A general discussion of con/event displays

Discussion and planning of large-scale Castle Themed displays and events
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ffilz
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by ffilz »

Tedward wrote:I also understand that collaboratve displays do not need to use CCC or the more versatile Base8 but they are simply ways to make coordination easier. We don't have to use them to have collaborative displays but the more builders we join together the more complex it becomes. If those builders cannot meet in person and test-fit their modules together and make adjustments something like CCC/Base8 becomes necessary and tends to result in MOCs being less complicated/intricate to fit in.
One thing I'd like to say is that using Base8 still allows complicated MOCs. My display is Base8. My big mountain is a huge block, however, with the adaptations I made to it (including adapter modules), it is Base8 compatible (well, extended Base8, I added a 16 brick high cliff edge as well as the 8 brick high standard cliff edge). The castle on the top of it is Base8 (though the river that connects to the water fall is a bit custom).

And actually, Base8 is really easy to be compatible with. In a big display, even a module built on a 32x32 baseplate (or whatever size floats your boat) really looks ok, but is easily tuned with a bit of brick and plate to rough up the edge, and maybe some tuning to match up roads and rivers.

I would love several other folks to show up with a bunch of Base8 modules and see how we could fit them in with my stuff to make an even larger mountain...

Frank
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by SEdmison »

Tedward wrote:In the end I think it comes down to effort and imagination. For a collaborative display to really work we must fire the imagination to the point where the effort seems worth it.
So do you think that having a theme, like the proposed Age of Empires collab, or Game of Thrones, or something would help get people inspired? Or do you think it's just a matter of someone's having the central vision for a town or scene and doing the legwork to plan it and coordinate it?
Tedward wrote:I personally like the collaboration but the amount of energy and effort that goes into a truly amazing display may be too much. Maybe we need to encourage and applaud smaller group collaborations like Rivendell and enjoy the main collaboration for what it is: a bit of fun and an excuse to rub shoulders with other builders. Not something that needs to compete with the Last March of the Ents or whatever Keith et al come up with.
I agree that having everyone feel that they need to build bigger, better, more elaborate, more extreme creations just to keep up with the Joneses (or the Keiths or the Alices :) ) is not good, but I do think that one of the things that makes the Castle section look cool is when a huge swath of it consists of a whole scene complete with castles, churches, houses, mills, troops, and townsfolk contributed by a lot of different builders. I wouldn't want anyone to feel forced into contributing, but I think it would be neat if more people saw the value and chose to participate.
Tedward wrote:So to get back to the original question of what, "should be displayed at cons", I say whatever our imaginations can conceive and our hands build. The public shows no sign of being bored by what we put out and given the huge range of possibilities I see no reason for that to change. Even the giant armies of figs appeal to some of the public. If our imaginations are engaged and we feel excited and eager to build something then somebody coming to the display will enjoy seeing it. Do we need any more than that?
Well said.
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by Bruce N H »

Hey,

As I noted in the thread on revising the CCC, I've never been to a con, so my only experience with these is looking at the pics online. It seems to me there are a few sorts of displays:

1. Close collaborations, where people work together before the show to come up with an overall scene, like that recent Brickish display, or there was a huge Communidade 0937 display last spring. This sort of thing is really only going to work with a relatively small group and a lot of back and forth communication. It doesn't need a 'standard' because it's more like designing a single MOC, just with a few different hands putting the sections together.
2. A collaborative display for all comers, as long as they agree before-hand to build to a pre-set standard (CCC, base8, micropolis, moonbase, great ball contraption, etc). These fit together in terms of dimensions, but they obviously will be thematically random, as different people will want to build different things.
3. A collaborative display for all comers, with no pre-set standard, but someone (castle room coordinator, for instance) plans on bringing a bunch of baseplates and some landscaping elements to put between the various MOCs and tie them into some sort of landscape.
4. A series of tables, and people just set up their own MOCs, with no particular intent to tie them together.

