Brick Flicks by Sarah Herman

Author:Sarah Herman [Herman, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2014-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Minifigure arms and hands

Minifigures might not have elbows, but what they lack in the synovial hinge joint department, they more than make up for when it comes to their unique claw like mitts. Their hands are angled slightly from their arms, which means that when you position them with the straight side up they’ll hold an object away from their body, and when you rotate the hand so the curved side is up, they’ll lean the object in slightly toward themselves. Switching between these two options mid-move and rotating the hands in general can create some interesting animation effects.

• If you want your minifigure to perform a hammer blow, position the weapon in the hand with the curved side of the hand facing upward, then when the hammer hits its target, switch the hand upside down so the straight side is facing upward, without changing the orientation of the hammer. It will appear to shift forward, as if the minifigure has swung down with its wrist, adding the appearance of force to the blow.

• Different combinations of twisting and swapping hand positions, not just gradually but suddenly too, from one frame to the next, can create some fun effects, especially if you’re trying to create combat scenes.

• Raising a minifigure’s arms in the air with the hands curved side up denotes a shrugging of the shoulders or “Why me?” gesture, while doing exactly the same with the hands straight side up can look threatening or angry, perfect for a fist-waving motion.

• To simulate typing, writing, or piano playing, try shooting random and rapid combinations of hand positions.

• Although minifigures are sold with their arms attached, it is possible to remove the arms and switch them around for an unusual-looking backward arm movement—this could be useful for just a few frames in a kung fu fight, a character searching in its pockets, or for a swimming scene.

The power of Blu-Tack

If you’re not familiar with Blu-Tack, no doubt there’s an equivalent adhesive putty substance you can get hold of where you live, but many professional animators recommend Bostik’s Blu-Tack over other products and believe it’s perhaps the second greatest off-the-shelf animation tool after LEGO. Why use Blu-Tack?

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