'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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.