Halo short film revealed, along with special 360 console [update]
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Jul 11th 2007 at 1:25AM }
The Microsoft E3 2007 keynote ended with a blast, as Peter Moore introduced "Arms Race," a short live-action Halo short film produced by a collaboration of Weta Studios and Bungie, as well as introducing a special, limited-edition Halo-branded Xbox 360.
Said Moore, "I'm very pleased to present to you a unique partnership between Bungie Studios, Weta down in New Zealand, and director Neill Blomkamp... [It] gives you a chance to see what they've been working on, and a new chance to believe." The footage featured shots of a young man being prepped for battle, the manufacturing of UNSC-branded helmets, as well as several recognizable vehicles and weapons from the Halo universe.
Moore also showed off a new Halo-branded Xbox 360, a dark, Spartan green, with orange highlights. Moore announced that the console -- designed for what he affectionately calls the "Halo Nation" -- would be available during the holiday season, although no further details about either the console or the potential film were revealed.
[Update: Added video andt clarified information concerning the footage.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
silkylove @ Jul 11th 2007 1:29AM
Like two people clapped when they revealed the new 360. Is there anything special about it besides the baby poop green finish?
FrankTheCrank @ Jul 11th 2007 5:32AM
Color me UNIMPRESSED.
What a LAME ASS KEYNOTE.
MY GOD....the enthusiasm I had yesterday for the 360 just evaporated. I was expecting a whole lot more. Colored hardware, Disney movies and more of the same(HALO).
Micro$oft blew it.
Patrick @ Jul 11th 2007 9:29AM
its supposed to resemble a ammunition box coloring and fade, which i actually like
tituspullo @ Jul 11th 2007 10:03AM
i think it's mostly a press event. maybe they should have packed the place with fanboys?
Ian Von Porter @ Jul 11th 2007 1:29AM
Why would they sell a Halo themed console and not BUNDLE the freakin game on which the console is based on. If you're fanatic enough to buy a Halo themed console.. are you not going to buy the game as well?
Wes @ Jul 11th 2007 2:06AM
Since there are three versions is probably why they are not bundling the game with the console.
Some people might want the H3 console because they don't already own an xbox 360 and want a 360 and think the h3 console is neat. If say its the same price as the elite/premium with the same features, why not? If it doesn't cost more.
Of course, you might want the h3 edition console + legendary h3 edition or h3 edition console + just standard cause you don't care for paying more for the helmet.
tituspullo @ Jul 11th 2007 10:01AM
maybe it's coming out after the game.
Huey2k2 @ Jul 11th 2007 1:31AM
I was a little confused about that live action Halo footage as well. They didn't officially say it was from an upcoming Halo movie, nor did they say that the Halo movie had been resurrected.
But I must say, if that IS footage from the Halo movie, I am damned impressed.
Randy @ Jul 11th 2007 9:49AM
It's not the Halo movie. The movie is on hiatus until they can find someone willing to finance it. Unfortunately, nobody will until they change some of their terms. Fox and Universal dumped the movie because of certain terms set by Peter Jackson and Microsoft. I've noted this before, but there were three very good reasons for them to have not financed this movie:
1) Microsoft's demands were too high taking $5 million upfront and 10% of the take. This is out of the norm.
2) The production budget has already soared from $135 million to a rumored $200 million. Considering the history of videogame movies and how well they do, this is a red flag. The only videogame movie so far to make over $200 million worldwide so far has been Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001 with $251,600,000.
3) The studios were uncomfortable with the selection of Neil Blomkamp, a guy who has never worked on any movie in any capacity, as the director.
The truth is, Jackson and Microsoft were asking too much from Fox and Universal and they were smart enough to see warning signs and flashing lights that say, hey, this is a bad idea. Halo can be done as a movie, and Halo as a movie is not a bad idea. But Fox and Universal have to look at if it is a safe venture for them to pursue. They have to, by law, make the best choices for their shareholders. And they did.
This might be Microsoft's and Jackson's way of trying to build up buzz for the movie to try and make it seem more appealing to potential financiers and to demonstrate the abilities of this still inexperienced director.
Randy @ Jul 11th 2007 10:12AM
It's not the Halo movie. The movie is on hiatus until they can find someone willing to finance it. Unfortunately, nobody will until they change some of their terms. Fox and Universal dumped the movie because of certain terms set by Peter Jackson and Microsoft. I've noted this before, but there were three very good reasons for them to have not financed this movie:
1) Microsoft's demands were too high taking $5 million upfront and 10% of the take. This is out of the norm.
