Interview with Jordan Schwartz

Prolific teen builder Jordan Schwartz agreed to do an interview for us here at Brickspace, so here it is:


>To start off, could you tell us a little about yourself?

As many builders online know, my real name is Jordan Schwartz. I've been building since I was three, and I've been active in the online community since I was thirteen (I am currently sixteen years of age.) I am not a member of any LUGs, nay have I attended any LEGO convention, so nobody really knows much about Jordan the person, but my MOCs tell a lot about Jordan the builder. LEGO is my only true hobby; having dabbled in other non-bricky mediums before, I know this is where I belong. I do have a few other interests; I enjoy reading when I get the time (though I rarely have the time), I am a passionate conservative libertarian, and I love collecting taxidermy (which gets me pounched on every time I post a picture of my animals on flickr!) I also keep a pet Jenday Conure named Autumn, who can't get enough of LEGO - her element of choice is the 2 x 4 brick; nibbling at the tube-and-coupling system is a lot of fun for her! In addition to my flickr, MOCpages and Brickshelf galleries, I have an official website that can be viewed at brickstud.com.


>Can you blame us? They're dead animals! But moving on, are there any builders that influenced (or still influence) you when you began to develop your style?

Well, I'm not sure I'd say I've got much of a "style", with the exception of my delicate connections! But certainly there are many builders that have subliminally influenced me over the past two years or so. Certainly some that stand out are Legohaulic, Nannan, Moko, Michael Jasper, RebelRock, and pretty much everyone over at Builders Lounge. I feel very fortunate to have been able to be a part of that community when I was early in my LEGO building "career", and I totally attribute my quality to them. And because I build in just about every theme, there are plenty of other influential builders out there that have affected me as a builder.

>That brings me to my next point. It seems almost like you make it your business to build in every theme possible- are you simply not interested enough to stick to one theme, or are you too interested in everything else?

I think it's fair to say a little of both. I'd get very bored if I built, say, space ships all day, but I've also got an interest in many other themes, which works out well for me. Also, sometimes I'll build something simply if I have a good minifigure or technique for the theme, which also keeps my MOC collection diverse. It's safe to say I'm usually partial to historical MOCs, but even that has a million and one sub-themes under it (from pirates to Victorian.) But like I said - it all works out well in the end.


>You've impressed a lot of people (myself included) with how prolific you are. Your flickr photostream contains over one and a half thousand photos, all taken within about a year and a half. The majority of those may be single minifigures built to demonstrate a single technique, but you still put out full models much faster than most other builders. Are you devoting a huge amount of time to the hobby, or do you just find that you can turn a concept in your head into a finished model very quickly?

Thanks very much! Again, I think it's a little of both. I do devote a ton of time into the hobby (most of my free time, in fact), but at the same time, if I'm motivated and enthusiastic about a project, I can finish it quickly. But enthusiasm really is the key to prolificness - if I lose interest in a project, it'll take forever to finish it seems, or I don't finish it at all. The perfect example is my Fun House.


>But with that attention comes a cost. Your prolificness, and in particular, your tendency to build a lot of things with mass appeal tends to draw a lot of less-informed comments from the younger LEGO fans out there. How have you dealt with that?

Well, first I'd like to say that the more LEGO fans out there, the better. We have all had to start somewhere, right? But yes, there seems to have been a tidal wave of spam within the past few months. I haven't done too much about it; every now and again I'll delete a comment or two, and unfortunately I have had to block a couple users (the first time in about two years!) but it's truly getting to a point where it is intolerable. Sometimes people might say that I don't take negative feedback well if it is their comment I delete, but that's not true, as long as it is constructive. That seems to be a problem as of late - comments like "I don't like this", or "It is weak." Alright, that's your opinon, but we all know what opinons are like (well, maybe those younger fans don't know that expression.) Provide some constructive feedback - I tend to appreciate that kind more than wholly positive feedback because more time is put into it.


>Well, then, to wrap up, do you have any advice for new builders?

For all the new builders out there, you simply have to keep building. If you look at my last flickr page and compare it to my current, first one you will notice a night and day difference. If you truly enjoy it, just keep at it because with every single creation, you will get better and better; that's a fact that has been perfectly illustrated by today's top builders.

