different planet or somthing. In the Reboot tv series, when Matrix, his friend (forgot her name), and Friskit get lost in the internet, they travel to different mainframes each episode my The Games, so there is always a different setting. All you would have to do is get the same main characters which you could get from a easy to get set. This idea is more of a Mini Series type of thing though.

I think sitcoms are filmed a couple weeks earlier aren’t they?

Edit: I forgot to say, I would be able to help work on the script. I don’t have much experiance writing a comedy, but I would be glad to help out on anything like character development and plots.

“dewfilms” wrote: … the more I think about it, this is more of a miniseries than a sitcom.

What is the main difference? If it was a sitcom, then would it span over an indefinite number of episodes? Could it be a miniseries of sitcom episodes? I do not understand… Well, are you saying that each episode would have different characters? That would mean the end of the whole idea!!!

So…

“dewfilms” wrote:
Different directors could make separate episodes but stick to the same theme. For instance, how about a sitcom about all the comical things that happen while making a brickfilm? Anyone & everyone could contribute. I’m sure a lot of us have funny stories.

To stick with the sitcom theme: I say use a permanent cast of maybe two characters. These would be fictious animator-directors. Then every part-taking director (the real ones) makeys one episodey with additional characters, maybe themselves appearing, for example the professional Rapunzel director stopping by to give these two some valuable tips.

“dewfilms” wrote: Also, when I read Bluntman’s comments it hit me that not everyone uses the same programs to make films. I got caught up in the idea but did not think it out carefully.

Is it neccessary for the episodes to look exactly alike? WHY? Or would it be that footage by different directors be edited together to make an episode? So one director works on only one set? For if a director makes a whole episode, then I would not be too concerned with them having the exact same sets.

“motfilms” wrote: …the script team… Anyone applying would have to have some kind of experience writing comedy to be accepted.

I am wondering what “some kind of experience” refers to… I am quite sure every writer (=director in most cases) here has “some kind of experience” in writing comedy. Would it be that the other members of the script team would have to find the applicant`s previous work “funny”. PE would sure like to be part of this but a script supervised by motfilms is doomed to turn into nonsense penguinism

“motfilms” wrote: Then finding animators would take place… One animator would build one set, and animate all of the scenes taking place there for all four episodes written. Say each episode is five minutes long, and each set is featured for approximately one minute.

Now it gets real tricky… What framerate? What kind of previous achievements are required? This animating part actually consists of animating, directing, acting (how the characters move, the voices are naturally by the same people in all the episodes), catering and cinematography.

Sorry I have no idea of how the previous community protzekts turned out but it is quite obvious that a storyboarding team is to be set to maintain a consistent look for an episode edited together from work of different directors.

PE is more interested in having one directing team animate and do all the directing work that it actually includes on one episode, rather than divide it. It would still be an overall Communitzy Protzekt with a common theme/characters, voice acting, script and storyboards.

“motfilms” wrote: Maybe only the editing should be done the week the episode is released, instead of doing everything that week. That would take pressure off of everyone, and the show could still be released weekly.

Yes, sounds good taking the time to do all the script writing and storyboarding and directing and when everybody is finished, then just release the episodes weekly. BUT: wasn`t the original idea to produce these episodes REALLY fast? Is this now being replaced with a really BIG and LONG Protzekt?

That would be a good idea, but you have to have lots of time ’cause
a sitcom needs many episodes.