By John Walker on February 13th, 2009 at 11:20 pm.
The Purchase Brothers (their website is currently squished by traffic), independent filmmakers and commercial directors, have released the first part of their Half-Life-inspired short film series. And it’s pretty good. It’s a mixture of live action and game footage, and makes smart use of in-game sound effects, and some really fantastic location hunting. Originally developed to test post-production techniques for their work, as well as to create a ‘spec’ commercial to demonstrate their talents, it eventually became a series of shorts telling a story within the Half-Life universe. And it’s below.
The Purchase Bros describe the production as “guerilla style with no money, no time, no crew, no script, the first two episodes were made from beginning to end on a budget of $500.” The project has been made with the full support of Valve, who gave the project a plug on the instantly-disappearing Steam Update News. Make sure to select to watch it in HD (the option appears bottom right after you’ve clicked play).
13/02/2009 at 23:21 James G says:
I caught this in the Valve tweets earlier, quite impressive, if a little short on story.
13/02/2009 at 23:21 DF7 says:
And now I have to play Half Life again. Bang goes my weekend.
13/02/2009 at 23:23 rob says:
Awful acting but beautiful scenery.
13/02/2009 at 23:41 Citizen Parker says:
Wow. Those establishing shots are breathtaking. Quite an achievement – thanks so much for sharing this.
13/02/2009 at 23:43 StalinsGhost says:
Fantastic production values all around.
The script is a bit (ok, very) weak, but despite all that I can’t wait to see how it develops.
13/02/2009 at 23:44 Gap Gen says:
“The script is a bit (ok, very) weak, but despite all that I can’t wait to see how it develops.”
Yeah, I imagine “Reload, Dr Freeman!” gets a bit dull after a while.
13/02/2009 at 23:48 VelvetFistIronGlove says:
I love the way they got the costumes down so well. And the weapons. Heck, the guys almost look like the actual in-game character models!
13/02/2009 at 23:51 The Hammer says:
It’s a bloody joy to see Half Life represented in such a way, no matter how good the script or voice acting is!
And ditto on the choice of locations. Simply gorgeous.
13/02/2009 at 23:52 Y3k-Bug says:
Valve has twitter?
13/02/2009 at 23:56 Steve says:
Just a shame the acting is a bit rubbish. Would be a thousand times better if it wasn’t.
14/02/2009 at 00:00 Rich_P says:
More of the blonde actress please :D
Even if the acting’s a bit weak, the production values are off the scale. I’d love to see a proper HL movie now (after the animated TF2 movie, of course)
14/02/2009 at 00:01 Tworak says:
Pretty cool stuff.
“More of the blonde actress please :D”
SIGNED.
14/02/2009 at 00:07 Bob says:
the scene with the debris floating up to the citadel was beyond superb. The zombies in the preview were a bit fail though. I WANT A METROCOP ARMOR :O
14/02/2009 at 00:18 Stupoider says:
This is terrific. It really blew me away, and I especially love the smoke that rises after the SMG grenade goes off.
14/02/2009 at 00:24 Dain says:
That really is excelent, the presumably ingame stuff doesn’t look it at all.. the locations seem perfect as well.. yeah perhaps the acting isn’t great, but it’s a fanfilm which perfectly captures the atmosphere of the games.
14/02/2009 at 00:26 Ecko says:
Totally agree with all this-rocks comments.
As a side note, I would hope EVERYONE has already played Left4Dead to death and adored it, but for some reason, Valve has decided to continue its unstoppable march to become benigh dictator of PC gaming, and is offering l4d for half price!
About 13.50 now, so please go and die if you still refuse to buy it. Fools.
14/02/2009 at 00:38 cheeba says:
Or 22.49, as it’s better known in euro-land. Guess some things haven’t changed.
14/02/2009 at 00:39 Smurfy says:
Saw this earlier. Needs more shakycam.
14/02/2009 at 00:50 Akirasfriend says:
I can’t believe that a few people make an indie flick like this and people critique the acting or the quality of the zombie outfits. The acting wasn’t stellar, but it was a damn sight better than a few efforts I’ve seen. I loved this, and look forward to the future installments most bodaciously.
Get it up yez!
14/02/2009 at 00:56 Gabe McGrath says:
Agree with most of the positive statements above..
But most of all, I’ve gotta say… my heart leapt when it showed glimpses of what a Half Life 2 film could be like.