Interview with Nannan Zhang

Hey guys and gals!

I took this interview, with expert MOCer and TBB member, many weeks ago, and I've unfortunately not had time to post it until now. So here we go, Nannan Zhang!

When did you start making MOCs? What drew you into the LEGO® hobby?

I’ve been making MOCs ever since I owned bricks, but it wasn’t until 2004 that I became much more involved in building. Seeing all the amazing creations on Brickshelf for the first time really inspired me to become a great builder myself.

How on earth did you manage to refine such an amazing style (the Whimsical World)? How do you plan your abstract creations?

Refining my style wasn’t a short process. It took me about three years to get to a proficient level of building; since then, I’ve been expanding my building themes and the size of my creations. My most recent diorama spans 4’X4’, which is something I didn’t expect myself to accomplish just a year ago. Many LEGO fans have associated my creations with an offbeat style, which are most apparent in my surrealist works. Planning for these creations and many other non-abstract ones usually come to me as an image in my mind. If the creation needs to be big, I usually place several Bricklink orders before beginning to build. Once I have the basic parts I need, it’s all non-stop building from there.

Where do you hope to go in the future? Will you continue as a LEGO®-certified professional, or take another career route? I've seen you are an exceptional viola player.Will you considering being a musician?

My future plans for LEGO will remain as an intensely involved hobby of building, collecting, selling, and blogging. My career goal is to become a doctor, which entails many more years of medical education and practice after I graduate from college. One of my lesser known hobbies to the LEGO community is music. I play the viola regularly and participate in concerts and recitals.

What, in your opinion, is your favourite creation, and why?

My favorite personal creation is Cry of Dreams, simply because its significance as a personal statement means the most to me. I have many favorite creations from other builders; you can see some of them in my Flickr gallery under “Favorites.” I like creations that are not only well built but also well presented and unique in their genres.

Many thanks to Nannan for answering those questions for me. Stay tuned for more great interviews (woah, did I just advertise my own interviewing skills? OMG!)

Interview with Nathan Sawaya

Hey there again guys! It's time for another interview: this time with the most famousest LEGO®-artist yet: Nathan Sawaya! Yes, after he won the 2009 Brickspace Award for Best Creator, I asked him for an interview, and here are his answers...


- Apparently you were a lawyer before you were a LEGO(R) artist. How did

you make the transition, and get your creations shown and appreciated?

I was a lawyer for five years, and I found being creative was a good way for me to relax after work.  Creating sculptures was a form of therapy after long hours at the law firm.  A few years ago I started putting photos of my works on my website, brickartist.com.  Soon I was getting commissions from all over the world.  I then realized that I could make a full time career as an artist.


- Where do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiration comes from many places and people.  I can never point to just one thing and say that has been my inspiration.  I have been inspired by people I have met, locations to where I have traveled, and something as simple as a tree.  It all depends on my current state of mind.  Sometimes I have been inspired by something but it will take years for the idea to develop and come to fruition before I actually start building it.  Also, I live in New York City, and when I get stuck on a specific, I will often just take a walk in the city and usually that leads to some sort of inspiration.

When I first started out, I was really inspired by an art book of Tom Friedman?s work.  I was blown away by his fabulous sculptures created from household items.  I would stare at this book for hours and let my mind wander.  Recently I authored my own book to inspire others.  I put together a collection of photos of my works over the past few years with the hopes that kids will read it and be inspired to become artists themselves.

- You concentrate mainly on LEGO(R) sculptures on large scales. Will you

ever succumb to the minifg, and create a minifigure-based project?

I might have something coming up.  You will have to keep checking back.

For my museum tour, I like to mostly use the rectangular bricks to create my sculptures.  There is a challenge to making curves out of a medium made up of right angles.


- There are lots of kids out there who want to be just like you. What

would you say to someone to advise them on how to get into the

professional LEGO(R) industry?

Practice, practice, practice.




Many thanks to Nathan for answering those. You can find his bio, and all his creations at his website brickartist.com . Until next time, goodbye!

Interview With Firas Abu-Jaber

I recently asked great vehicle builder Firas Abu-Jaber about his fantastic car scenes. Here are his replies.

