'A big part of my childhood': Regina student brings Lego to life through stop-motion animation
'A big part of my childhood': Regina student brings Lego to life through stop-motion animation
Jayson Reddekopp has been a Lego collector since he was a kid. Now in his second year of university, he’s bringing his passion to life using just his Lego pieces and an iPhone.
“I got to a point where I just wanted to give it a go myself,” Reddekopp told CTV News. “I have a lot of Lego and I wanted to do a lot of creative stuff.”
The University of Regina education student has been creating stop-motion videos involving Lego (usually referred to as “brickfilms”) for the last nine years on his YouTube channel.
In that time, he’s amassed almost 700 subscribers.
Most of his content has been focused on the titular DC superhero, Batman.
“I was uploading some Batman videos and some superhero stuff that a lot of people were interested in,” Reddekopp said. “They've been nice enough to reach out and I've been able to get involved in the community.”
Seeing what other brick-filmmakers are doing acts as inspiration and encouragement for his own work, according to Reddekopp.
“It's really great to see sort of the versatility of all these all these people around the world trying to make stories with Lego,” he said. “It's really cool to see.”
With the brickfilm community behind him, Reddekop has been driven to keep creating content.
“It’s been good because it has helped me want to do crazier stuff and kind of one up myself in a sense,” he explained.
Reddekopp’s videos usually run between 20 to 30 minutes and take about nine months to complete from start to finish.
“I want to say 8,000 to 9,000 pictures that I take for those and then I try to make a couple shorter films which take about, like 3,000 to 4,000 pictures,” he explained.
Setting the stage for production is also a long process and can be made more difficult due to the size of the Lego blocks.
“You got to figure out where the character is going to go,” he explained. “What are the props that might be in the facility, and if they're going to move around a table.”
As for the availability of props and characters, Reddekopp said there is no shortage of either, as his dad is a long-time collector of Lego as well.
“We have been able to share and sometimes steal some of our own stuff,” he said. “But it’s been a long time we have been collecting.”
For the future, Reddekopp hopes to not only continue his hobby, but elevate it.
Better sound effects, voicing, music, and masking his characters are all priorities as Reddekopp continually improves his craft.
Once his Batman series is finished, Reddekopp is eager to tackle other genres.
“I have ideas for maybe a film noir or a horror or a medieval stop-motion,” he said.
“I really like to just try new things and see what I can do and kind of go from there.”
Having the ability to create videos with just a phone and some Legos, offers a creative outlet for so many, according to Reddekopp.
“Lego and YouTube have been a big part of my childhood … A lot of kids collect a lot of Lego and if they want to turn it into something creative and cool, they want to do themselves,” he said.
“YouTube's been a good platform to kind of showcase that creativity.”
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' the theories backed by 15th-century 'papal bulls' that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in a leaked cellphone call, commiserated with a COVID-19 protester about his trial while divulging to him there was an internal dispute over how Crown prosecutors were handling COVID-19 cases.
The Canada Revenue Agency will pilot a new automatic system next year to help vulnerable Canadians who don't file their taxes get their benefits. This week's federal budget says the Canada Revenue Agency will also present a plan in 2024 to expand the service, following consultations with stakeholders and community organizations.
Silicon Valley Bank's collapse earlier this month dealt a major blow to the wine and crypto firms that entrusted their money with and depended on the lender to stay afloat.
Months after Canada's ban on foreign homebuyers took effect on Jan. 1, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has made several amendments to the legislation allowing non-Canadians to purchase residential properties in certain circumstances.
When the doors close at night at the administration office at Yukon's Carcross Tagish First Nation, a van hits the road and drives through the communities to offer naloxone to reverse overdoses, drug testing kits, food and even a friendly face to help those struggling because of the opioid crisis.
To help offset rising living expenses, the Government of Canada has introduced a one-time grocery rebate for low- and modest-income Canadians. Here is what we know about the rebate.
A Saskatoon murder trial is being adjourned to allow police to follow-up on "significant information" that just came to the Crown prosecutor's attention Wednesday.
CTV News has learned a dog that attacked a five-year-old boy last week had been declared dangerous in February 2022, but the city had lost track of the owner a year ago.
A Manitoba family has launched a lawsuit alleging their 23-year-old son had a stroke days after receiving a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, leaving him legally blind.
A Winnipeg judge is set to make a court ruling on Thursday in the trial of a retired priest accused of assaulting a woman while she was a student at a residential school more than 50 years ago
The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' the theories backed by 15th-century 'papal bulls' that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.
A 15-year-old girl shot to death in the community of Martindale early Tuesday morning, has now been identified by friends and police as Sarah Alexis Jorquera.
Calgary police say they've arrested a woman in connection with a stabbing at the Lions Park LRT station that stemmed from a fight between several people.
A United Conservative Party candidate in Lethbridge claims teachers are exposing students to pornography and gender reassignment without parental knowledge.
The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' the theories backed by 15th-century 'papal bulls' that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.
Alberta's energy regulator has defended its finding that the province's largest recorded earthquake was caused by oilpatch activity, saying the pattern of temblors since last fall clearly points to a water disposal well even though there's no suggestion rules were flouted.
Cloudy skies in the Edmonton area this morning. But, after a bit of light snow overnight, it looks like the city and surrounding areas are pretty much done with the precipitation for today.
The Canadian Press has learned that Ontario has granted a three-month funding extension for doctors to provide care through virtual emergency departments.
Parents had their say at a Vimy Ridge Public School town hall as the Ottawa-Carleton District School board addressed concerns around harassment and bullying.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
The Riverview Hospital itself has been closed for more than a decade, but 289 people are currently receiving treatment for mental health, addictions or both at the old site.
Vancouver city council has asked staff to shape a policy that would require grant recipients to engage with officials in a "respectful manner," a move that one political scientist says suggests an attempt to prevent or punish criticism.
After a man was fatally stabbed outside of a Vancouver Starbucks in front of dozens of witnesses, video of the attack is circulating on social media, raising questions about why nobody stepped in to help.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
The CAQ government has unveiled its long-promised plan to improve Quebec's public health network. Tabled at the Quebec legislature Wednesday by Health Minister Christian Dubé, Bill 15 promises a major shakeup.
A young man found wounded late Wednesday night in the parking lot of a shopping centre in northeast Montreal is believed to be the victim of an earlier shooting in the same area. Montreal police (SPVM) reported Thursday morning that the 18-year-old man's life was no longer in danger.
The eve of the release of the final report from the inquiry into Nova Scotia’s 2020 mass shooting is a reminder for residents of Portapique of their small community’s traumatic past.
After British Columbia singled out a Nova Scotia practitioner for writing thousands of Ozempic prescriptions to Americans through pharmacies in metro Vancouver, officials in Nova Scotia began looking into the matter.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
A 34-year-old man who used to live in Sudbury is sharing his side of the story after a criminal harassment charge involving former Mayor Brian Bigger in 2021 was dropper earlier this year.
