Brickfilms Climb So High Shale Thread Fame Infamy Glory

July 18, 2006 at 3:43 pm #208521
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Shale
Here is the film I made for FIG. I spent a while making the custom pieces and designing the ‘dreamscape’ backgrounds. I am fairly pleased with how the film came out overall. So here it is:

Climb So High

All comments welcome. :)

Note: You may have to right-click to save the file. This is a rather bothersome thing that happens with Internet Archive. I have tried to get an account on postbrickfilms but I have not been contacted in several weeks. :shrug:
July 18, 2006 at 5:27 pm #208541
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General Spammer-killer
The link–at least for me–brings up computer gibberish.
July 18, 2006 at 5:56 pm #208549
Avatar of Film Brain
Film Brain
Quite mad. But it’s also brilliant. I really enjoyed this one. I don’t know why. It must be the absurdity of it rubbing off on me. I must say I did laugh at several unexpected moments.

4/5
July 18, 2006 at 7:56 pm #208594
Avatar of Stefan
Stefan
Good film! Let’s go for the spoilers:

[spoiler]I loved the surreal dream sequence, and the animation (with maybe the exception of the guy “standing up” on the side of a steep cliff just after the guide dropped) was rather good. I found the voiceovers and (to a lesser extent) voice acting to be rather quick and difficult to follow. Was this because you had to fit the lines within the animation you did? Or is that just the way you talk?
[/spoiler]

All in all a very creative entry, which managed to entertain me throughout. Well done!

Stefan.
July 18, 2006 at 9:59 pm #208646
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KG
That was extremely amusing. The end credits song and the post credits bit was hilarious in a odd way, and the dream sequence might be a mini-masterpiece.
July 18, 2006 at 10:30 pm #208654
Avatar of Spoclogik
Spoclogik
Shale, you definetly have a gift for humor. I laughed out loud several times and I think I can relate to this guy – I climbed the same mountain.
July 18, 2006 at 10:45 pm #208659
Avatar of Super Cameraman
Super Cameraman
My immediate reaction: What?

It was really good! Pretty funny, too! I think it would have been better if the old guy said at the end after the guy falls, “Can’t you take a joke?”

-Super
July 18, 2006 at 11:05 pm #208666
Avatar of MindGame
MindGame
I apologize. I wanted to like this movie, but it didn’t really do it for me.

[spoiler]Your technical qualities are good. Animation was solid all around, and the clay work was good. Kudos to you for actually filming live crows and rendering them yourself…

…but…

Your framing of shots weren’t good. In many scenes, the characters are positioned in the far corners or sides of the screen, leaving the viewer nothing else to look at but sky and the every-so-often crow.

The voice acting was WAY too fast. I remember myself shouting at the computer screen “Slow down!” several times. I couldn’t follow most of the characters, and I had to watch it a few times to get what they were saying.

It had an extremely anti-climactic ending to an almost non-existant story. By almost non-existant, I dont’ mean that it was completely random, but that you didn’t dig into the story enough. We know that this guy’s a total loser, but what classifies him as a loser? We dont’ get to peek into his life and what he’s like, we only know him through his dream. Also, we seem to cut to him already a good ways up the hill. I feel there could have been so much more potential if you had filmed the beginning of the climb and its possible perils. It would have also helped a little if we had gotten to know the guide just a little more.

You had an extra 6 mins, and I feel it would have benefitted the film if you had used them.[/spoiler]

All in all, not that it’s a bad movie, far from it, but it had so much potential, and it was sort of a let down for me.

-MindGame
July 18, 2006 at 11:50 pm #208675
Avatar of Shale
Shale
Warning: There may be spoilers in the replies below:

“Film Brain” wrote: Quite mad. But it’s also brilliant. I really enjoyed this one. I don’t know why. It must be the absurdity of it rubbing off on me. I must say I did laugh at several unexpected moments.

4/5
Glad you liked it!

