Flippovision - Army Men

Plastic army men engage in combat.
(7/26/11) Thanks for the comments. I'm not very active, but I'll try to answer a few questions I've seen:
- I got the plane at a Wal-Mart around 1996. I haven't seen another in a long time. I'm not even sure where mine is.
- Some friends from high school and I made this back in 2001. We used 12 frames per second so that video is a compilation of approximately 7,000 still photos.
- Shooting took place over a couple weeks, so it's hard to estimate the exact time. Generally one person manned the camera, one or two moved the pieces, and one shuttled floppy disks with the pictures to the computer. (We only had an old Sony Mavica.)
- We compiled the video with Adobe Premiere. We originally planned to add fire effects and muzzle flashes, but ran out of time. We added sound effects, text, etc. with that program.
- Likewise, we built the blue box with the intention of blue-screening the background, but it didn't work as well as we hoped. (See the takeoff sequence.) We decided it would look cleaner to just leave the blue background. We did use the blue-screen for the helicopter, though.
- We wrote a high level script that generally described each scene and what would take place, including approximate times for each shot. (E.g. "Squad wades to shore - ten seconds.") Before shooting each mini-sequence, we would finalize the plan.
- We shot scenes in the order of increasing likelihood that they would damage our box. We used plastic lining to hold in the water for the beach scene, but shot it last because we were afraid it would ruin our set. (It actually held pretty well.)
Overall, it was a lot of fun. I'd highly encourage anyone else to give something like this a shot.

[@theshooternamedflynn]

17 years later and i still vividly remember watching this vifeo for the first time.

[@aarons.parker2854]

Same bro, good old days

[@theshooterflynn]

​@@aarons.parker2854Dino nuggets, chips, choccy milk, 480p on KZbin was HD and cartoons to catch 😭

[@photographicsynthesis6781]

does anyone remember when this video image quality was considered good?

[@sabbygaming4398]

Ye

[@patrickfrinker]

I remember seeing this when it came out 8 years ago... i remember that this was considered good video quality

[@carriestewart9412]

WWIIFREAK001 rr C

[@JorgeRodriguez-ve6nx]

WWIIFREAK001 is

[@johnodonohue2436]

I remember watching this when it was new! I was like 10!

[@captainroz5227]

How old are you now mate

[@mohamedsaleem8540]

@@captainroz5227 hen

[@theshooterflynn]

I remember watching this back in '06 man. Holy hell this is nostalgia.

[@nuc]

dancin army man at 1:53

[@jaz_the_2nd8733]

1:53

[@jnitz6809]

this is great for a video made in 2006 which was like a year after the birth of youtube

[@thearcadeproductions1140]

now THAT's an Army Men video.

[@connors2587]

I know.

[@DudeOfDiamonds]

Plastic Apocalypse is better.

[@hasbom2153]

I agree plastic apocalypse is way better than this

[@asheysuxd1ck]

+Freaker that's because plastic apocalypse is made at a different time so it has different and better quality

[@Truseneye92]

nice vid plenty of action

[@Felix0072]

OMFG! That was an awesome video. I especially liked the dirt changing colors and moving to signal an explosion. Kudos!

[@13thBear]

Fun video even if it was made 10 years ago. I couldn't make one. Wouldn't know where to begin a project this complicated. One thing I noticed in the opening sequence is it appears you used real grass glued to the helmets of the tan soldiers in the ambush. First time I've seen someone do that in a stop motion movie like this. Nice effect. Hope you can once again be active making videos like this. I'd like to see how you have progressed with your knowledge and skills.

[@kevinnines6924]

I watched this in elementry school! im in college now damn time flys

[@Zanockthael]

I have to be honest, I kinda miss old school youtube. They don't make them like they used to.

[@WHOARETHEPATRIOTS475]

Seriously I honestly agree with you, I am in utter disbelief at how youtube now resembles TV if anything, so hard to find passionate projects like this where it was just a bunch of kids having fun in their living rooms

[@kitster1176]

This was made before I was born

[@Waffellover8656]

i still remember this video after so long

[@jiffyjelly1]

OH DAMN THE NOSTALGIA!!!

[@AWACS0Oka0Nieba]

Probably the best special effects of any army men video I've seen so far. Excellent!

[@DBuilder]

Someone has ALOT of time on their hands. Pure awesomness.