Hi Zack…

Thanks for this opportunity for making this interview and post it at your great Blog, and of course it's my pleasure to answer your questions any time.

So, let's start with your first question:

Q:How long do you spend on a creation of yours?

A:Well, I can't give you an exact limit for the time that I spend in building my models, but I can say that the minimum time that I spent in a car is 5 days in average of 2-4 hours working per day, well in the beginning I build like a "sketch" of the overall shape of the car that I want to build, this takes me one day usually, then the rest of time I spend will be in updating this "sketch", update after update till it "can't be any better" (for me)… and I think that you need to know that there're some cars took me almost a month to got it right, for example my Lamborghini Reventon.

Q:Which creation to you favor the most?

A:My favorite own creation is the "Shelby GT500 Super Snake"; which has made it to several sites and blogs(you could find some of them at my Home page on MOCpages), also it has made it to be one of the best LEGO creations in the year 2008 as what comes in LAMLradio #72-year in review , it's also one of the hardest models that I built by far, besides... KITT is also one of my favorites (the real one and my LEGO version as well).

Q:You are known for your great vehicles, do you ever wish to

stray off?

A:Well, I love cars so much, and I love LEGO as well, so I always try to build my favorite cars in LEGO, and I don't think I'll ever quit building vehicles, there's something make me feel good in building cars with LEGO, and I'm very satisfied with the results that I got by far.

Q:Where do you take inspiration from?

A:Usually I get my inspiration from real life cars in the street, TV car shows, cars from movies, cause it's the most favorite thing for me is to build real life cars with LEGO.

Q:Do you have any advice for readers who want to design

vehicles like yours?

A:There're a number of things I would like to tell to builders that like to build real life cars, before start working on your model, "study" the car that you want to build; and that's by looking for pictures of the real car, or may be get your self a model of the car from any toys store around you(this could be better than only pics), then study the angles of the car very well, and try to find solutions for all the angles of the car in your head, then head to your bricks and start your build… usually I start with the front end of the car then I make the rest of the chassis and the frame, then I make the windshield and the roof, and this is my hardest part(I mean the roof with the windshield and the rear window)…, at the end I add the interior and engine, and then as I said before; updating your build many times could help to get a good result, finally make a little comparison between your car and the real thing.

Q:When would you say a changing point is from when creations

become art (or your own term for it) over a children's toy?

A:Well I think LEGO isn't like any other child toy in the world, I don't think that there's any toy that makes you use your mind, or your creativity or to make improvements in your skills and techniques like LEGO do! For me I just realized that LEGO is far beyond to be just a normal toy when I was a kid; to be more specific to you, when I got my first Model-Team set No. 5590 and created the Lincoln Town Car Limousine from it.

Thanks again for this great opportunity to be in this interview, and I promise that there're some good models coming up soon from me.

Greetings

Firas Abu-Jaber

Also see the post below for some other fantastic vehicles created by Firas.

~Zack

Interview with Keshen8 (Custard productions)

I'm a great fan of Custard productions' great lego fighting scenes, so I thought it would be great to ask them a few questions about how they make their films. AND THEY REPLIED! So here's the interview:

Q1) How long on average does it take you make a film?
A) It really depends. My second “Dark Knight Trailer in Lego” only took one day, I actually released it the same day as the actual trailer came out, so if I really push myself then I can get things done really quickly. My sets also don’t take that long to make, I usually use cardboard because of a lack of building blocks, I seem to have a surplus of mini-figures though, I don’t know how that happened. The Lego Ultimatum on the other hand took a long time, I’ve had a few people saying how easy it is doing a shot for shot remake of a scene, but when it comes to something like Bourne it’s quite time consuming: getting the shot set up, moving/rebuilding the set to fit the frame, moving the Lego men just right to fit the one or two second shot, converting human martial arts into rigid Lego movement, and all the while physically moving your camera and set frame by frame to get the handheld effect. I can’t really say how long it all takes, because there are so many factors that come into play.

