Batbrick Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 Hey guys. One of the key things that got me back into Lego was making animations with them. I run them at 15 frames per second and even came in top 3 of an Australian wide competition called "Youthweek", won a camera to go with it! (Unfortunately I idiotically gave to my brother as a gift, not knowing I'd ever need it) Thing is, I want to go back to making them, and here's where you guys come in. As you know I recently turned one year old, and got a bit of money. For anyone with know how, I used a logitech vidcam with the program "Logitech imagestudio" last time, but it was pretty mediocre. What I need to know is a better program to use for my second hobby, and what kind of camera would work well. Thanks to those who can help me! Batbrick Away! EDIT by Hinckley: I edited the title so your name was spelled correctly. Quote
Dragonator Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 That sounds great Batbrick! I know next to nothing about making animations, so no help here(), however I wish you the best of luck in this fine endeavour and look forward to your upcoming premiers! I hope I get invited... Have fun, can't wait to see them in the near future! I will be following your progress very closely (does that sound creepy to you? ). BTW, that is great to hear you came third in that Australian competition! Good job! I don't suppose you still have the videos somewhere so we can see them? Quote
Batbrick Posted May 1, 2008 Author Posted May 1, 2008 That sounds great Batbrick! I know next to nothing about making animations, so no help here(), however I wish you the best of luck in this fine endeavour and look forward to your upcoming premiers! I hope I get invited... Have fun, can't wait to see them in the near future! I will be following your progress very closely (does that sound creepy to you? ). BTW, that is great to hear you came third in that Australian competition! Good job! I don't suppose you still have the videos somewhere so we can see them? Thankyou very much mate! Sure, I'll make a short one with you in it one day! (and yes, it was a bit creepy ) Thanks too, the site no longer holds any videos except for the winners. I tried uploading them to youtube once but couldn't, I'll see what I can do with a more professional person Batbrick Away! Quote
Jipay Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 There are a few (not free) excellent software that you might find suitable : Pinnacle studio Ulead video studio They both provide some effects that you might find usefull, like the possibility to use a greenscreen. For advanced visual effects go to fxhome.com Hope that helps Quote
Minifig Lecturer Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 That's something I want to do one day when I get some more free time. Best of luck Batbrick. Thanks for the tips jipay. Quote
Captain Green Hair Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 May i reccomend a Canon powershot camera for your needs.. It has a big lens and you can easily adjust manual settings to get a great result. If you want something smaller i reccomend a Canon digital Ixus camera, 5 megapixel should be sufficient. A tripod would also be handy i think... Good luck BB Quote
iamded Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 A tri-pod and consistent lighting both help greatly with stop-motion film making. 15 frames per second? Whew, if I did that the whole film would be over in less than a minute! The only software I've used for animating is Microsoft Powerpoint, so no tips there from me. ~Peace Quote
Matn Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 Cool that your about to do this again. I have made once a little (stupid) movie about Johnny Thunder with my webcam. But my grandparents have recently got an Canon Powershot A460. For the Powershots there is an (free, I think) program to make movies with stop-motion. Maybe I'll buy a big Powershot in the future myself (but LEGO is nicer). I used Monkey Jam, it's a good and free program. I think I'll start again with that Powershot from my grandparents and make a big and nice story. Wow, cool that you can use green/blue (whatever) screen! I'm now gonna search for something like that but free. Monkey Jam: http://www.brothersoft.com/monkeyjam-download-63770.html Powershot software (I THINK): http://www.breezesys.com/PSRemote/index.htm Overview of stop-motion programs and tools: http://www.stopmotionworks.com/stopmosoftwr.htm Quote
SlyOwl Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 I just use my normal camera to take photos and then import them into Jasc Animation Shop, each as a single frame. I have used the stop-motion software that came with Vision Command (it's cheaper than Movie Maker) but the camera was poor... Quote