“Stefan” wrote: I found the voiceovers and (to a lesser extent) voice acting to be rather quick and difficult to follow. Was this because you had to fit the lines within the animation you did? Or is that just the way you talk?
I do tend to talk fast, it’s become rather a bad habit which I am trying to curb. In the ending though (when he was hanging) I talked fast on purpose to build into a crescendo but I probably shouldn’t because I talk fast anyway. Thanks for your review!

“KG” wrote: That was extremely amusing. The end credits song and the post credits bit was hilarious in a odd way, and the dream sequence might be a mini-masterpiece.
Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. :)

“Spoclogik” wrote: I laughed out loud several times and I think I can relate to this guy – I climbed the same mountain.
That’s pretty cool.

“Super Cameraman” wrote: I think it would have been better if the old guy said at the end after the guy falls, “Can’t you take a joke?”
:lol: Yes, that would have been funny and doubled the irony, too, but it would ruin the fact that he climbed the whole mountain for a crazy man.

“MindGame” wrote: I apologize. I wanted to like this movie, but it didn’t really do it for me.
There’s no need to apologize. I value everybody’s opinion – especially from a brickfilmer as good as you, MindGame. :)

“MindGame” wrote: Your framing of shots weren’t good. In many scenes, the characters are positioned in the far corners or sides of the screen, leaving the viewer nothing else to look at but sky and the every-so-often crow.
You would know better than I, so I’ll trust your good judgement.

“MindGame” wrote: The voice acting was WAY too fast. I remember myself shouting at the computer screen “Slow down!” several times. I couldn’t follow most of the characters, and I had to watch it a few times to get what they were saying.
I am very grateful that you and Stefan have pointed this out. I wasn’t sure before but after this I will try my best to improve on this aspect.

“MindGame” wrote: It had an extremely anti-climactic ending to an almost non-existant story. By almost non-existant, I dont’ mean that it was completely random, but that you didn’t dig into the story enough. We know that this guy’s a total loser, but what classifies him as a loser? We dont’ get to peek into his life and what he’s like, we only know him through his dream. Also, we seem to cut to him already a good ways up the hill. I feel there could have been so much more potential if you had filmed the beginning of the climb and its possible perils. It would have also helped a little if we had gotten to know the guide just a little more.
Ah, some of what you say is true but I must disagree with one or two small points. The effect I was going for was that the whole film was sort of revolving around this man’s fantasies, and that the whole picture wasn’t very much grounded in reality until the end, when life showed its cruelty (and sense of humour) by shattering his dreams with a ‘dumb wiseman.’ But I do agree with you that the film might have benefitted from a small peek into his life – perhaps a scene involving him in the workplace. But I decided not to. Thank you for your thorough review. :)
July 18, 2006 at 11:57 pm #208679
Avatar of LegosJedi
LegosJedi
“General Spammer-killer” wrote: The link–at least for me–brings up computer gibberish.
To solve that, right click on the link, and select “Save Link As…”, or “Save Linked File As…”, or something like that.

As for the film, eh, it was okay. Sorry. I mean, like MindGame, I want to like it, but I can’t.
July 19, 2006 at 12:10 am #208683
Avatar of prof1515
prof1515
Climb So High *1/2
Directed by: Colin Boyle
Year of Release: 2006

Climb So High begins with a dream sequence which lasts far too long in comparison to the rest of the film. And yet, the dream sequence is probably the best part of this film. The surreal imagery works well enough and sets up the film for something more than it delivers.

The narration is problematic through most of the film. Early on it is more paced and natural but by the second half of the film the narrator seems to be racing to fit as much dialogue as he can in as little time as possible. It borders on speed talking and certainly pays no respect to the pause after a comma or a period. It’s an old joke that animators rely on caffeine to help them through the grueling task of creating motion from still shots and perhaps the narration of this film is evidence of just that. What’s more disturbing than the narration is the character of the guide. Obviously, he’s meant to be black but the voice is so stereotypical and overdone as to be offensive. I almost expected him to say “Massa”.