Q2) Where do you get your inspiration from?
A) I’m inspired by many people, mostly those who contribute to something that I feel is fresh and unique, skilful, or thought provoking and truthful. If I had to name a few people I would say Yuen Wo Ping, The Wachowski and Coen Brothers and Jackie Chan. There aren’t any “Brickfilmers” who inspire me, (except Lindsay Fleay, who created "The Magic Portal" over 20 years ago) but I guess Lego itself would have to be an inspiration to me.

Q3) What, in your opinion, is your best brickfilm?
A) In my opinion my best Brickfilm would have to be the one I’m working on now, but before that one, definitely The Lego Ultimatum. I’ve always wanted to see a decent Lego fight scene, I’m proud to have made one (even if it is a remake). It was also filmed on top of a cardboard box in a garage with an old camera, so I'm also kind of surprised how well it turned out considering.

Q4) Are you working on any brickfilms at the moment, or looking to do some more in the near future?
A) I am working on a Brickfilm right now, “Will and Ted”. I’ve fully completed about seven minutes of it and I’m not half way yet so it will be a few weeks before it comes out. I also have a few scripts and visual ideas for other animations that I would like to do in Lego.

Thanks to Custard productions for letting us interview them. Hope you enjoyed that, and if you want to see more of their movies, click here to go to their YouTube channel.




-Luke, editor

Interview with ZachMG (Mindgame studios)

We've featured loads of Mindgame studios videos on Brickspace before, and I got in touch with ZachMg from mindgame studios, to ask for an interview... and he replied (YAY!). So here's what he said:
Q1) How long on average does it take you make a film?
A)Well, it all depends on the size and scope of the project. Some films may take a few days, others a few weeks, some as long as a few months or years even. Factors that go into this include intended length, how long you imagine it would take to tell a full story, amount and level of difficulty of animation/set design/visual effects, and time to dedicate to the project. A small, one-set film like my recent "Social Experiment" takes about two or three days of solid work, whereas my other film "Mirrored Perspective" took about three months to make, in part because of school and the complexity of each and every shot setup (since both figures were animated simultaneously, not only the lighting had to be equal on both sides, but both minifigs needed to have perfectly timed animation, which made the animation portion of the project that much more time-consuming. "Blade Runner: Tears in Rain", a 50 second clip, took about a month to complete, but the actual animation was completed in two days. The other several weeks were dedicated to all of the special effects seen in the film, ranging from the environment behind the Roy Batty character to the animated faces and rainfall. So, the amount of time spent making a film depends on not only the intended length of the final product, but the overall complexity and effort you're willing to put into it to make it as good as you can imagine it.

Q2) Where do you get your inspiration from?
A) Inspiration is a funny thing with me. I'm absolutely horrendous at thinking of story on the spot, mostly because I'm either self-conscious that I'm ripping off a pre-conceived idea, or my creative well has run dry. Most ideas tend to strike me at the most unlikely times. For example, the idea for "Mirrored Perspective" came to me in the summer of 2006, and I sat on the idea until about September/October that year where we covered Plato's Cave Allegory in English class, and I noticed their similarities and found the inspiration to make the film. The idea for my film "Social Experiment" came to me while on vacation the weekend before Halloween. I slept on it, and by the end of the night, I worked out everything I wanted in the film and immediately got to work when I got back home. Ideas, for me at least, are not something that I can voluntarily call upon and develop, but rather something that comes to me almost unexpectedly.

The only exception I can make to that statement is for the films I enter into Twenty-Four Hour Animation Contests ("The Season of Giving," "Arthur's Legacy," etc.), where everything from the story to animation to final render is completed in under 24 hours.

Q3) How do you make your computer designed films like blade runner and what would you say to anyone who wants to make computer designed brickfilms?
A) Most of my special effects are done in Adobe After Effects. I've had the program for almost two years and I'm still have a lot to learn about it. It's not a program where you master by studying it for a week or two, because there's always something new that can be done in it. "Blade Runner" is definitely my most special effects-intensive film to date; the special effects alone took up about 90% of both the screen as well as the time spent making the clip (in fact, the only actual physical objects in the entire clip are the two minifigures and the background behind Deckard. Everything else is composited in After Effects).
      This is something I cannot stress heavily enough to people who want to make very CG-intensive films, especially those new to brickfilming: Wait! Don't dive into intense special effects as a beginner, you'll end up with nothing but headaches and loss of interest. I never touched Adobe After Effects personally until well into my second year of brickfilming. To all beginning brickfilmers: Learn the basics first and get comfortable with them, learn special effects later. I believe George Lucas once said, "Special effects are a tool...a means of telling a story...special effects without a story are a pretty boring thing." Special effects don't make an interesting brickfilm, well-developed stories, characters, and well-rounded animation/cinematography do.