To me, it seems that only option 1 above will ever result in a 'realistic' scene, because people just want to build different things. Some will do fantasy, others realism. Some will build much larger, more realistic structures, while others will build more at the scale of official sets. People will do different color schemes. Some like deserts and others like forests. You might get five different people who want to build gatehouses and no one who wants to build farms, or whatever. The problem is that option 1 above is inherently limited, in that other people aren't really able to participate.
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ffilz
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by ffilz »

Bruce N H wrote:Hey,

As I noted in the thread on revising the CCC, I've never been to a con, so my only experience with these is looking at the pics online. It seems to me there are a few sorts of displays:

1. Close collaborations, where people work together before the show to come up with an overall scene, like that recent Brickish display, or there was a huge Communidade 0937 display last spring. This sort of thing is really only going to work with a relatively small group and a lot of back and forth communication. It doesn't need a 'standard' because it's more like designing a single MOC, just with a few different hands putting the sections together.
These collaborations are important, and sometimes can be independent displays, and sometimes can be part of the larger display.
2. A collaborative display for all comers, as long as they agree before-hand to build to a pre-set standard (CCC, base8, micropolis, moonbase, great ball contraption, etc). These fit together in terms of dimensions, but they obviously will be thematically random, as different people will want to build different things.
3. A collaborative display for all comers, with no pre-set standard, but someone (castle room coordinator, for instance) plans on bringing a bunch of baseplates and some landscaping elements to put between the various MOCs and tie them into some sort of landscape.
There really isn't much difference between these, well, option 3 can be a simple extension to a general module format so long as the module format doesn't require too high a ground level, one, maybe two bricks at most, transitioning from a ground level that is 5 or 6 bricks high would be a challenge.

A Base8 display need not be thematically random, though my thought is that in order to encourage participation we should not push too hard a theme for the big collaborative display, or at least have room for both a display with strong theme and one with loose theme.
4. A series of tables, and people just set up their own MOCs, with no particular intent to tie them together.

To me, it seems that only option 1 above will ever result in a 'realistic' scene, because people just want to build different things. Some will do fantasy, others realism. Some will build much larger, more realistic structures, while others will build more at the scale of official sets. People will do different color schemes. Some like deserts and others like forests. You might get five different people who want to build gatehouses and no one who wants to build farms, or whatever. The problem is that option 1 above is inherently limited, in that other people aren't really able to participate.
I think we can address many of the issues with some planning. One consideration is that MOCs that are an absolutely huge scale (Alice Finch's Hogwarts for example) probably are best honored as an independent display. I think we can have 5'x'5' castles in the same display as a castle scaled to LEGO's sets. They just need to not be right next to each other, and maybe some thought such that the smaller castle can appear to be an outpost of the larger castle.

Frank
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by sathalarin »

Bluesecrets wrote:My 2 cents...

Everyone displays different at every con. I have had my own separate table for a con, but mostly I have been part of the collaborative displays and prefer that method. I don't enjoy walking through an area and seeing apoc, then castle, then space, then castle, then adventure, then castle. I think it should all flow into one collaborative area. But that is my opinion.

As far as figs lined up on a baseplate...to each their own. Some people spend a lot of time individually customizing each of those figs. Who am I to tell them they can't display their work? If you need to show off an army of 300+ black falcons...so be it. I may not find it exciting and may not take a photo of it, but hey...it's your con. Have fun with it.

Contributor packs...I have received some. I have made some. I think they are special but are not required. If you want to make one for your area, you need to talk to the coordinator before. Because reality is, the coordinator is in charge.

There are displays that are a ton of figs attacking and battling. I just find my eyes can't focus on one thing when there are so many figs running around. Not my thing but hey...like I've said...if it is what you like, good. Do it.

As for fig scenes my lug does scavenger hunts, and we also place special hidden scenes that may not go with the genre but kinda do. like we put a scene from army of darkness at Comicon in the castle area. and wouldn't you know it at least a 100 fans pointed it out while 25 or so asked what it was then felt dumb after pointed out. or our hidden daleks . for a 3 day event we actually change the scene. so people who visited Friday night will come back Sunday to show the display off to their friends and come to their surprise it looks different and they have to check it out for the first time themselves.

i think an army can look bad Megablocks if done right sure 400 figs is a bit much so we keep it down to a simple platoon looking army. but those massive lord of the ring displays at brick world or brick con where it has 400 orcs and oricai( spelling) attacking helms deep looks soo awsome.

also my 2 cents. not intended to bash just explain different lugs are forced to mash up things until they have the leadership and space to separate such builds. and you kind of have to take what you can get at some venues lol.