Imagine seeing an even better version on the big screen. That would be fantastic. Half Life has more humanity in the characters that other similar games. But sadly…. I think “the film” will remain… just a dream…
14/02/2009 at 01:06 Pags says:
I’m going to go ahead and be the third to ask for more of the blonde, please.
14/02/2009 at 01:26 Mike says:
Visually, this is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s almost painted in parts. Very, very good.
Obviously – little story, not great acting, but they’re clearly accomplished film makers in the post-production department if nothing else. Awesome.
14/02/2009 at 01:37 Andrew says:
Incredible stuff. The wide shots of City 17 are gorgeous.
The acting is passable-to-cringeworthy but I didn’t mind it particularly. The use of sound effects from the game helps there, I think, as a lot of the ‘acting’ in this piece is game sound effects.
Would watch again, 9/10.
14/02/2009 at 01:42 sigma83 says:
4th the blonde.
Costumes and props very well done. CGI integration even moreso.
I wouldn’t feel bad for calling the acting not up to par with the rest of the thing. Criticism helps artists to improve, and it’s not like we’re detracting points from the rest of the thing.
14/02/2009 at 01:43 sigma83 says:
oh also, happy single’s awareness day to everyone. Enjoy your S.A.D. as much as possible.
14/02/2009 at 01:47 john t says:
If Valve want to make a Half-Life movie, they need to come up with a coherent storyline, don’t they? Or like, an ending or something.
They’d be better doing a TV series like lost, where they can just introduce new unexplained shit every week and never resolve anything.
14/02/2009 at 01:54 sbs says:
john t: that’s not necessarily a bad thing though.
14/02/2009 at 02:26 Ben Abraham says:
This was really good. I hope they continue with the series.
14/02/2009 at 02:56 Bret says:
I agree with the zombies looking kind of poor. And the rest being pretty good.
The most important thing, however, is this film finally made me realize the sound of a combine trooper biting it is one of the most beautiful sounds there is.
14/02/2009 at 03:22 Trousers says:
That was absolute badassery. I would pay to see it
14/02/2009 at 04:04 cyrenic says:
It was great, as long as the actors weren’t talking :).
14/02/2009 at 04:20 Angel Dust says:
Not bad. The effects intergation was excellent for such a small producation and while the acting and writing obviously aren’t the best they are servicable. However the sound editing and general editing needs a lot of work. The pacing for the action was very flat and they used far too many foregroundy, don’t know the word for it, sound effects. Those destoryed city shots would have greatly benefited from less explosions and jerky cam etc. Needs more mood!
14/02/2009 at 04:23 waffles says:
If they would just reduce the actors dialoge and capture the trail effect the gunship gun has, this would be perfect.
Some of the shots like 1:18 are just amazing, hopefully this will form into a lot more than a couple webisodes.
Considering Valve is a game company that created its own distribution center, it seems like making their own movie could be a possible move for them.
14/02/2009 at 04:50 James says:
Great, but let down by the shitty flash player. Install http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/39167 and download the mp4 then use a real video player to view it in full 1280×720 glory.
Steam update news is actually a webpage so you can link to them if you work out the URL.
14/02/2009 at 04:57 Larington says:
Some brilliant visual work went into that. I will concur on the view that the zombies don’t look great, the way they move seems only half there, and I don’t mean the actors walking, I mean the way the prosthetics (Or whatever) wobble as the actor does the movements.
Acting meanwhile, I feel its stronger than some people are giving it credit for, especially considering budgets and so on but I’m uncertain what recommendations I’d have for how the acting could be improved.
14/02/2009 at 05:00 Larington says:
One comment I can make, surely if those folks are fighting a pitched war they should look a little bit dirty and perhaps blood stained (From injuries done to metrocops rather than to them) so they look the part beyond just having the costume right.
14/02/2009 at 05:02 bansama says:
This just makes me want to see an actual feature length film based on the franchise even more =/
14/02/2009 at 05:32 john t says:
Just watched it again, and I think doing this as a tv series on the sci-fi channel would be fucking awesome.
Except the zombies, man they look bad.
14/02/2009 at 06:05 bansama says:
Except the zombies, man they look bad.
You know, I think that’s why I like them so much. Cheesy monsters can be cool too!
14/02/2009 at 06:31 Sigmund Fraud says:
Wow…. this was really cool
Now, if only Hollywood doesn’t pick this up ….
14/02/2009 at 06:45 nabeel says:
That is pretty damn cool.
