The Paganomation Blog

Viral LEGO “Carl’s Jr.” ads

David — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:42:40 +0000

A new series of ads promoting the Philly Cheesesteak Burger at fast food chain Carl’s Jr. uses LEGO stop-motion to re-enact historical and cinematic moments in Philadephia history. (I guess their marketing team decided to move on from objectifying women for the time being.)

Even though the snob in me shudders at the non-purist aspects of these ads (Paint? Clay? String? Cutting bricks and wigs? A freaky owl-skeleton hybrid!?), the spots are fun with some nice animation. This might be the first time I’ve seen a minifigure jump rope.

There’s three ads so far, and I’m not sure if they’re internet-only or if they’re airing on TV as well. Anyone have the answer to that?

EDIT: Looks like they got pulled from YouTube. Sheesh, that was fast. Though I cant imagine TLG was happy with an ad where a minifigure Thomas Jefferson says “kick-ass” and Ben Franklin coins the term “WTF.”

YouTube – The Champ

YouTube – Great Moments In Philly History

YouTube – It Came From Philly

Tearin’ Apart the Avant-Garde

David — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:42:52 +0000

The theme of this year’s Bricks In Motion LEGO film contest was “Avant-Garde,” and now that the contest is over we’ve started to see a lot of the entries start to show up on YouTube and elsewhere. From the site:

“We want you to reconsider the standard conventions of brickfilming as it is now and create a film that is unique and, on some level, does things that haven’t been done in a brickfilm before. Your film can be experimental and surreal, or simply use new techniques and kinds of storytelling that we probably have not seen before… While this contest is about pushing the boundaries, we’re not asking entrants to create films so abstract and nonsensical that they are not enjoyable to watch.”

Many of the contest entry films are also being reviewed over at Brickspace.org. I’m usually a fan of Brickspace, because their coverage of LEGO animation is pretty well developed. But man, they are being brutal in their reviews of the Avant-Garde entries. A few excerpts:

“Here’s an entry from Nick Durron (director of Picturesque, which I luckily didn’t review when it was released because I thought it was awful).”
“It was only a matter of time before I saw David Boddy’s (pe668) entry into the Bricks in Motion Avant-Garde competition, and it is with sadness that I must report that it is nothing compared to last year’s entry.”
“I must admit that when I first started watching it, and when I saw that he had made more than half of it hurriedly in under 48 hours, I was not impressed. Brickfilmers have had almost a year to get their films done, and the start of the film did not help.”
“So, whilst Macias’ entry is a good film in its own right, I’d hope it’s not the kind of quality that will win such a challenging competition. I wonder what everyone else has been up to…”

Sheesh. I’m not saying I necessarily agree or disagree with these reactions, but one thing to keep in mind is this — these are not professional films. This isn’t Cannes or Sundance. They’re films, for the most part, made by young hobbyists in their spare time.

So one would expect reviews of these films to be crafted with a certain amount of tact. I’m not saying they need to be sugar-coated, but you can express an opinion in an honest way without having it sound like you’re writing an obituary for someone’s film career. But then, I guess if the films aren’t really professional, there’s no reason for the reviews to be professional, either.

Brickspace: Avant-Garde

Submit your LEGO films to BrickFlix 2011

David — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:50:22 +0000

Submissions for the second annual BrickFlix Film Festival are now open! Submit your film today. The deadline is March 1st, 2011, and the festival will take place on May 4th, 2011. Submit your film! Go!

BrickFlix – Submissions

Some things I forgot to mention

David — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:27:50 +0000

I’m always busy, aren’t I? Sorry. Here’s a recap of some things that have happened:

1) Episode 1 of Paganomation’s LEGO Toy Story series is online! You can check it out here.

2) Two new LEGO stores opened up in New York City!

One is in Rockefeller Center, the other is in the Queens Center Mall. I went and snapped some photos that you can find over on my Flickr page. My feeling was that the store in Queens Center is way better, as it’s more of an actual LEGO store and less of a tourist attraction. Though, they’re both young and I’ll give them time to grow.

3) A new episode of “Cool Creations with Flappy” came out, animated by Steve McGinnis!

4) I updated the look of this blog, along with the addition of a new Paganomation logo. Let me know what you guys think of it!

A quick look at Brickworld 2010

David — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:40:40 +0000

Back again at the Brickworld LEGO fan event in Wheeling, IL. Got a sampling of photos from the event over on my Flickr page. Check ‘em out, and if you’re in the area, be sure to stop by for the public hours today and tomorrow!

Brickworld 2010 – a set on Flickr

LEGO Club Show 4.1

David — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:04:31 +0000

Another month, another new episode of “The LEGO Club Show” begins.

First up is a brand new “Adventures of Max”, where Max plays the part of a responsible citizen and reports a fire to the proper authorities. The results are UNPREDICTABLE…

YouTube – The LEGO Club Show!!! Episode 4 Part 1

BrickFlix 2010 Recap, Part 2: Some Visuals

David — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:58:53 +0000

Here’s the teaser that played to promote the BrickFlix festival. It’s basically just a compilation of my LEGO work, as we didn’t have permission to use clips from anyone else’s films for promotional purposes.

Also, Joe Meno has uploaded a bunch of photos from both screenings to his Flickr account. So you can check those out, too.

YouTube – BrickFlix 2010 Teaser

BrickFlix – a set on Flickr

BrickFlix 2010 Recap, Part 1: The Lineup

David — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:29:51 +0000

I’m not sure I mentioned this before on the blog (sorry, faithful readers), but this past Wednesday night (May 5th) was the first annual BrickFlix Film Festival in Durham, NC. Part of the BrickMagic LEGO fan event, the festival consisted of two screenings: one for all ages, and a slightly more mature screening for those 16 and up (though there wasn’t really anything too scandalous; after all, it’s LEGO we’re talking about).

I got the honor of being the special guest at the event, which consisted of me doing a short Q&A after each screening. The kids at the event had lots of great questions, and overall it was just a really great time. In addition to the Q&As, I was also responsible for reining in some of the best LEGO films from the farthest reaches of the internets, and compiling them into two screenings. By request, here are the setlists for both shows:

7pm: All ages screening

9pm: 16 and up

A big thanks goes out to Joe Meno, Will Stroh, and John Morrow for putting the whole thing together, and to everyone from the Carolina Theatre. Still to come: some photos and other media from the event.

’80s Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear Commercial

David — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:31:48 +0000

Pixar, WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD AT EVERYTHING?!

This “Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear” ad just made my day. I can’t wait for this movie to come out.

…complete with VHS lines! What an ingenious addition.

Even the YouTube account is amazing, with lots of other real toys to add to the legitimacy. Just brilliant.

YouTube – Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear Commercial circa 1983

LEGO Club Show 3.4

David — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:19:59 +0000

Part four of LEGO Club Show episode 3 gives us more good times with Flappy the Mailbox (animated by Zach Decktor), as well as a new music video called “Black Eyed Piece.” Enjoy!

YouTube – The LEGO Club Show!!!! Episode 3 – Part 4