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LEGO Mad about Movies Holiday Camp

No longer is LEGO play limited to just building static sets.  With the creation of stop motion and movie maker apps you can create your own stories and bring them to life. So, grab some bricks and make a movie!

Steps to shoot a LEGO Stop Motion Movie (or 2)

At it's most basic all you need are some basic LEGO bricks, a minifigure or 2 and a smartphone or IPad.   If lighting is an issue, place your workspace near a window or use a desk/table lamp.

You'll need to work on a flat surface like a desk, table or floor.  Choose one where you'll be comfortable for a while, making stop motion movies takes time and is not for the faint hearted. 

Firstly, choose your app.  What's on offer depends on a number of things, are you working on Android or IPhone, do you want a free app or one with paid options?

LEGO have produced their own branded movie maker available free on iOS and Android. It's targeted at kids aged 8 and is designed to be used on your phone, using the in-built camera.

You can add sounds, visual effects and edit within the app.  BUT, there is no option to save :-( while working on it, which means if you make a mistake, you have to start again.  So, if that's an issue, we suggest checking out some of the other options available.  

 

Choose your characters.  There are a wealth available via existing LEGO sets and you can start by recreating scenes from existing Star Wars, Marvel or DC Super heroes  Disney Princess, Trolls movies, or Ninjago series, to give yourself some practice.  The benefit is ready made characters, storylines and props via existing sets.

If you're feeling more adventurous, mix and match your minifigures and props and write your own stories, even draw your own scene backgrounds! 

Once you've chosen your characters and built your props for the scenes you want you can map out your filming area with masking tape so that if you accidentally bump anything you can easily adjust it back in shot.

It can help to at least have some story/scene pointers ready to guide you as you go.  Even as simple as bullet points for each scene.

Then decide how your characters and props are going to be moving and interacting - fast, slow, - directions of travel, any complicated issues like opening doors, entering exiting buildings or vehicles, interacting or speaking with others.

If your characters/props are moving quickly you'll need fewer images and movements per second. Slower movements need more pictures with more actions. Practice makes perfect!

To make actions more natural you can start/finish actions more slowly than when  in the middle of them.  By easing in/out like this they'll look more natural.

A good place to start is perfecting how your characters walk.  The walk involves 4 movements, one leg will step forward, heel down and toe up,the toe on this foot then moves down, the other leg passes the standing leg, the passing leg heel hits the floor.  Remember to co-ordinate the arms so the opposite arm moves with the leg!

A good way to check how to recreate movements with your minifigures or actions you want them to take is to watch videos of people doing the same actions in real life and note the steps for each movement.

Once you've recreated your scenes and are happy with them remember to add music, special effects, titles etc.  If you're using the LEGO Movie Maker app you can even share your movies with other enthusiastic movie directors via the app.

 

So, grab your LEGO bricks and a stop motion app and away you go!