14/02/2009 at 06:54 Generico says:
5 minutes of amateurish mediocrity? Why, that’s the best damn game movie I’ve ever seen!
14/02/2009 at 07:25 Pavel says:
Okay, the acting could be better.
But fuck that, this is the best video I have ever seen : ).
HOLY SHITE!
14/02/2009 at 07:56 Naurgul says:
Before hitting the play button, I knew it would be weak on story, so then I enjoyed it for what it was: An amazing live-action film-esque glimpse in the Half-Life universe. Nothing more, nothing less.
14/02/2009 at 08:16 DarkNoghri says:
This video wins by virtue of having a combine beat to death with a crowbar.
14/02/2009 at 08:18 Logo says:
“and so on but I’m uncertain what recommendations I’d have for how the acting could be improved.”
I think it’s writing + acting and maybe a little directing on too. Some of the lines were cheesy and the scenes and what not could move with better pacing (though they all look great). Meanwhile the actors delivered a lot of the lines in either an over the top manner or in a way that seemed inconsistent with their setting.
Still kudos to them, overall it was a really cool production and I know I sure as hell couldn’t do anywhere near that good.
14/02/2009 at 08:27 Brant says:
Saw this earlier today — I think it’s pretty damn nice myself, except for the zombie costumes which look like people wearing headcrab plushies on their noggins.
On the other hand, it’s not like I could do any better myself. Keeping my eyes open for the next chapter either way.
14/02/2009 at 08:32 Aftershock says:
One of the metrocop suits was up on ebay a while ago.
Not sure how much it went for.
14/02/2009 at 08:47 Tei says:
I don’t need to say lots of things other people already say:
– Good production values. the mix of real image and computer generated is seamless. Can I say perfect?. This include weapons, character look, etc.
– The blond actreess will add tons to this. [1]
[1] And this is where I will insert my comment. This movie need faces. You can’t make a movie about the faceless generic NPC’s of a game, with faceless characterless of people. The face of the blonde has a expresion, and the blond hair helps recognize she. This other 2 guys are almost generic. But he, this is a small snip, maybe both of this guys die, and the movie continue with a different set of actors or charcters or something. [2]
[2] …I could be really wrong. I am not into movies, and maybe intuition about movies is a wrong guide.
14/02/2009 at 08:54 tackle says:
Everybody praises the all around production value in this, but I disagree.
Mister Angel Dust hits the spot on the sound issue. It’s sub-par, seriously.
Noticed some VERY weird placing on the sound during the train scene, especially dialogue. Apart from the stereo placing, the actual sound wasn’t adapted to the scene, it just sounded recorded and slapped on.
And I would not for one second trust that walkie talkie to be the source of the sounds I heard.
It’s like a total beginner is doing the sound at certain parts, while graphically I’m flabberghasted!
14/02/2009 at 09:25 Subjective Effect says:
It looks… ok. Overall very amateur imho. Some of the effects are good, and the “feel” is appropriate but overall I think this fails.
14/02/2009 at 09:49 SlappyBag says:
I thought it was done hilariously well, shows that we need an awesome Half-Life movie made by actual pros !!! Obviously amateur but compare it to alot of the HL fan flicks about and this comes out on top easily.
14/02/2009 at 10:07 Tei says:
@tackle- You right. The sound of evil soldier dyinng is directly from the game. It sould be modified a bit, or is too repetitive and have this “He.. LOOKS AT ME, A SOLDIER IS DYINNG HERE” that sometimes distract…
14/02/2009 at 10:40 Muzman says:
Nice work . ’bout time someone did something like this. There’s a ton of dodgy home brew action films with quite good effects and production, and a ton of game derived ones that are just really really bad. It’s high time they met.
The game sky replacement stuff is really cool (although high res is less forgiving). It’ll be good to see if they carry it off as the scale increases.
(their muzzle flashes could do with some effect on the environment though /compulsory bitch)
14/02/2009 at 10:59 Anarki says:
I thought the best part about this was the blood splats that come out behind people who’ve been shot. Looked exactly like HL2!
14/02/2009 at 11:08 Andy Kay says:
The best video game / movie adaptation I have seen yet, in that it actually looks and feels like the game. Imagine what these guys could do with a budget in the region of the AvP / Doom failfest movies!!!