2) The production budget has already soared from $135 million to a rumored $200 million. Considering the history of videogame movies and how well they do, this is a red flag. The only videogame movie so far to make over $200 million worldwide so far has been Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001 with $251,600,000.
3) The studios were uncomfortable with the selection of Neil Blomkamp, a guy who has never worked on any movie in any capacity, as the director.
The truth is, Jackson and Microsoft were asking too much from Fox and Universal and they were smart enough to see warning signs and flashing lights that say, hey, this is a bad idea. Halo can be done as a movie, and Halo as a movie is not a bad idea. But Fox and Universal have to look at if it is a safe venture for them to pursue. They have to, by law, make the best choices for their shareholders. And they did.
This might be Microsoft's and Jackson's way of trying to build up buzz for the movie to try and make it seem more appealing to potential financiers and to demonstrate the abilities of this still inexperienced director.
nitzan @ Jul 11th 2007 1:31AM
even Nintendo doesn't milk their franchises so much
Arseman @ Aug 8th 2007 1:14AM
Bright yellow deformed N64 Pokemon edition?
megaStryke @ Jul 11th 2007 9:02AM
Ha ha ha! That's a joke, right?
BNinjaC @ Jul 11th 2007 1:31AM
poo coloured Xbox?
I'll hang on to my much loved but chronically ill premium, thank you very much.
tituspullo @ Jul 11th 2007 9:59AM
poo colored what the hell have you been eating?
Randy @ Jul 11th 2007 10:14AM
Sorry, I am trying to leave my comment for Huey2k2, but it keeps acting like I chose BNinjaC, which I didn't... I even double checked the comment before posting that is says, "replying to Huey2k2 [Undo]" This sucks
Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Jul 11th 2007 1:32AM
That was a great press conference. I was entertained. Atleast MS PR guys seem sincere. Where's J Allard? Bring him back too.
silkylove @ Jul 11th 2007 1:37AM
He's overseeing the 9th circle of Hell, AKA Microsoft Zune
Sketch @ Jul 11th 2007 1:37AM
The video is on Bungie.net they say it is "
A collaboration between Bungie Studios, director Neill Blomkamp, WETA Workshop and Origami Digital LLC, brings the first digital short depicting humanity's struggle to save Earth."
darthviper107 @ Jul 11th 2007 6:44PM
I'm pretty sure that the Halo short was just created to promote Halo 3 and isn't anything directly part of the Halo movie. Especially since they actually haven't started the movie hardly at all.
Jack @ Jul 11th 2007 1:50AM
Yeah, at no point did Moore's speech imply this was anything more than a small, digital short. Watch the conference again, guys.
Che @ Jul 11th 2007 1:59AM
All this movie talk is wishful thinking. While i do like the short, the production values are significantly less than hollywood standards. And if this is what was pitched I am not at all surprised that some studio exec pulled the plug on the movie.
P.S. You'd think in the future they'd use ClearType on those computer fonts. :p
Ravi Shanker @ Jul 11th 2007 2:03AM
This is the link for that short clip
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/6/1/a61f31a9-e4ee-44d2-ac95-86279817fc33/Halo3_Short_720p30_ST_6300kbps.wmv
BNinjaC @ Jul 11th 2007 2:06AM
Thanks :)
Ravi @ Jul 11th 2007 2:13AM
Sorry forgot to mention that its 720p and a direct link
my bad
Wes @ Jul 11th 2007 2:11AM
Honestly, I kind of agree with you regarding this movie not being of that great production values. I was wondering if this was going to be a future tv ad or what this was?
Frankly, it just disappointed me overall. I kind of was left with a 'bleh' feeling in my mouth. Like, could you show me the single player campaign due out in just 11 weeks rather than this uhhh live-action video?
Hehe, I keep wondering how much did that live action digital short cost them to make? a million? 2? 3? 5? Man, I would have rather seen them invest that money in hiring 20 developers for a year to create say 20 additional maps for Halo 3 multiplayer and bundle it on an 'extra' dvd or something, or as a free dlc package.
Grey Fox @ Jul 11th 2007 2:10PM
Oh snap I need to see an HD feed of the entire press conference. NOW.
dsub @ Jul 11th 2007 3:01AM
I'm curious to hear the details. Also, after seeing the console that Peter Moore had AND the one in the rehersal photos, they appear to be two completely different things. The "gray" console obviously has the chrome drive cover and DOES appear to be gray, whereas the console that Peter Moore was holding is obviously army green with a gleamingly obvious orange drive tray.