Q4) What, in your opinion is your best movie?
A) Hmm, that's a tough question. Lately, I've been really happy with some of my recent comedies, like "The Season of Giving," "Attack of the Second Amendment," and "Social Experiment," which is nice because I am generally very critical of my work. However, I think I'm most proud of "Mirrored Perspective," on both a storytelling and technical level. I'm really happy with how the simultaneous animation came out as well as the light effects in the film, and overall, I feel like I succeeded in telling the story I wanted to as well as creating an appropriate mood and atmosphere. However, I cannot credit myself alone for "Mirrored Perspective's" success; much credit goes to my incredible musical scorer. Without his fantastic music, the film would be a hollow shell of what I intended it to be, so many, many kudos to him.

Q5) Are you working on anything at the moment?
A) Yes, I do have a couple of projects in the works at the moment, though school and college applications are my primary priority at the moment. One is near completion, one not so much. If I play my cards right, I might be able to get one more film out before the end of the year, but I can't guarantee both. I'd rather not spoil the plots of each film, so you'll all have to wait and see them. ;)

Thanks to Zach for replying, and just to tell everyone, as soon as the new films come out, you can find them on brickspace. You can visit his website by clicking here, or visit his YouTube channel by clicking here.




-Luke, editor

Interview with David Pagano (Paganomation)

 Hey there guys! I've managed to get my first interview, and here it is, an interview with none other that David Pagano, also known as Paganomation! You may remember him as the creator of 'Go Miniman Go! ', 'Playback ', and the classic Brickfilm 'Little Guys! ' So here's the interview...

Q) How long did it take you to make "Little Guys "?
A) From start to finish, about eight straight months. This included coming up with the idea, recording sound, designing, building, animating... all the aspects of production.

Q) Will you ever make anything similar to "Little Guys "?
A) Absolutely. In terms of LEGO animation, I am extremely interested in doing work with characters built from LEGO parts, as opposed to using mini-figures. I'll definitely be making other movies in a similar style in the future. I also have a few ideas for a Little Guys "sequel", should I ever find the time and opportunity to do that.
On the other hand, you could say that everything I make is similar to "Little Guys!" I'm a huge '80s nerd and an animation fanatic, and that pretty much creeps into everything I do.

Q) What's your next project?
A) Right now, I'm just finishing up a full-bodied LEGO sculpture based on one of the kid characters from "Little Guys!" But in terms of animation projects, I'm actually taking a little break right now. Earlier in the year, I did two LEGO animated films in the span of about 2-and-a-half months ("Go Miniman Go! " and "Playback "), while also working a full-time job. Even though it was rewarding, it was also extremely difficult -- there was definitely a time in the midst of it where I was awake for around 43 straight hours. So for now, I'm just making sure I take some time for rest and relaxation.

Q) What would you say to anyone who wants to make Brickfilms like you? Any tips?
A) Overall, the most important thing is to make sure you're having fun doing what you're doing. Animation is a long, arduous, time-consuming process, and so it really helps to be passionate about the project you're doing. You want to work for those moments where you're in the middle of animating a shot, and you watch the preview of what you're doing, and just laugh out loud or sit in awe of the work you've just done. It's a very satisfying feeling, and that's what keeps you going through the production. It's what keeps me going, anyway.
As for LEGO, I'd just say don't stop building. It's a simple answer, but it's true. Make sure and keep some bricks around to mess with when you're not doing anything. I have some LEGO on my desk at work that I build with when I'm waiting for a render or taking a break.
On the animation side of things, it's pretty simple as well: watch animated films, cartoons, TV commercials, anything. Read books on animation. Pay attention to how things are done, and why. It doesn't have to be only LEGO animation work that you watch, either. The principles of animation are universal, and they apply regardless of what the medium is.
Finally, don't be afraid to just mess around with animation. Not every film you do has to be an epic, high-quality work of art. Sometimes, it's just fun to put some bricks in from of the camera and goof off. You have to make some simple, pointless, low-budget, occasionally awful films before you get to the good ones. That way, if you mess up, or it doesn't come out the way you want, it's no big deal. And if you manage to do something really cool, it's that much more rewarding.