14/02/2009 at 11:26 Foca Mais says:
ID already made a Doom movie. Far Cry is being done by Uwe Boll. Resident Evil ? 3 films. Silent Hill, Hitman, Tomb Raider… Ok, most of them are bad but I think Half-Life made interesting characters and settings that would make very cool movies. I wonder why they don´t try Hollywood by now.
14/02/2009 at 12:05 the probe says:
I actually liked the Gunships in this more than in the games. They always had the look of something that would move fast, instead of the lackadaisical circling they do when you encounter them in-game.
Also (unrelated to the video), can somebody explain to me why the Combine was devoting so many resources to killing the rebels after the Citadel went critical? I never understood why they wouldn’t just order a massive retreat from the City to save any resources they could.
14/02/2009 at 12:13 EyeMessiah says:
Blonde.
14/02/2009 at 12:26 Taillefer says:
Was fully expecting to slate this, but it wasn’t half-bad.
14/02/2009 at 12:35 Dain says:
Hey Mr Angel Dust, where can we see your film work?
14/02/2009 at 12:40 Larington says:
Can’t remember where, but I definately remember reading an interview with someone at Valve and there was a segueway into a film based on the games, apparently a number of possible scripts had been offered up to the devs but they’ve pretty much rejected them all and at least up to the time of the interview they have no intention of a HL film being made.
14/02/2009 at 12:41 grey_painter says:
Force of habit probably probe. Gordon had just killed all the local commander structure and the low level troopers don’t strike me as the improvising type. With a lack of new orders most of the ground troopers probably just got on with the suppression of rebels they’d been doing previously, most of them probably weren’t even aware of the impending explosion till Kleiner appeared. Besides that the combine seems to treat life as cheap.
More related to the movie I was impressed by the visual style and effects. I didn’t really bother paying attention to the acting, anytime a character complains about having to walk when the city around him is about to blow up you can safely ignore the acting. I do like that red crowbars appear to be standard armament for the rebels though.
14/02/2009 at 12:59 Larington says:
I’m not 100% certain if I saw it right, but I think the crowbar was actually hanging off the side of one of the train sections and was picked up conveniently before it was needed, I don’t mind at all though since its almost a reference to the game itself.
14/02/2009 at 13:47 gulag says:
There are about a million things wrong with that video. The sky matting isn’t 100%, the muzzle flashes are a bit cut and paste, the zombies, the acting, the script, yada yada…
$500 gets you one of those heart-in-mouth ‘Am I really seeing this?’ moments. These guys have buckets of talent, and I can’t wait to see what they can do with a little bit of funding and Valve’s blessing. Roll on part 2.
14/02/2009 at 14:03 Jante says:
You know you’ve done something right when your website hosting account gets suspended because of too much traffic. ^^
As for the video; saw it yesterday before things blew up. For a 500 dollar budget, it’s very impressive, and it conveys the feel of the game perfectly. I’m not going to nitpick about acting, writing or direction – this is raw potential, and those things will come with time (and money).
Now, if one could only obtain a HD download of this thing, I’d be a happy camper.
14/02/2009 at 14:34 Jeremy says:
I quite enjoyed this.
14/02/2009 at 15:34 Don says:
Kind of unfair to criticise, except in a constructive fashion, an amateur fan film. As a regular cinema goer I’ve made the odd misjudgement and seen a few $100m films that sucked far more than this and provided less entertainment in 2hrs than this did in 5 minutes.
14/02/2009 at 15:48 Ziv says:
does it have spoilers for those who haven’t played ep1 and 2? I’m currently playing ep1 so I don’t want any spoilers….
14/02/2009 at 16:03 Gorgeras says:
A Half-Life film of course should NEVER be made, if anything it’s more unfilmable than Watchmen, also designed as something only it’s original medium can do.
Team Fortress 2 however really could be a film because it’s basically a blank slate apart from the quirks that make it charming.
14/02/2009 at 16:16 Muzman says:
Shouldn’t do. A couple of resistance dudes hang out between some trains and discuss leaving town. Also; shooting. That’s pretty much it.
14/02/2009 at 16:16 thefanciestofpants says:
Really well done, can’t wait to see more.
Hats off to those chaps I say.
14/02/2009 at 16:18 Ninja Dodo says:
Some spoilers, yes… as far as what your goal in EP1 is and what happens with that.
