The Secret World of LEGO
Posted by Huw,_A2.jpg)
UK TV channel Channel 4 will be airing a documentary entitled "The Secret World of LEGO" this coming Sunday at 8pm.
It includes a thread about the launch of Bricks and Bricks Culture magazines which, I'm told, I make an appearance in. Hopefully it's brief!
Here's the synopsis from the Channel 4 website: "Last year LEGO became the most profitable toy maker in the world. Now this notoriously secretive, privately-owned super-brand has opened its doors. We discover what makes it tick, meet some of its key people and reveal more about the company DNA than ever before.
"In The Secret World of LEGO, we follow Justin, a 23 year old design student, as he travels to LEGO headquarters in Denmark in pursuit of one of the most hotly contested jobs in the world – a LEGO set designer. We meet Liverpudlian Matthew, who undertook the same process and has now risen to become a Vice President of Design. We follow Mark and Tom, two adult fans of LEGO, as they try two different money-making schemes they hope will transform their love of the brick into hard cash. And there’s Roar, the LEGO “reputation manager”, who guides us through this secret world - until we get a little too close for comfort."
Watch the trailer after the break:
0 likes
32 comments on this article
Please don't depict AFOLs as the New Nerds. Please don't depict AFOLs as the New Nerds. Please don't depict AFOLs as the New Nerds. Please don't depict ...
Have you seen the full programme, Huw? Have they given us gravitas, or taken a slightly condescending and mocking point of view? This has the potential for some seriously cringeworthy viewing!
Sunday evening should be good: first this documentary, and then the new series 'Humans'. :)
Will this be made available to foreign viewers at some point? :)
So those magazines are "money-making schemes they hope will transform their love of the brick into hard cash"?
@The Wrights - my wife and I have the same schedule in mind, both programmes look great (though very different!)
Will we be able to watch the fallout between Bricks and Blocks staff as they vie to occupy the AFOL territory on the virtual magazine racks of their readers?
Will we find out why they parted ways and the real reasons behind the split?
Will we see the effects of a media company presence as the magazine launch is coordinated to fit in with the producer's schedule?
In jest, of course...
Any chance this will be streamed or become a torrent so we non-UK residents can watch?
Hope it ends up in youtube so the rest of us can see it. Would be neat to watch!
I'll need to set my box to record this. Yes, I know, I'm not in the UK, but my extensive TV package still provides a whole bunch of UK channels :)
If the trailer is on youtube, there is hope the full program will be...
Huw, any ideas about availability for those not in the UK post broadcast??
@Woodywood, et al
Just torrent it. Or don't, because who cares. Make something yourself, don't just follow an advertisement in a vain sense of belonging.
Hmm, I always worry these kinds of programmes are just out to make fools of their subject matter. "Ooh look at the grown ups playing with toys, aren't they odd?" We will see.
This is the documentary that dictated the launch of Bricks to suit their shooting schedule? If so, I'll pass. Not too keen on a "documentary" that forces the narrative.
@ Padraig.
It wasn't so much forcing the narrative, as "will you have them done by this time?"
"Uhh, sure, I guess. I'll have to hurry, though."
Saw this mentioned in AFOLs of Facebook group by Mark Guest's wife, referring to Bricks and Brick Culture. I assume Blocks doesn't get a look-in then ;)
My white boba fett rangefinder is featured on this programme.
Those of you not in the UK I suggest you use the Chrome extension Hola to spoof your country of origin to the UK then watch it at channel4.com next week.
Hmm, watched the trailer and what they were saying about it didn't seem too fair on us as fans of Lego "a place where adults like toys as much as children" it's not a toy, it's a highly sophisticated interlocking brick system!!!
Ah, thanks Huw!
@ FreewheelBricks.
That just so happens to also be a toy :P
Is Lego really "notoriously secret"? Because I never got that impression.
Unless their secrecy is itself secret...
Hey, Huw, look at this!.
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/11/check-out-first-toys-star-wars-force-awakens/2
@FreewheelBricks
"But we bought it at the toy store."
"We did, but the way I'm using it makes it an adult thing."
"The box for this one said 'Ages 8 to 14'!"
"That's a suggestion. They have to put that on there."
One of my favourite scenes from The LEGO Movie.
For people not receiving Channel 4 and outside ik, you can watch it here http://www.filmon.com/tv/channel-4
Let's hope that it won't change the public opinion on AFOLs for the worse. Or incorrectly.
Also, will we finally find out why there was a breakup with the magazines?
What kind of channel is channel-4? Does anyone know what to expect? Would it be of respectable quality or would it be like Smartypants70 suggested and do they use condoning tones every once in a while?
I have no idea what C4 will bring out, as it very much depends on what the producers bias is (for or against the product).
I would not say TLG was secretive, as I have seen several documentaries (a couple of National Geographic ones, and Brian Mays Toy Stories) which talk about what happens, and go "behind the scenes" to show both the design, and the production process quite openly. If they were secretive, then these would not have been allowed to be made...
I also hope it does not do like some documentaries on D&D have done in the past, and completely vilified those who play/do it as a hobby....
I think when they say secretive it means the company is non-publicly listed and hence not accountable to any investors. Thus they don't publish yearly or quarterly financial reports, they don't made known their business plans, they don't have to explain or show anything to anyone outside the company, unlike the public listed ones.
I know of at least one publicly listed company which is incredibly secretive (Apple) so I'm not sure where this tag of secretive comes from. Certainly I would like to know more about their business decisions and future direction, but I would never expect to be told - no company would do that.
C4 can be either sensitive or derisive to a subject, but if this has the blessing of the Lego Group, it's unlikely they would agree to a Lego-bashing programme and would ask for editorial control on some aspects anyway.
So I'm hopeful. I'll be recording it anyway.
Thanks for the heads-up!
Woodywood said "I would not say TLG was secretive, as I have seen several documentaries (a couple of National Geographic ones, and **Brian Mays** Toy Stories) which talk about what happens, and go "behind the scenes" to show both the design, and the production process quite openly"
Erm.... James May :-) Brian May is the big-haired guy from Queen!
Really looking forward to watching this documentary, as is my brother. My mum even said she might watch it because she knows it's partly about the magazine I've been writing for (Bricks) !
On Demand is here, from the UK:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-secret-world-of-lego/on-demand/61158-001
Just a heads up - if you use the free Hola plugin you are 'contributing your idle resources' (your bandwidth) to their commercial version which is called Luminati and is basically a "botnet for hire"
"Hola's founder Ofer Vilenski has said that the site has 'always made it clear' how this business model works, but Hola's users seem to have been almost universally unaware that their bandwidth was being sold off. A thread on Reddit discussing the news is full of commenters expressing their outrage and surprise."
@ LostInTranslation... Ooooooops... They both have big hair, so thats my excuse...
@marook... Thanks. Can't play it here, but I get back to the UK on 9th July, so with 28 days left to view, I should make it within the deadline... I hope...
Been looking on torrents, and no has put it up, so :-(
However I have seen some lesson material up for teachers to use it as teaching material for different types of class, so it should be available somewhere if this is happening...
It's a good documentary.