Q) And finally, what other Brickfilmer would you recommend? Do you consider them at your level of expertise, or above it?
A) The brickfilming genre is really exploding now, and it's exciting to be a part of that. There are so many talented artists out there right now, I could probably go on and on... name about 20 or 30. The one that really inspired me when I was starting to make "Little Guys!" was Marc Beurteaux , an animator from Canada. His film "ROBOTA " set the brickfilming bar so high, it was all I could do to try and approach that. Definitely go check out on its YouTube page.
I consider quite a number of the brickfilmers out there WAY above my level of expertise (and I use that term loosely). None of us are really experts, because there hasn't been much of a precedent for brickfilming until very recently. I think what's cool is that all of us in the genre are kind of making it up as we go, finding new ways to improve our work, and try to continually top each other.
It's that kind of friendly competition that's really making some great people put out some great work, and that can only be a good thing for brickfilms in general. That's part of the reason I put instructions for a kid character on the DVD for "Little Guys!" Just as I was inspired by films like ROBOTA, I hope that at some point, maybe someone else will be inspired by Little Guys and try to make their own animation using my kid character as a guide. It hasn't happened yet, but I can't wait to see it when it does. 

Well, many thanks to David for answering those questions. You can find all his films on his website . See you next time!

-John, Admin

Interview with Philip Heinrich (Smeagol Studios)

Q1) How long on average does it take you make one movie?
A)That really depends on the movie. I made "The Pepperonis" for an animation contest in about 22 hours, and that was over three minutes long. "Cashman" took me about 18 hours to make. But most of my films are more complex; for example, my latest film, Unrenewable, took about a month and a half to film, with a couple months of preparation before that.

Q2) Where do you get your inspiration from?
A) It hasn't been too difficult to develop ideas for Star Wars films since the world of Star Wars has already been established via the movies, video games, comic books, etc. My "Bane of the Sith" trailer, for example, is heavily based on Star Wars books and comics. My other films often draw inspiration the genre on which they are based -- for example, "Unrenewable" is modeled after classic film noir to some extent, with a science-fiction element added to the mix.

Q3) Would you ever consider making a full version of Star wars bane of the sith? (Please say yes!)
A) Making a "Bane of the Sith" movie would be fun, but it would take a long time to do it properly, and I don't feel up to making a feature-length Star Wars movie. Rest assured I am working on plenty of other projects, though. Currently I'm working on something much larger than my previous films.

Q4) Which, in your opinion, it the best film you made?
A) My favorite film that I have made is my latest, "Unrenewable." It isn't on YouTube currently but it is available on my website.
[You can watch unrenewable by clicking here]

Thankyou very much to Philip Heinrich for letting us interview him. You can visit his website by clicking here. Below is a poster for Unrenewable.

-Luke, editor

Interview with Jason Freeny

Recently, we featured the Anatomy of the minifigure on the blog. We were so impressed we decided to ask the creator - Jason Freeny - for an interview.

Q1) How long on average does it take you make a design?
A)On average each anatomy illustration takes about 30 hours.

Q2) Where do you get your inspiration from?
A) My ideas and inspirations come at times where I am not really thinking or expecting anything. Like while trying to fall asleep or during my train commute to work...

Q3) Would you ever consider making another Lego based design?
A) I would certainly consider another LEGO based illustration but right now I have so many ideas for other things... I like to touch on many subjects and try to avoid using the same subject matter too much, unless of course the idea is just too good.

Q4) What would you say to anyone who wants to make designs like you?
A) I don't really know how to answer that, If you have an idea go for it. Im just making it up as I go... ;)

Thankyou very much to Jason Freeny. You can visit his website by clicking here. Below is his only lego based poster. His other things are really good too and you can find them on his website.

-Luke, editor