14/02/2009 at 16:29 Jeremy says:
After reading the comments, a series on this would be quite good. I recall a webcomic done using the Source engine (not “Concerned”), where the main character was a gun-runner trying to survive. Something like that would be quite cool. Although, I don’t know how you could remove Freeman from the storyline and have it really BE Half-Life. On the other hand, having a really important character that doesn’t speak would be quite hard on the script-writing.
14/02/2009 at 18:10 Hybrid says:
Simply amazing to say the least. Reminds me of those Halo shorts by Neill Blomkamp but with more dialogue and story.
Also….. Blonde
14/02/2009 at 18:25 VPeric says:
So, hmm, how do I download the HD version? My usual method seems to be failing (getting the regular version instead).
14/02/2009 at 19:41 dadioflex says:
“VPeric says:
So, hmm, how do I download the HD version? My usual method seems to be failing (getting the regular version instead).”
Selecting HD doesn’t seem to make a difference. If you double click the youtube image it takes you to ACTUAL Youtube. The HD option on there is pretty obvious and there isn’t one for this video.
It’s five minutes long, who gives a flying fig whether its HD or not?
Video was pretty cool. Couldn’t hear the dialogue for the FX so that may be a bonus.
14/02/2009 at 19:43 dadioflex says:
Re: Blonde
Suggest you invest in windows and/or television.
There’s much better out there.
14/02/2009 at 20:07 malkav11 says:
Most of the effects look like the game because they’re being done in the Source engine. What’s impressive to me is that I have no idea (aside from the two main guys and the blonde) what’s actually real.
14/02/2009 at 20:33 Dozer says:
I’m very impressed they’ve managed to get permission to wander around a rail freight depot without hi-vis vests on! Wouldn’t happen in the UK.
Thoroughly enjoyed it. I think a lot of effort went into getting access to the locations, and the costumes. I don’t believe they’ve only spent $500 on this – how can they make that many costumes for that little?
Really looking forward to seeing what else they’ll make!
14/02/2009 at 20:44 Mark S. says:
I have to give this some serious props. Future installments should use more “shakey” camera work, like the first minute of this. I didn’t think i’d enjoy Cloverfield because the first person camera work but it kept it seriously gritty, i really liked that movie. Keep it as “indie” as possible. Like others said, if Hollywood gets a hold of this, forget it. And don’t involve any mainstream actors. I frequently thought of an HL movie over the years, this is defintely a excellent taste of what could be…
14/02/2009 at 22:59 Angel Dust says:
@Dain
Oh come one, tell me you’re not pulling that pathetic “well until you do better you can’t comment” line? This whole site is full of people exchanging opinions on the creative work of others and I would guess not more than a handful have even though about making their own game. So basically grow up. I think this film has some problems not directly related to it’s lack of budget. “The Terminator” was James Camerons first full film as director and was made for a very low budget, not $500 low but it was a full length film. I think this short and “The Terminator” are equal in how they get around the limits of their budgets to create something credible and not hokey. However there is a huge difference in the flow of action sequences and that is just pure film making talent that no amount of budget can overcome (just look at Michael Bay). I’m not saying this guys can’t improve on that but I do think that is a bigger issue than the acting.
14/02/2009 at 23:28 Scandalon says:
Quite nice – the audio work, esp. (How much is them and how much is Valve?) Writing/acting certainly need a bit of work, but overall, I want to see more. Good job!
15/02/2009 at 00:02 CakeAddict says:
The acting could use some work but the rest was extremely well done imo.
They should do a scene from l4d!
15/02/2009 at 00:05 mejobloggs says:
How did they integrate real life and HL so good? Looks fantastic
15/02/2009 at 02:34 surlyben says:
That’s pretty damn good for five hundred bucks.
@ Angel Dust: Yes, Terminator was low budget. 6.5 million dollars low, or roughly $60,000 per minute, which is a far cry from the $50 per minute on display here. A better comparison might be to El Mariachi, which had a $7000 budget (but still cost more per minute…)
15/02/2009 at 03:03 Muzman says:
The budget thing in most cases like this is terribly misleading and surely discounts factors like the many thousands of dollars worth of equipment and software in use. Did they include travel expenses for every location reccy as well as on the day(s)? Food?
Usually people don’t and just add up what they spent on costumes, toy guns and tape. (El Mariachi provides the perfect case for ignoring “budget as marketing” talk where ever you find it)
15/02/2009 at 03:21 Angel Dust says:
@surlyben
My point was that the reason “The Terminator” kicks so much arse in the action department is because the director has the knack for it which has nothing to do with the budget. Check the scene where Reese evades the cops in the department store. That would have cost sweet f-all to shoot but it moves thanks to perfect shot selection and editing which is what this short is lacking. Note I don’t think this short is crap, I am merely pointing out what I think is a bigger issue than some flat acting.
