Reader Comments (56)
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:25PM MrAlex said
The chubby one is my favourite
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:34PM Caesius said
@antaydos : Haha that's not what I meant. He just seemed out of place, I can't explain my thoughts exactly why. Plus he was just cannon fodder, could've done without him -- he offered nothing in terms of moving the plot forward besides sneaking up on the main character and saving him from seeing / hearing the zombies outside the door. This action could have easily been done by the chick, instead of introducing her onto the screen running through the two, with zero acknowledgment.
@Kestner Yeah that's what I was assuming, didn't look into the production though, thank you for the clarification! Makes more sense now.
The short definitely could've used a few more drafts of the script, both action and dialogue wise. It seems like a first draft without the use of anyone's constructive criticism.
But again, kudos for the attempt, at least they did something, and it's a start.
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@Kestner Yeah that's what I was assuming, didn't look into the production though, thank you for the clarification! Makes more sense now.
The short definitely could've used a few more drafts of the script, both action and dialogue wise. It seems like a first draft without the use of anyone's constructive criticism.
But again, kudos for the attempt, at least they did something, and it's a start.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 6:14PM antaydos said
@Caesius
I really don't want to derail this, but just wanted to say that I wasn't being sarcastic, it was more triumphant over kgoo's earlier statement that I had missed the point. But maybe I did anyways? Oh noes!
But uh... I appreciate the compliment ;)
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I really don't want to derail this, but just wanted to say that I wasn't being sarcastic, it was more triumphant over kgoo's earlier statement that I had missed the point. But maybe I did anyways? Oh noes!
But uh... I appreciate the compliment ;)
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 8:12PM JonahStein said
@MrAlex
I didn't think she was THAT chubby! Wow, the standards we hold women to nowadays...
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I didn't think she was THAT chubby! Wow, the standards we hold women to nowadays...
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:37PM Caesius said
Not bad...not entirely amazing either.
The script was eh, and it didn't have much to engage all the way through. It felt more like a trailer, teaser, or a pilot, for something bigger. Which in that case, if it is, it should be billed as such, and it would be better.
Well shot, editing wasn't too shabby either. It's obvious they had somewhat of a budget, but with I'd like to see what they can do with more. Nice addition to a portfolio that's for sure, but it can't stand on its own.
The script was eh, and it didn't have much to engage all the way through. It felt more like a trailer, teaser, or a pilot, for something bigger. Which in that case, if it is, it should be billed as such, and it would be better.
Well shot, editing wasn't too shabby either. It's obvious they had somewhat of a budget, but with I'd like to see what they can do with more. Nice addition to a portfolio that's for sure, but it can't stand on its own.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:58PM Torpedo Vegas said
@Caesius
Well said. They capture the essence of the half life world very well - things like grenades and the sound Combine make when they die. But the script itself was kinda bland. That doesn't change the fact that I really really want to play more half life
Are you listening valve?
Reply
Well said. They capture the essence of the half life world very well - things like grenades and the sound Combine make when they die. But the script itself was kinda bland. That doesn't change the fact that I really really want to play more half life
Are you listening valve?
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:38PM 12thSAGEofGAMING said
srry, somethings wrong with me.
not that i'm saying Half Life sux or anything like that. it's just..... well....... i'm a console gamer...... a Sony console gamer ^_^
(stating the later is an attempt to put an emphasis on the state at which the Orange Box was in. i don't play broken games i don't have a huge want to play in the firstplace. but i enjoyed the hell out of Portal though - lol)
not that i'm saying Half Life sux or anything like that. it's just..... well....... i'm a console gamer...... a Sony console gamer ^_^
(stating the later is an attempt to put an emphasis on the state at which the Orange Box was in. i don't play broken games i don't have a huge want to play in the firstplace. but i enjoyed the hell out of Portal though - lol)
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:50PM bigwhiteyeti said
@12thSAGEofGAMING
The "Broken"-ness of Orange Box on PS3 is overly-hyped. The most muddled portion is TF2, the rest of the port is just fine an WELL worth playing. So stop being stuck up and go play it.
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The "Broken"-ness of Orange Box on PS3 is overly-hyped. The most muddled portion is TF2, the rest of the port is just fine an WELL worth playing. So stop being stuck up and go play it.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:39PM King Skylark said
I applaud the effort obviously put into this film, but it always hurts to see so much time and talent put into visuals and direction, and then have the final film released with absolute crap sound design.
