Summer Contest: MANIFEST
CONTEST
It is my DELIGHT to welcome yee to the 2021 BricksInMotion.com summer contest, MANIFEST, an experimental brickfilming competion!
The contest will run from July 11th to August 31st . This year, we have a FABULOUS pool of prizes courtesy to our contest sponsors: Dragonframe, Brickstuff and the LEGO Ambassador Network.
THEME
So what's MANIFEST all about? Well, for this year's contest, I'm hoping to summon - MANIFEST - new, experimental and unique brickfilms that push the art of brickfilming - aesthetically, narratively and artistically - further than it's ever gone before.
As filmmakers, it's easy to get stuck in the usual, set-in-stone way of doing things; the same walk cycle, same camera angles, the familiar Hollywood stories we've seen done over and again for over a century now. And while there's a reason these things are done over again - they work (mostly, sometimes, kinda), sometimes you gotta THROW the chains off, BUST out the cage, and BREAK NEW GROUND.
What's that look like? WHO KNOWS?? This is a contest that encourages both narrative and non-narrative films.
- Films with no-minifigures
- Films with ONLY minifigures
- Films with no "animation" only still images
- Films with Expressionist set design and visual style (Caligari, Metropolis)
- Films with nonlinear stories and editing
- Films that use animation techniques uncommon to brickfilms
- Films melding Lego with other, non-conventional materials.
The SKY'S THE LIMIT, experiment, try something weird, something you might not be sure is gonna work, and make something OUT THERE.
The brickfilms in this playlist are some sources of inspiration that, imo, exemplify the creative and experimental spirit of this contest, but please don't limit your inspiration to this small number of works. WATCH WIDELY.
Sponsors
Prizes for this year's competition are generously provided by our sponsors: Dragonframe, Brickstuff, and the LEGO Ambassador Network!
Prizes
Dragonframe 4 + Bluetooth Controller
Dragonframe is the premium stop motion animation software that captured Laika's ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Disney's Frankenweenie. This software is easy enough for a beginner to learn, but offers a wealth of advanced features sure to meet the needs of any stop motion animator. Software and controller included. For Mac OSX and Windows.
Brickstuff Pico LED Light Board Starter Kit
This versatile kit includes eight Brickstuff Pico LED light boards, perfect for fitting into small spaces. Based in Minnesota, Brickstuff custom manufactures a full line of lighting and automation products for LEGO builders. Brickstuff lights are the smallest commercially available lights for LEGO bricks, so you can put them right inside your bricks, and the wires are thin enough that you can snap your bricks, plates, and tiles right on top of the wires-- no need to modify your bricks or builds! Best of all, you don’t need to know electronics to use this system—everything fits together (just like LEGO bricks!), and you can start small and add lights and effects as your collection of creations and MOCs grows. The lights are perfect for use in brickfilms to create just the mood or effect you need.
LEGO Creator Surfer Beach House
That dolphin is so lit.
Judges
Entries will be judged on their overall creativity, originality and interpretation of the contest's theme and spirit by the 4 judges. Rather than judging on specific catagories like animation or story, the judges will examine each film on how well it comes together, whatever kind of film it is, as a complete and artistic work. Films will be discussed and ranked collectively by the judges until a consensus is reached. The top 3 films will eligible for the prize pool. Entries below 10th place will not be publicly ranked.