15/02/2009 at 04:36 john t says:
A Half-Life film of course should NEVER be made, if anything it’s more unfilmable than Watchmen, also designed as something only it’s original medium can do.
I don’t think you could do the Half Life story as a movie, but you could certainly use the setting. Gordon Freeman never talks, he would be a lousy main character.
15/02/2009 at 05:38 Hybrid says:
To download the HD version:
#1
Go to this site: (i didnt make this)
http://macskeeball.dnsalias.com/misc/macstack/download_youtube_hd.html
#2
Bookmark what they say to bookmark
#3
Go back to the video on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1UPMEmCqZo
#4
Click on the bookmark you made.
On the far right underneath the info, url, and embed codes it should now say “Download as 720p HD MP4 (right-click and select Save link as)”
#5
Save the file then watch it in HD!
15/02/2009 at 05:58 John Doe says:
Some of that Terminator action you mentioned is kind of dated now. Amazing film, but T2 has better scenes. I thought that action in this was incredibly well shot in this. This was like Children of Men but with more cuts. That movie was masterfully shot.
HECK! The beginning of this thing is like Terminator 2 in the future war. Less budget and shorter.
15/02/2009 at 06:17 Angel Dust says:
While the effects have certainly dated, and was the reason for the comparison, the shot selection and editing are still spot on which is my point. The flashiest effects in the world don’t mean shit if you can’t get that propulsive momentum going that all good action sequences have and that comes from the previously mentioned framing and editing of the action. This HL2 short has the framing down pretty well, that last shot with the chopper bearing down on them is fantastic, but the editing needs some tightening which I am sure we will see improve with the coming episodes.
15/02/2009 at 06:22 Angel Dust says:
Oh yeah and to elaborate on my problems with the sound. It’s not the sound design, as the individual sounds are of course great as Valve did a great job creating unique well-realised sounds for HL2, but the sound editing which is how the sounds are mixed and incorporated into the film. Some of them sometimes sounded like they were just slapped down on top with little regard for the natural ambience of the environment.
All in all I am quite impressed by the short and didn’t expect it to be 100% perfect. I just thought it would be interesting to discuss some things that it was lacking in other than writing and acting.
15/02/2009 at 06:30 John Doe says:
I’m not talking about effects, I’m talking about immersion. Those T1 scenes feel like movies. Very good movies. But this feels pretty darn real. The lack of music is awesome. And like I said, Children of Men has well, no editing and the momentum was crazy in that. Saving Private Ryan had the same same REAL feeling. Framing/shots and immersion made the action in this awesome.
15/02/2009 at 06:37 John Doe says:
I mostly found the ADR was the issue. Hope they fix that.
15/02/2009 at 10:33 VPeric says:
Thanks Hybrid, very nice link!
15/02/2009 at 13:33 Recomposer says:
Surely the problem with this is the use of the crowbar. Shouldn’t Gordon be the only one to use this ‘iconic’ weapon?
15/02/2009 at 13:55 aldo says:
Every member of the resistance carries at least two crowbars as an emergency supply for Freeman.
15/02/2009 at 14:03 Dexton says:
Even in a 5 minute clip, I would say it had about the same amount of story and acting levels as the recent Transformers movie, considering the difference in budgets I think the Purchase Brothers have done really well.
15/02/2009 at 15:28 Rei Onryou says:
If these guys don’t get a cameo on HL2:Ep3 or HL3, or money from Valve, or something of the sort, I’d be surprised. That’s nearly got 1mil views in 2 days, so they’ve definitely done something right.
I’ve also noticed a pattern involving women in decent game related media becoming instant male fantasies. Is it just because she’s hot, or because its geeky?
When’s the next one available? Want moar!!!
15/02/2009 at 19:54 Erlam says:
“I caught this in the Valve tweets earlier, quite impressive, if a little short on story.”
My thoughts exactly; about Half-Life 2.
15/02/2009 at 23:14 Thargoid Killer says:
Thanks Hybrid!
If they put a Paypal link up, i’d contribute to their budget – I love fanfilms and this very good.
come on Gabe, what’s a few bucks after the Valve sales figures were anounced in PC gamer not long ago….