Oky Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 (edited) That's great Batbrick! (Bat)Brickfilms On! Yeah, I'm thinking of getting into this stuff again, too, but right now I'm too busy with college. Besides, I go to the Art Institute where I am majoring in Media Arts & Animation, so I am doing enough animation at the moment! But maybe in summer break... You can see my work at the link provided in my sig. As for software, I would have a couple of suggestions. As a video editing software, I would definitely use Ulead Video Studio! It's easy to use and features many cool effects! For a stop motion software there are many options. One would be Monkey Jam. It's the one we use at school and it's alright. Another thing would be Claymation Studio. I just got it and haven't worked with it yet, but I think it's pretty good. Also, there is some simple, but effective, stop motion software available for free download online, like SM Animator for example. I don't know about cameras, though. I think anyone with a reasonable quality will do. I used to use Vision Command because You could always build it onto the baseplate you were shooting, but the quality was pretty bad. Today I would probably use my new, better webcam. I would recommend using a webcam because it connects to the computer and you can see how it looks on the monitor right away, but what you use is totally up to you! So, get out there and animate them LEGOs! And if there is any prievious work of yours that you would like to show us, please do! Good luck! Edited May 1, 2008 by Oky Wan Kenobi Quote
Skinny Boy Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 I have made a few brickfilms since 2006, they are pretty bad quality, and hard to follow, but (as in my signature) my latest is 40 mins. I use Magix Video Deluxe2.0. It was my brothers but he doesnt use it any more. It is an older version so the newer ones are better, but its pretty good. Heres the link to a video I made for a band called the Tasty Dactyls. The song is called Clockwork . The quality is bad from the transfer to youtube and then to that site. Good luck in your filmmaking Quote
Scouty Posted May 6, 2008 Posted May 6, 2008 A tri-pod and consistent lighting both help greatly with stop-motion film making. 15 frames per second? Whew, if I did that the whole film would be over in less than a minute! The only software I've used for animating is Microsoft Powerpoint, so no tips there from me. ~Peace Try 24 FPS !! BB: For a camera that isn't too much money, I recommend: QuickCam 9000 : It will give you HD capability and some features. It costs about 60-100 USD For a free program Stop Motion Anasazi/Animator (Previously mentioned) (SMA) is a good program that I used in the past. Let's see some great animations! Quote
Batbrick Posted May 6, 2008 Author Posted May 6, 2008 (edited) Try 24 FPS !!BB: For a camera that isn't too much money, I recommend: QuickCam 9000 : It will give you HD capability and some features. It costs about 60-100 USD For a free program Stop Motion Anasazi/Animator (Previously mentioned) (SMA) is a good program that I used in the past. Let's see some great animations! I love you! I did a 24 fps film once, a 2 minute one, it was hard but the animation was real smooth. Thankyou so much for that info, I will probably get that camera as I want a cheap but good cam that is functionable. Can you please provide me a link to the program or info of it please? Batbrick Away! EDIT: Wow! I didn't spell my name correctly in title? Jeez I'm moronic, thanks Hinckley, what was it originally? Edited May 6, 2008 by Batbrick Quote
Scouty Posted May 7, 2008 Posted May 7, 2008 I love you! I did a 24 fps film once, a 2 minute one, it was hard but the animation was real smooth. Thankyou so much for that info, I will probably get that camera as I want a cheap but good cam that is functionable. Can you please provide me a link to the program or info of it please? Batbrick Away! EDIT: Wow! I didn't spell my name correctly in title? Jeez I'm moronic, thanks Hinckley, what was it originally? Ding! Quote
Oky Posted May 7, 2008 Posted May 7, 2008 Can you please provide me a link to the program or info of it please? I already did! Did you read my post at all? Anyway, here you go (again). (Bat)Brickfilms On! Quote
Scouty Posted May 8, 2008 Posted May 8, 2008 For a wealth of tips on brickfilming, you can also visit this site, which has a GREAT number of tips and tricks. BrickFilms.com Resource Page Quote
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