No Foley, barely anything beyond a few "big" sound effects, little to no ambience... Sure, they peppered in Half-Life sound effects throughout, but none of it sounds like it fits the space. It, to me, just ruins what would otherwise be quite a good short film.
No Foley, barely anything beyond a few "big" sound effects, little to no ambience... Sure, they peppered in Half-Life sound effects throughout, but none of it sounds like it fits the space. It, to me, just ruins what would otherwise be quite a good short film.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:46PM Zacmanman said
@King Skylark
The sound design is the worst part, however there are many parts I felt made up for the film. Good acting, a decent plot and it was all very faithful to the source material (sans the ninja).
I think they made the decision to put their time into visuals rather than the sound, which shows, but it's hard to think that if they put equal time into both that the film would have been nearly as good.
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The sound design is the worst part, however there are many parts I felt made up for the film. Good acting, a decent plot and it was all very faithful to the source material (sans the ninja).
I think they made the decision to put their time into visuals rather than the sound, which shows, but it's hard to think that if they put equal time into both that the film would have been nearly as good.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 7:30PM davidjtate said
@King Skylark I was thinking the same thing. This movie would definitely benefit from a foley pass. Some clothes, some footsteps.
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Posted: Jan 22nd 2011 2:29PM Styli said
@King Skylark
Sound design isn't about just throwing in a load of effects, it's about judging the right amount of effects for the piece. This was music and dialogue driven because it's a retrospective. It's heavily stylised.
Getting decent atmos sound can be tricky, especially in a world that's "sparse". The real world is full of birds, planes, cars and people. I imagine with a bigger budget they could do a great job of the sound. As it was, I think it was well done.
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Sound design isn't about just throwing in a load of effects, it's about judging the right amount of effects for the piece. This was music and dialogue driven because it's a retrospective. It's heavily stylised.
Getting decent atmos sound can be tricky, especially in a world that's "sparse". The real world is full of birds, planes, cars and people. I imagine with a bigger budget they could do a great job of the sound. As it was, I think it was well done.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:42PM Gonzie said
it's all well and good but what happens if Valve pick up the opposing force plot line later on?
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:46PM antaydos said
The real question is "Why did those zombies not have headcrabs on them??"
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:49PM Zacmanman said
@antaydos
If they could have gotten the effect down, then it would have been impressive... but think about it, how hard would it be to run with something blocking your vision and bouncing around on your head? It would have been more silly and brought down some of the aesthetic of the film. The real question is: Why didn't valve include ninjas in Half-Life 2?
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If they could have gotten the effect down, then it would have been impressive... but think about it, how hard would it be to run with something blocking your vision and bouncing around on your head? It would have been more silly and brought down some of the aesthetic of the film. The real question is: Why didn't valve include ninjas in Half-Life 2?
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 6:47PM Zacmanman said
@antaydos
There are still many difficulties with it though. The combine masks have holes for eyes. A headcrab doesn't. That and you risk the foam headcrab bouncing around and looking silly. Considering the effort it would take to make one that doesn't look silly, is effective for the atmosphere and with material one can see through well enough in order to be able to run, it would be a better idea to just have cool looking, normal zombies.
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There are still many difficulties with it though. The combine masks have holes for eyes. A headcrab doesn't. That and you risk the foam headcrab bouncing around and looking silly. Considering the effort it would take to make one that doesn't look silly, is effective for the atmosphere and with material one can see through well enough in order to be able to run, it would be a better idea to just have cool looking, normal zombies.
Posted: Jan 23rd 2011 9:23AM mcnichoj said
@Zacmanman
They do make adhesives and I've seen some pretty good headcrabs and it only takes a few hours to make.
They would only need to make a few but the small amount of time it would have taken would have paid off.
For one all the people complaining about the lack of head crabs, well they wouldn't be complaining and it would also give that unique look that the game had.
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They do make adhesives and I've seen some pretty good headcrabs and it only takes a few hours to make.
They would only need to make a few but the small amount of time it would have taken would have paid off.
For one all the people complaining about the lack of head crabs, well they wouldn't be complaining and it would also give that unique look that the game had.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:47PM Uncle Jesse said
Alyx looks a little off...
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 4:55PM InDurdenWeTrust said
@Uncle Jesse I'd take a shot at her head crab.