16/02/2009 at 03:33 Kevin Cardinale says:
I thought the acting was fine, just didn’t like the preview with the girl.
16/02/2009 at 03:45 Muzman says:
She’s dead anyway, or severely injured. Everyone knows only brunettes make truly effective combatants.
16/02/2009 at 11:11 Ian says:
If we’re going to get a Half-Life universe TV show/movie I’d rather it was something like this appears to be where it’s not following the main story of the game. I imagine it’d be impossible to properly capture the feel of Freeman as the protagonist so I’d rather he was merely a mentioned character (or occasionally glimpsed from afar) than trying to build things around him.
But yeah, this was good fun. =)
16/02/2009 at 19:49 Not Bernard says:
Can somebody please buy these guys acting lessons? Luckily they barely said anything this time, which saved it, but I don’t think I could watch a more plot-heavy episode…
16/02/2009 at 22:19 Juror #9 says:
Well said Muzman. Im not sure how many times ive seen this but everytime i look at it, i want it to keep going.
17/02/2009 at 12:16 charlie coughman says:
this was amazing for what it was. the poor acting (which was not even that bad, get real) didn’t detract from it. not something i’d watch over and over again, but i was impressed.
17/02/2009 at 12:20 Bobsy says:
There is a guy physically grappling with a Source-engine-rendered CP cop… who the hell cares about the acting?
17/02/2009 at 12:24 Muzman says:
uh, where?
17/02/2009 at 13:05 SusanC says:
Visually, it was fantastic.
The main things that let it down are the sound mix and how the actors say their lines. (I thought the acting was fine when it was just combat and movement).
If they write a script that mostly tells the story through action rather than dialogue (and do more more work on the sound editing), it’ll be great.
And all done on a tiny budget. Movie studios could spend millions of dollars and do worse than that.
17/02/2009 at 13:09 Vanderdecken says:
More than a little BSG in style. LOVE IT! The integration with CG is fab – the shot that pans up from the rubble and broken concrete to Kleiner on the screen from the Ep1 underground station exit (finding that sodding orange crank wheel) is incredible, as is the tracking shot through the bent rebar showing the gunships as they shoot in the roof of that collapsed building.
The shot of the CPs shooting the rebels crouched on the floor could use a bit better acting (i.e. act dead) but the blood spats are very realistic… download the 720p version, then use Media Player Classic to go frame-by-frame (shift+right arrow is default) when the second one gets shot through the head. Watch the shape of the blood spray. I love the integration of the HL2 sound effects too.
And @Bobsy: The entire CP isn’t rendered, only the head.
17/02/2009 at 13:21 theMill says:
@Bobsy: That was an actor in a costume, not a Source cop…
17/02/2009 at 13:27 Dan says:
You could have used the official headcrab hats for the zombies.
The acting left a lot to be desired, but the props, costumes and setting are absolutely perfect.
17/02/2009 at 13:31 Xerxos says:
I hate it when film producer use the “shaky hand camera” to make scenes look more “action packed”
17/02/2009 at 14:12 AMSmith42 says:
I’ve seen worse on the Sci-fi channel. It is always inspiring to see someone make such a great presentation on a microbudget. Could it have been better? Yes. Could it have been better for the money? Doubtful.
17/02/2009 at 16:11 save says:
jeeeez!!!! $500 budget???? damn, can’t imagine what you can do with a few more bucks…. that’s really awesome!
17/02/2009 at 16:12 Jason says:
wow. WOW!! This is freaking awesome. Can’t wait to watch this project progress!!!
17/02/2009 at 17:05 l386 says:
I can’t believe that within the first 30s I not only knew in which city it was filmed, but in fact precisely WHERE in the city it was filmed.
Guess thats what I get for wandering around Toronto’s trainyards.
17/02/2009 at 17:15 Ian says:
I thought the cop he wrestles with was some variety of computer imagery too but decided that didn’t make any sense.
Just something about the head/mask didn’t (doesn’t? I dunno whether it doesn’t or if I’ve just talked myself out of it) look right, somehow.
17/02/2009 at 17:49 DiskKilla Dizzy says:
I was practically drooling at the screen. I have fallen in love. This is amazing! This was almost as real as the dreams that I have had. This Game….Story, meant a lot to me. I feel as I must bow down to the team that made this in greatness.
|0| (bowing)
<3
DiskKilla Dizzy.
