You’ve seen the trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And chances are, you’ve seen the LEGO version of the trailer created by YouTube user FinalFantasy. Now, in a DC Comics News exclusive, meet the mastermind behind FinalFantasy: Tristan Kilmer.
Tristan lives in California. And he plans on attending the California Institute of the Arts in the fall. He took time out of his production schedule (and hitting the books) to talk to DCN’s Kevin Gunn about immortalizing movie trailers in plastic brick form.
Tristan Kilmer (Photo by Kelly Kilmer)
DC Comics News: What is “Final Feature”? How many people are involved?
FinalFeature: FinalFeature is the name of what I call my production company of one. I do the Directing, Storyboarding, Animating, Writing, Special Effects compositing, Building the sets, and for the past dozen or so movies the music composing. I do look for other voice actors to collaborate with for my movies so that I can bring the characters to life.
DCN: On average, how long does it take you to make a LEGO movie or trailer?
FF: The latest two trailers I recreated in LEGO took about 6 hours or so to make once I had viewed them. Of course many months of prepping were involved. My other films tend to take on average about two weeks or so to complete. I devote practically all of my time to making films.
DCN: How do you decide what trailers/movies are worthy of a LEGO treatment?
FF: Whatever trailer that makes me feel hyped for a movie or is a genre I’m interested in usually helps me decide on what to do.
DCN: How long have you been recreating features in LEGO? What was your first LEGO movie or trailer?
FF: I’ve been working on LEGO animations for the past five years. I started getting involved with them more since January of 2014.
DCN: Is there a project that you’ve always wanted to do in LEGO?
FF: I always want to do something that’s never been done before in LEGO. I plan ahead keeping in mind where I would like to explore and what I would like to learn how to create when I make my movies.
DCN: Can we expect more LEGO ‘Batman v Superman’ trailers?
FF: It all depends on when the next trailer comes out and if my schedule allows it.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters March 25, 2016. And be sure to check out Tristan’s other LEGO trailers on YouTube.