So...I am sure there are things I haven't included...it is 6 am.

Our Lug is one that displays multiple content on the same table, we have been around for about 5 years however had a downfall of doing just Train/city at library events and home shows.

we built up our base and expanded our builders to more Genre's i brought castle even though we had a few people sitting in the woodwork interested in castle. it came to my determination to really push the theme and love for it. It started at Comicon 2015 i had a small castle on a moc table. Away from the city display. separated from the main theme bunched together with a bunch of different moc's. 4 months later i was given a 3ftx 4 ft section of the main table. Some of the core train and city people didn't like this at all. However the organizer of that con from the lug wanted to see train/city , space, and a medieval section on the table to. and a separate section for mocs and vignettes. where i presented a much bigger castle this took people out of the woodwork and made them interested in helping out.

next a train show in February 2015 i was given 7 ft and i had 4 people step up from the lug who wanted to help. Given this was a train show so we had to incorporate a train going around the castle. we incorporated a harry potter train. And finally our first opportunity Comicon 2016 our club ambassador who normally ran the event got awfully busy for work and i stepped up as a basic member to lead a medieval build with about 6 months of planning. the city theme of marvel vs. dc was pretty much put off until the very last minute. i was able to plan and organize our lug to be together in a 10x30 section right near all the guest. and separate the 2 themes by a moc table. because i think i do agree with you that it gives a better presentation when separated. I have posted pics of this in the Comicon 2016 area. This attracted fans and we got invited to world con where they want us to put on a medieval display and a star wars display with a star wars community build.

The whole point that i am getting at is some lugs are smaller then others with multiple genre's to display and unless you have a core leader willing to request space or step up the world of con's and Lego is great full for any presentation put on weather it be combined themes or separated tables.

Be on the look out as we will be doing a Combined Lug Lego Show hosted by Iowa Lug and will include Iowa Lug, Kansas Lug , Nebraska Lug, and maybe even Texas Lug. where individuals from each lug will be able to display their own masterpieces. whatever the genre is.
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by Bruce N H »

Hey all,

At the recent BrickFair VA there were two displays using two extremes of collaborative strategies. The brother team of Isaac and John made the completely connected [url=http://classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26526]Life in Nordheim[/url]:
[url=http://classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26526][img]http://www.classic-castle.com/moc/articles/ ... rdheim.jpg[/img][/url]
while the InnovaLUG group made the completely disconnected [url=http://classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26537]Ye Old Merry Battlefield[/url]
[url=http://classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26537][img]http://www.classic-castle.com/moc/articles/ ... innova.jpg[/img][/url]

Based on this last I should revise my list [url=http://www.classic-castle.com/moc/articles/ ... innova.jpg]above[/url] of types of group displays:
1. Highly coordinated build of "one MOC" (e.g. the Life in Nordheim above)
2. Many separate builds with a pre-arranged standard (CCC, base8, micropolis, etc) that allows them to be connected at the event
3. Many separate builds that are combined onto one large baseplate at the event (presumably the event coordinator helped arrange for the baseplate and landscaping)
4. Many separate builds that are not ever physically connected, but have some connective thread (building style, color scheme, faction used, etc, so that when they are arranged on a table at the event they "feel connected" (e.g. Ye Old Merry Battlefield above) (or another example, at an event a few years ago different builders did different scenes from the Lord of the Rings, and they were arranged on the table chronologically so that you could see the progress of the story as you walk through the display)
5. One person (or a small team) builds a large MOC that then lots of individual builders make smaller MOCs that are then added to the larger MOC - I can't think of a good castle example of this, but a few years ago at BrickCon someone built a Battlestar Galactica hangar and then individuals built Vipers that were added to the display. In another example someone built a big Hoth base and invited people to bring AT-AT's, snowspeeders, etc for a big display. I suppose there are battle displays like this, where people bring their individual armies, siege engines, etc. Or one person could build a big harbor and invite people to bring boats.
6. Many separate builds, no connections, simply displayed together at the event