[@yellowyellow7476]

Very old but still one of the best. I watched this as a kid when it was new, now I'm in high school.

[@RikkiNakesone]

Can't believe it's been this long and I remember it so well

[@ARPolimeni]

"You must retaliate with as much unnecessary violence as possible!" Classic line :-D

[@unsocked]

All those poor men, those poor plastic men. rest in peace. Good job with the stop animation.

[@Shadowk987]

hope every kid in the world gets the chance to play with some army men, dont matter if on playstation or real. they were the best! think i have still some of them

[@morganjloon1]

"We must retaliate with as much unnessisary violence as possible" sounds like a command id give.

[@vitev009]

The best army men film I have ever seen. Have you ever thought of working in the industry of film making?

[@thereal_lali]

I like this it's amazing I wasn't even born yet but this proves old filming is still good

[@xxJoeDog93xx]

As of today this video has been on youtube for 4 years. Happy anniversary!!!!!!!

[@anderto4]

i watched this video 12 years ago,i cant believe how i growed up so fast

[@8435tly]

when i was 6 i imagined this kind of stuff and i never thought i would see it on youtube

[@Rhondalove]

My 2 1/2 year old loved this. He has the same army men. He laughed and laughed. He loves the tanks the best. He is going thru a phase where he only wants to wear his army green.

[@JonathanLov]

Still one of the greatest army men videos on the internet!

[@BobbyGorilla]

Thanks. It took a while - it was for a high school project, so we worked on and off for about a semester. Of that, most of the time was planning and getting supplies with a couple solid weekends of animating.

[@NewHollowEarth]

This was 7 Years ago, this video was great back then but now not so great but it is a great video.

[@yutubeog]

The begginning was insperational! full of drama, like where he ses: do u read? and the guys r dead. that was awsome, the entire vid was great too! this is the best army man vid ever!!! u have the 2nd most viewed army man vid

[@sagenichibotsu]

Man... Had my friends played with army men ALONG with legos... holy crap. End of all homework.

[@santa6688]

Holy shit! The D-Day scene kicked ass!!! Omg that was *the shit

[@ActionScripter]

I got here from cracked. This video is awesome - I had all these army men when I was a kid. I miss them so much. :)

[@HenryHolmes1]

I guess toy story wasn't making it up. Well done for capturing this on film!

[@BobbyGorilla]

We put in a plastic liner for the beach scene before filling it with sand and water. Everything was filmed in the same blue wooden box. We did all the dry scenes first in case the water ruined our box.

[@CrusaderStudios]

I really like how brutal, and intense the warfare is in this film sometimes. Very good :3

[@thundering_fox]

WHATS WITH THE INTRO? 0.00 to 0.13

[@ThwibbleDwarfPwent]

man i'm only a minute and a half in and i think its brilliant great work guys!!!!

[@mrjao1]

this wins on many many levels. 1000 INTERNETS FOR YOU!

[@Miller3492]

Great job. i also like how u didn't disgrace the men that are fighting or have fought in the Military. Nice work.

[@Aer48]

That was one of the better army men vids ive seen. GOOD JOB!!

[@chrismanmk]

You have an AC-130 and a Hind...you are now my favourite person.

[@EliWanket]

probably plastic wrap, covered by sand. This is brilliant stuff, i plan to make one very much like it. Ill give em credit of course

[@t.gojirafanstudios5853]

I watch this video when I was 7yrs old I love it so much so this is why I played with toy soldiers

[@Burstiest96]

i love the smell of burning plastic in the morning

[@connors2587]

This is the best Amy Men video!

[@PeeterViljamaa]

plastic apocalypse is better!

[@pantherax1]

when i was 5 years i owned that plane on my elite army of legos, lego technics, Gi Joes, and big robots with launchers all along with a big Fortress made of cardbox and painted with crayons, and i dont needed to be online to have FUN :P

[@Sgt-lott10]

DRAGONAUTA StonerRocker I just have old 12 inch gi Joes legos and army men to keep me happy, and i also need a camera

[@gorn9146]

Whoever made this...Nice work! This is going in my favorites file.

[@lvfdimd]

GOD DAMN that plane was the coolest armymen toy ever made! but yah, so sad, so many armymen died...their casulty rates were almost 90% for every battle...

[@X6ANNIHILATOR9X]

Good video man I still remember how much fun I'd have playing with my army men

[@Nathan920]

This is a lot better then my Army guy battles, I feel ashamed at my lowly developed brain.