Hmmm...
Either way, I'm sure the Halo 3 360 will probably be the price of an Elite and basically be the same thing only I'm guessing it will include the Legendary version of Halo 3 as well.
masterlin1 @ Jul 11th 2007 3:13AM
It's just a short film to promote Halo 3 and to let people know the Halo movie is still in the works. NOT a movie trailer.
DWells55 @ Jul 11th 2007 3:20AM
Agreed, can't be sure if this is the "grey" unit we saw before. I suppose anything's possible with different camera's, lighting, etc. If this unit has Halo 3 Legendary edition packed in and comes out cheaper than buying a 360 and Halo 3 Legendary separate, I'll sell my current 360 and buy this. I'm quite a Halo fan and this would be something I'd really like to have.
I loved the movie clip. Although I didn't care for the text - reminded me more of Marathon than it did Halo. The weapons and armor look fantastic. If the props from this movie ever go on sale, my wallet is going to take one hell of a beating. I'm prepared to throw around a lot of money for a Battle Rifle and an M6D.
tituspullo @ Jul 11th 2007 9:57AM
gray and green are close hues, easily confused in certain shades or under certain lighting conditions. this might be the case here.
evan @ Jul 11th 2007 3:24AM
this is almost certainly test footage. it's a pretty common practice when a film is in pre-production and looking for funding. weta probably shot this to help sell the film to investors by offering a glimpse of the look and feel they are aiming for. it's more of a teaser as to what a full budget could do for the concept.
or, in neil blomkamp's case, it is sometimes done so an unproven director can showcase his "vision" of the film to skeptical studio suits.
Ravi @ Jul 11th 2007 3:57AM
Youtube link
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FmoKBy4H8Lk
Exidor @ Jul 11th 2007 5:11AM
Moore compared Halo's impact to that of the original Star Wars. Um, no.
t_m @ Jul 11th 2007 6:04AM
As often happens when they make REAL people wear fantasy/sci-fi armour - it looks kinda stupid.
That guy looked like a little kid in oversized cosplay gear... and his helmet was WAY too big.
I always wanted a Warhammer 40k movie.. but i always knew deep down that REAL space marine armour would look really clunky and stupid.
KenshinSlayer @ Jul 11th 2007 7:59AM
Ugh, an Xbox 360 directly promoting Halo. It sunk as low as Pokemon on that one. And it looks exceptionally ugly like the Pokemon GBA and GBC systems. Can I compare Halo with Pokemon? Is that even possible?
Yes.. yes it is, unfortunately. Milking the franchise like Pokemon (with the anime, the spin-off games, the toys and cards, etc.) is making me sick. Halo 1-3, Halo wars, legendary edition, halo zune, geez. What's next? Oh yeah, the Halo movie. Just like Pokemon. Don't get me wrong, Pokemon and Halo are good games, but when marketing goes to this extreme, to the point where it tries to sell consoles with the franchise, my stomach gets a bit queasy.
tituspullo @ Jul 11th 2007 9:55AM
they made an halo2 xbox, why not a halo 3 360? i don't think it's milking it, it's giving people what they want. the halo2 xbox's sold and so will these.
CarpeD1em500 @ Jul 11th 2007 10:20AM
^ I agree .. hell I owned one of the Halo xbox's (I thought it was Halo 1, not Halo 2...actually I'm fairly sure of it).
The solid green is gross though. Translucent (idk if thats the right term) green was AWESOME on the xbox, wish they brought it back for the 360.
Actually I just bought an Elite. Nevermind. Glad I don't like this color so I have some extra money around when like the 15 games I want this holiday season drop.
tituspullo @ Jul 11th 2007 10:28AM
i always wanted a green xbox, clear green it was nice. never found one though.
Nitzan Z @ Jul 12th 2007 11:31AM
Wait until the pikachu edition comes out
Timmay! @ Jul 11th 2007 6:17PM
That video looked like something out of the mid 80's/early 90's (think original Robocop). The only thing that really jumped out at me was the production of the sniper rifle, everything else was easy to tell CG, or crappy cosplay costumes.
There IS a way to make the armor look more realistic, actually invest the time/money in better costumes than ZOMG! special effects.