18/02/2009 at 00:23 ratbag62 says:
To everyone who said that the acting wasnt great: have you SEEN Starship Troopers 3? With the crap that gets made with bigger budgets it is fantastic to see an imaginative and brilliantly molded short film like this. Love it to death, cant wait for more! And if these guys have a fan club, I’m joining.
18/02/2009 at 00:34 Erlam says:
Am I the only one who was incredibly unimpressed with Half-Life 2′s story?
I mean this in the least aggressive way possible.
18/02/2009 at 00:49 Oak says:
It’s not the originality of the story, it’s how it’s told. You’ve heard this every single time you’ve asked that question, I imagine.
18/02/2009 at 06:17 Chokehold says:
I would watch it. :o
18/02/2009 at 14:30 Choke says:
is where the music at the end came from although they futzed it up a bit.
18/02/2009 at 20:32 Matt says:
The cityscape has an uncanny resemblance to New Jersey..
19/02/2009 at 00:25 Eric says:
This legit blows away the Halo live action shorts.
and kudos to “To everyone who said that the acting wasnt great: have you SEEN Starship Troopers 3?”
On the critical side though there was a lack of bullet holes in the train in the scene just before the guy fires the grenade launcher. ;)
19/02/2009 at 00:45 Oak says:
@Choke:
It’s “Penultimatum” from the Episode One soundtrack.
20/02/2009 at 08:38 MV|Kinetic says:
Write in a part for Alyx, and give her some superhuman psy powers that only grow when the biatch gets shot, pitch it to Joss Whedon, o wait
Joss probably thought of this already.
Nice Shot
20/02/2009 at 19:20 ButtercupSaiyan says:
Looks like they’re using some top-end software, wouldn’t be surprised if it was something like Combustion4 or the like … really great location and effects, simply INCREDIBLE given that this is fan-made. I’m eagerly hoping for more.
22/02/2009 at 20:08 Chris says:
Crap!
Hand held style is junk. Acting horrible. Script worse. Visuals look good.
All of you saying acting does not matter need to reassess why it is you watch films. Imagine these idiots make a sfeature version with the same level of acting? Imagine Iron Man or The Dark Knight with terrible acting…??
I hope Valve does not make a feature with these guys.
James Cameron would make a good film version.
22/02/2009 at 20:09 Sam says:
Crap!
Hand held style is junk. Acting horrible. Script worse. Visuals look good.
All of you saying acting does not matter need to reassess why it is you watch films. Imagine these idiots make a feature version with the same level of acting? Imagine Iron Man or The Dark Knight with terrible acting…??
I hope Valve does not make a feature with these guys.
James Cameron would make a good film version.
22/02/2009 at 20:09 John says:
Crap!
Hand held style is junk. Acting horrible. Script worse. Visuals look good.
All of you saying acting does not matter need to reassess why it is you watch films. Imagine these idiots make a feature version with the same level of acting? Imagine Iron Man or The Dark Knight with terrible acting…??
I hope Valve does not make a feature with these guys.
James Cameron would make a good film version.
26/04/2009 at 21:51 Alistair says:
I hate walking ok? gah!
04/07/2009 at 07:09 Mr.Retail says:
really nice!!! the purchase brothers do good work..there coca cola ad is funny.
18/07/2009 at 18:41 Yasir says:
Wow. Really impressive. I was looking for some half life 2 content as there hasn’t really been any update on the 3rd episode and stumbled upon this little movie.
19/07/2009 at 03:33 teddy says:
very awsome! acting and zombies cold have benn better but nice jod though.good grafics and combine stuff.
13/08/2009 at 23:43 david says:
WTF was that
13/08/2009 at 23:43 david says:
WTF was that!!?
12/10/2009 at 15:17 Ragnarok says:
This was awesome.
14/09/2010 at 10:54 Logix says:
are they still working on this? or did it die :( i loved the short and hope theyd make it into a full length movie (2 – 2.5 hrs long or more)!!!!
03/10/2010 at 13:15 ronis says:
Its pritty cool but they cloud make the combines a little better what i hate they wrecked my hometown Riga
25/10/2010 at 04:51 TS says:
This was unexpectedly great, and the original longer version has more going for it than the later heavily edited one. Can’t wait to see more; hope the project hasn’t died, and hope we get to see more of the girl in part 2!
17/11/2010 at 03:59 asdhaf says:
it sucks. doesnt make any sense like gobi.