[@connorgunsup]

I love this army video this is my favorite army video! Good work.

[@Anthony_Cika]

I have a sudden urge to go play with my old army men

[@TooLateForIeago]

I wish the old 3D0 games had been this good!

[@demonwing636]

dude that was awesome really nice stopmotion

[@jethrodethro]

DANG!!! that's a great vid. love the explosions

[@darlingdietrich]

This made my day! Excellent job most awesome dudes.

[@mateosuarez1536]

era un niño la primera vez que vi este video :;) soñaba con hacer mis propios videos asi, era una locura ver esta edicion en esa epoca

[@timetravl3r]

im 17 and still secretly play with my big box of army guys. on the pool table that becomes an open field, on my bed where the folds become trenches, etc. oh man oh man oh man. good times.

[@lhproductions00]

Seanodeco is right you should make some more army men videos. This one was great! :D

[@connorgunsup]

Is he ever coming back? If he is then YAY! I'm excited!

[@FfarquharProductions]

Badass! I still love to play with Army Men as well as the computer games! XD

[@jenniferbutters1231]

NICE !!!

[@NEFGD]

Awesome job, that must have taken a long time and lots of effort! One thing though would be that that blue background you have behind a lot of shots is perfect for keying some nice realistic backgrounds in so adding those would make this movie all the more realistic and enjoyable! :)

[@tacoman202]

Dude, that minesweeper got owned at 5:22

[@fastwing3295]

speed it up to 1.5 and it looks like a movie

[@martinsantos.4591]

Uhh mira, un veterano en la animación y en KZbin.

[@destry5250]

Military Studies. Should be required viewing at West Point . . .

[@Aperson156]

Better directing than Michael Bay.

[@stephencious]

dude this is the coolest video ive ever saw nice!!!!!!!!!

[@AgentPiedFace]

That makes me miss my army men too lol Hopefully my cousins have had great battles with them

[@StranaHyena]

Hello nostalgia my old friend

[@nicksmth33]

U know that's really good sound effects seriously it's so cool thumbs up if u agree

[@pylgrym]

Tactically, the Greens are bunched up too much, Sir. Good music and sound FX - better than most old war movies with 'human' actors!

[@pylgrym]

Saving Plastic Mini-Ryan, Part 1 of 2

[@motionpicturesstudio]

best army men vid

[@NewHollowEarth]

I remember this along time ago I was so young, I loved this.

[@Siggysauerr420]

I remember watching this when I was 4 holy fuck 11 years went by fast

[@Siggysauerr420]

Jesus another 3 years since I’ve commented that

[@Hydraton31]

Remarkably well made actually.

[@adaisychain4azathoth]

That awkward moment when both top comments are the same....

[@phsyco78]

lots of creativity that probably took a while good job though oh and flippovision nice name lol

[@RubbishInRubbishOut]

very nice! must have taken quite some time to make ... well done!

[@strangledparrot]

6:00 what a great idea switching guys like that! nice!

[@SwordMasterTala]

the zooms... camera angles...LOL awesome

[@traysfunnyvids]

this was so much better than the other army men ids =)

[@secret0eating]

Awesome!!! I kinda miss my old army men airplane

[@Kongerice]

i just love how you use same sounds -_-

[@UN-RANDOM-OLOR-A-QLO]

I swear this was 4k resolution when i was a kid 😭

[@aleksisis]

I love this stop anim! Especially when the guys head rolls around. Too bad you cant see the text on the black screens, it says really funny stuff. Anyhoo, my brother, Joel, is the voice that does the monkey soundfx and says "presented in flipposvision". Hes probably the hand, too (idk), and lots of other things. He's come a long way since then: look at his stuff, his s/n is bortbortbort. Sadly, I'm the girl in the catmuffs picture. I'm not as dorky now, though, lol.

[@DonMafianChild]

"we must retaliate with as much unneccecary violence as possible" lmfao

[@Blaiseingfire]

We must retaliate with as much unnecessary violence as possibly

[@godzillaguy1336]

10/10 great sound track and animation

[@taxfraud4043]

Who's watching this in 2016?

[@2005motley]

great movie. im a vet myself and this just gave me p.t.s.d.

[@bonifasluundo]

Love it bro really do the best

[@Aangs112]

nice i liked how switched men to make them go commando