Lego Blocks
Let your next multimedia project be a LEGO animation!
So you were recently cleaning out your attic or basement when you suddenly came across your childhood box full of Lego Pieces. As you were staring at all the blocks in awe, you quickly realized childhood has passed you and getting caught playing with LEGO would no longer be an option. But before you put the pieces away forever, or worse get rid of them entirely, perhaps you should consider creating your own animation using LEGO for your next multimedia project.
REQUIRED TOOLS
In order to start your own legomation, you will need several key pieces. Obviously, the two biggest are a digital camera and a bucket-load of LEGO pieces. If you don’t feel you have the right amount of Lego blocks available to you, consider checking in your local classifieds or even finding some at a garage sale. Also, today, point and shoot digital cameras are relatively cheap compared to earlier years. Including for your camera, it would be wise to invest in a large capacity memory card as cameras come with little to no internal memory. Lastly, you will need a tripod if you prefer your animation to seem as smooth as possible.
Before you begin, you will need to construct a background applicable to your storyline. Consider it like creating a “set” for your film. The last thing you want is seeing a desk and walls in your animation as this takes away from your animation. Consider using a shoebox or piece of cardboard and decorate it using paint and construction paper accordingly. Once you have completed this task, you are ready to begin your animation. Find a place in your household with little to no traffic and setup the background and tripod. Next, place the camera on your tripod and pick a desired setting on your camera.
The Art of Legomation
In order to film your legomation, you will film it one frame at a time. For every movement your character takes, you will need to take several pictures. Legomation is no different than stop motion. So, for example, if you intend for your character to briefly walk from left to right you will take a snapshot of it on the far left of your set, then slightly move it towards right, take another snapshot, move it a little further, take snapshot, move it, snapshot, move it, snapshot, etc until you and the character reach the right side of your set. This is the basic premise behind legomation. You will continue doing this with every action of your characters. In order for your legomation to turn out smooth, the smaller the movements in between shots, the better the result. Also for best results, keep the camera steady and do not change angles throughout your scenes.
Editing
Once you have all the data collected, you will want to bring it all together with a software like Adobe Premiere. Simply load all the files according to your desired timeline and desired setting as to how many frames you’d like to be broadcast in a given second. Next, you will need to put in the voices and sound-effects into your video to polish it up. You can also accomplish this task in Adobe Premiere.
Most importantly, in order to achieve desired results one has to show dedication, persistence, and creativity!
About the Author
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LEGO…The Building Blocks of Fun!