What about the story though? It’s about chasing a dream, literally, but relies on a premise that transcends the dream and assumes reality. To dream about climbing a mountain to find wisdom is one thing. To actually climb it and find what the character in this film finds is a letdown. It offers a punchline instead of a real conclusion. Rather than present a story with more content, the entire film serves as a setup to one joke, a joke without a payoff sufficient enough to warrant three minutes to get there.

Think what this film could have done by telling a story of expectation and desire to achieve a quest to realize a vision and following through on that story. Fulfilled or unfilled in the end, it wouldn’t matter. The story would have been enough. As it is, this story isn’t enough because it never tries to be enough. And that’s a shame. A film that boldly begins with a dream shouldn’t surrender to a timid ending.
July 19, 2006 at 12:24 am #208688
Avatar of Shale
Shale
“LegosJedi” wrote: As for the film, eh, it was okay. Sorry. I mean, like MindGame, I want to like it, but I can’t.
That’s quite alright. :)

prof1515, let me start out by thanking you for your review. It was very long and thoughtful and it has many valid points. There is one thing I would address, however.

“prof1515″ wrote: What’s more disturbing than the narration is the character of the guide. Obviously, he’s meant to be black but the voice is so stereotypical and overdone as to be offensive.
I honestly never thought I would be replying to something of this nature, but here it goes: The choice of a black man as the guide was purely coincidental and was in no way meant to be disrespectful or stereotypical. Also, the voice I was trying to do was also supposed to be slightly Californian. Since I am neither black nor Californian (at least the last time I checked) I did my best under the circumstances. It saddens me that you would find this character offensive, and for any offense I do apologise.

“prof1515″ wrote: I almost expected him to say “Massa”.
I am not obsessed with being politically correct but that is the last thing I would have any character say, let alone a black man.
Again, sorry for any offense, because I certainly did not mean to cause any.
July 19, 2006 at 1:09 am #208690
Avatar of Dragoon
Dragoon
Prof1515, you didn’t really explain very well how using an exaggerated accent was “offensive”. I find your mindless political correctness that practically asserts that the director of the film is racist to be much more highly insulting than the offense you actually seem to be complaining about.

As for the film, I thought it was passable, and it certainly entertained me. However, I will be watching the rest of the FIG films before I write out my formal reviews.
July 19, 2006 at 4:38 am #208743
Avatar of prof1515
prof1515
prof1515, let me start out by thanking you for your review. It was very long and thoughtful and it has many valid points. There is one thing I would address, however.

[quote]What’s more disturbing than the narration is the character of the guide. Obviously, he’s meant to be black but the voice is so stereotypical and overdone as to be offensive.
I honestly never thought I would be replying to something of this nature, but here it goes: The choice of a black man as the guide was purely coincidental and was in no way meant to be disrespectful or stereotypical. Also, the voice I was trying to do was also supposed to be slightly Californian. Since I am neither black nor Californian (at least the last time I checked) I did my best under the circumstances. It saddens me that you would find this character offensive, and for any offense I do apologise.

I almost expected him to say “Massa”.
I am not obsessed with being politically correct but that is the last thing I would have any character say, let alone a black man.
Again, sorry for any offense, because I certainly did not mean to cause any.[/quote]

In today’s society, one can never be sure. I’ve encountered many instances of intentional racism from people who just didn’t understand that what they were saying and feeling wasn’t acceptable behavior. Obviously, as you clarified (and I respect and thank you for that), this was not your intent. I appreciate your statement to that effect.

I do hope you consider a brickfilm without the reliance of humor for an ending. I enjoyed the imagination and creativity of the first half of the film and if you were to make an entire film which maintains a genuine, serious plot, I think you’d have a very good film on your hands.

-JM
July 19, 2006 at 4:46 am #208744
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Smeagol
Interesting credit music. I liked it, but it definitely wasn’t to be taken seriously. I sort of got the same impression with the guide, even if that wasn’t what you were going for, though. I thought it was pretty good technically. Oh, and it’s spelled “Axogon.”

-Smeagol