One last thought, which I buried in a comment on Brothers Brick so I figured I should repeat it here. In the Ye Old Merry Battlefield above there are little bits of landscaping scattered between the set-piece MOCs to help connect them, which was great. Another idea to create connection would be to have bits of road of consistent width and style in many of the individual creations (e.g. see [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/66620538@N04/27879938691/]this MOC[/url]) and then arrange them in such a way that you could imagine a road winding among the MOCs. You could then have things like wagons, travelers, etc, arranged between the MOCs along the "road" to help connect them. Alternatively you could have individual MOCs contain bits of a river, and then arrange the MOCs as if they were along an imaginary continuous river.

Okay, really, one last thought. I'm not going back and looking, so I can easily be proven wrong here, but it seems that group castle displays are always summer-y. Have there been snow-covered group collaborations? Or ones using a fall foliage color scheme? Obviously the Life in Nordheim one above is wintery, but that was a connected build by two brothers. I'm talking about displays where everyone brings separate MOCs that are then combined into an overall display.
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by soccerkid6 »

Great discussion you started here, Bruce! And thanks for mentioning, Life in Nordheim and Ye Old Merry Battleground.

I personally don't know of any large winter collab displays, which was part of the reason John and I went that route with ours. If we hadn't, the InnovaLUG layout might have gone that direction itself, but as it was, there was no way we would be able to contribute to both displays if they were both set in winter. Also, most Castle builders tend to have larger 'summer' collections than any other season. In the future, I would love to see a fall layout :D

A couple of things we noticed about the YOMB display design:
The more smaller 'filler' modules you have, trees, roads, landscapes, etc. the better! They're easy to fit in, and really help flesh out the display.
A tablecloth matching the common color landscape could help considerably with making the layout look to be one piece. I believe Joe Meno and Abner may have suggested getting a nice printed 'map' so to speak made, and then putting that under the builds. Though that would likely take a bit more planning and perhaps limit the flexibility of the display in some aspects.
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by ffilz »

soccerkid6 wrote:Great discussion you started here, Bruce! And thanks for mentioning, Life in Nordheim and Ye Old Merry Battleground.
A couple of things we noticed about the YOMB display design:
The more smaller 'filler' modules you have, trees, roads, landscapes, etc. the better! They're easy to fit in, and really help flesh out the display.
A tablecloth matching the common color landscape could help considerably with making the layout look to be one piece. I believe Joe Meno and Abner may have suggested getting a nice printed 'map' so to speak made, and then putting that under the builds. Though that would likely take a bit more planning and perhaps limit the flexibility of the display in some aspects.
I think a green cloth would have helped. I noticed there were a few small road segments that helped "stretch" the road between the larger elements. Increasing the number of these would certainly help, but I suspect one must take care of over doing it in a display like this.

Frank
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Re: A general discussion of con/event displays

Post by AK_Brickster »

With regard to winter collabs, we made a first attempt at one at BrickCon last year, between BiggerJim, SEdmisson, and myself (though somehow none of the three of us managed a good pic of the overall layout). The end result was a good start, but could have been coordinated a little better in order to result in a more seamless presentation.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/zwKDjp][img]https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/657/2200778357 ... 7d89_n.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/zwKDjp]BrickCon 2015 favs[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/biggerjim/]Jim Lovett[/url], on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ysjtEe][img]https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5697/213012505 ... d79c_n.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/ysjtEe]My little slice of BrickCon 2015![/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/biggerjim/]Jim Lovett[/url], on Flickr

We are going to make another attempt at it this year. I'm hoping to continue with a winter-themed castle pretty much every year moving forward, likely expanding / further building out the previous year's layout until I'm happy with the final product (which, let's be honest, never actually happens, haha).

Both Jim and I have the earliest of WIP photos on our Flickr streams for this year's contributions. Sean and a few other builders are hoping to contribute landscaping and other bits this year as well.
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