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Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:11PM NetOperator Wibby said
Was I the only one who liked this? Geez people, lighten up.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:39PM (Unverified) said
@NetOperator Wibby
It was pretty awesome for an interdependent short. The special effects were pretty impressive.
As a filmmaker, I recognize how hard it is to make realistic (or even just decent looking) special effects. Seriously people, these guys deserve major props!
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It was pretty awesome for an interdependent short. The special effects were pretty impressive.
As a filmmaker, I recognize how hard it is to make realistic (or even just decent looking) special effects. Seriously people, these guys deserve major props!
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:20PM Dhexodus said
Top notch editing and directing.
However, anyone else thinks they lost focus half-way into the movie?
Headcrabs. Where are they? Certainly not on the Common Infecteds. Gordon Freeman, the hero of the HL universe, wasn't a martial artist, so why did they make this guy Blade?
However, anyone else thinks they lost focus half-way into the movie?
Headcrabs. Where are they? Certainly not on the Common Infecteds. Gordon Freeman, the hero of the HL universe, wasn't a martial artist, so why did they make this guy Blade?
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:22PM Flapjackal said
2 years for 12 minutes?
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 7:01PM Flapjackal said
@Zacmanman Of course, it was a zombie film. That's all the rage these days.
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Posted: Jan 21st 2011 5:43PM Zacmanman said
Very good. I have my own criticisms, because I love film and Half-Life, but this was overly impressive and not a beat was missed. The length felt perfect... but the ending left me wanting more, I didn't feel like it was complete.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 6:01PM Lolthien said
No kidding... people who think fat people won't survive in the future are idiots. Chances are they won't stay fat very long, but who survives and who doesn't survive the initial catastrophe is pretty much up to chance.
You guys all really need to lighten up.
This was fun and damned impressive for a group of friends putting it together in their spare time.
You guys all really need to lighten up.
This was fun and damned impressive for a group of friends putting it together in their spare time.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 6:43PM Mach2 said
Wow, that was pretty bangin'.
It seemed like a bit of a crossover with Left 4 Dead, what with the fast headcrab-less zombies, but I'm totally okay with that.
It seemed like a bit of a crossover with Left 4 Dead, what with the fast headcrab-less zombies, but I'm totally okay with that.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 7:02PM BoBsS said
It was good, but they forgot to look left before crossing the road at the end?
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 7:38PM ZachLove said
Effects are VERY good.
But all the "Artistic freedoms" didn't really fit in with Half-Life.
Overall pretty good, but I think I prefer Escape form City 17 and Lambda
But all the "Artistic freedoms" didn't really fit in with Half-Life.
Overall pretty good, but I think I prefer Escape form City 17 and Lambda
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 7:49PM ructus said
I haven't watched it yet, is it just more running and gunning ... I'll be the prick and say we may want some story + acting + action combo for our next half-life independent film. Yeah, standards are getting higher with each action only short film.
Posted: Jan 21st 2011 8:30PM JonahStein said
Ok, Final Word:
We were all really wanting this thing to be amazing! And it looks pretty slick, BUT...
1) Yeah, the zombies are dumb. Everybody who says headcrabs would be too difficult to get right aren't thinking creatively. This scenario would benefit from a darkened room and proper lighting.
2) Leave the asian kid alone, he served his purpose. At least we know trained mercenaries can SOMETIMES hit their mark.
3) The end...? Um, that's not how you toss a grenade, stupid.
4) Speaking of stupid, did any of us want or need a choreographed melee weapon fight?
That being said, I LOVE the fact that people are making tribute art like this.
I got positively giddy when I first saw the preview for this short. The strider lumbering across the distance... the chime of a Combine headshot. Ahhh, good stuff. :)
We were all really wanting this thing to be amazing! And it looks pretty slick, BUT...
1) Yeah, the zombies are dumb. Everybody who says headcrabs would be too difficult to get right aren't thinking creatively. This scenario would benefit from a darkened room and proper lighting.
2) Leave the asian kid alone, he served his purpose. At least we know trained mercenaries can SOMETIMES hit their mark.
3) The end...? Um, that's not how you toss a grenade, stupid.
4) Speaking of stupid, did any of us want or need a choreographed melee weapon fight?
That being said, I LOVE the fact that people are making tribute art like this.
I got positively giddy when I first saw the preview for this short. The strider lumbering across the distance... the chime of a Combine headshot. Ahhh, good stuff. :)
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