Half life ... THE MOVIE!!!

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You know, back in 2002, i sent an E-mail to valve in relation to this kind of topic, and I didnt get a reply back, but either way it has to happen.
 
A True Canadian said:
You can't be expected to follow the game down to a tee. In order for Half-Life to work in a movie or TV format there needs to be some DIALOGUE and some STORY. The first episode is basically all setup. It introduces us to the characters, it explains what the Black Mesa Research Facility is and what the research team has been up to. If I was the writer/director, I'd even have the setting on Xen to open the first episode.

****

Our characters are inside a cave (the whole thing is cleverly disguised to make it look like the are just in a tunnel on Earth). Most of them are dressed in suits of orange and tan clolors. These are the scientists. A couple of armed guards are also with them, wearing more subtle gear. It is then revealed that they're trying to get a crystal sample. Things go wrong.

(Following the philosophy of only hearing the monsters, but never seeing them early on would help to bring out some of the tension in the scene. As the scientists are running for their lives, the viewers never see what is chasing them)

In the background hive guns firing from Alien Grunts can be heard. Return fire from the guards echoes through the caves. One of the scientists is zapped by a stream of green electricity and collapses behind the group. The guards turn back to help the stragglers, but the camera remains with the main group. More running. A loud Gargantuan roar is heard in the background! :D

Two scientists finally make it to some equipment outside the cave. The viewers finally see that these people are someplace strange. Floating rocks, green atmosphere, this is not Earth. :O

A guard is waiting for them at the equipment, changing the ammo to his weapon. One of the surviving scientists moves toward the console controls, the other moves with much more caution towards the rock wall. The first scientist turns a knob and starts yelling into the radio at the person on the other end: "Send the signal! We've got the sample!!"

The second scientist is now cowering up against a rock, still clinging to the large yellowish crystal he took from the caves. Screams are heard echoing from deep inside the cave tunnel. The rest of the team hasn't made it out yet. The tunnel starts to glow a bright orange from the inside, almost as if something was burning. The ground shakes. The rumbling gets louder and louder!

"Send the signal now, Godammit!!"

Suddenly, a bright green ball of energy appears on the surface right in front of our three companions. The cowarding scientist darts into the green ball of light and disappears completely, taking the yellow crystal with him. Seconds later, the guard is shot in the back by a stream of green electricity and collapses imediately, screaming in pain. Steam is rises out of the wound as the man continues to scream.

The remaining scientist hesitates for a moment and then regrettably dives into the green energy ball, disappearing instantaneaously. Screen cuts to black. Flashes of light flicker about. The sounds go quiet, the flashes disappear.

Cue title: Half-Life

****


See what I mean? That whole sequence shows how the scientists were able to get the sample for the test chamber. It grabs the audience and keeps them compelled to watch further. The series doesn't have to follow the game exactly. Scenes can be added to make things more interesting and advance the plot. The reason why I wanted the first episode to end on a cliffhanger (the Resonance Cascade) was so the audience would be compelled to return for Episode 2.
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Sorry for ze long quote, but maybe we DONT need to always follow freeman, maybe we can jump to different characters, and following their deaths, or escapes, jump to a different one, maybe we see how Barney fight his way to the surface, finds out that he CANT get out, and goes back in.. followed by black, jump to a scientist in a radioactive suit, (OP4) With a strangely destroyed marine on his lil medical table.. suddenly, after tapping a few keys, the dead marine rises... wow, he looks like some of the things barney fought.. OH CRAP! HES ATTACKING THE GUY! he picks up the scientist and throws him out the window, breaking it.. giving him an escape route, now jump to the marine you play in OP4, as he kicks it down, punches it and overly-destroys it, and eventually continueing on.
 
yeah, or have it jump to different scenes starting after that w/ barney walking into the tram, and part/most of the ride, and cut's to Shephard at boot camp, w/ the sniper, almost finishing his training. Goes to gordon waking up to his alarm (from the online story file) and realizing his clock's slow, or w/e, and goes like that, some scenes longer for gordon, being he's our main character, and half-life is the longest of the 3 games. I also wouldn't mind a little more input on eli's part, after the whole resonance thing. A book wouldn't be bad either ;)

im serious. I want a book to read entitled Half-Life, and then Half-Life 2, and epi 1 and s fourth (cause I can't play epi 1 till christmas ;( ) if anyone writes the script, it should be laidlaw.
 
I think they should just make like a 10 hour long movie, following all the stories of all the main characters at Black Mesa, I mean Dr.Kleiner, Dr.Vance, Barney Calhoun, Adrian Shepherd, Dr.Freeman (obviously), whoever you play in Decay (never played and I don't know the storyline well, but strangely I dreamt about it last night), Otis, those doctors you meet in Blue Shift and then just follow the stories of some other completely random scientists......or a headcrab (bound to be emotional *sniffle* that poor headcrab.....)
 
Here are the requirements for a good half-life movie:

Steven Soderbergh is in charge of EVERYTHING (and valve too.)

No name actors.

Gordon Freeman is only kind of the star.

Little dialogue.

Futuristic science/scientific happenings made to look real. No puffy swirly blue fire cannon or whatever, a gauss cannon would actually have no visible projectile. Xen aliens would warp in along with maybe a loud but uneventful pop of electricity.

Crank up the student film bullshit (would work nicely in this movie.) Time-lapsed clouds, high contrast colors, shaky cam.
 
Van_Halen said:
yeah, or have it jump to different scenes starting after that w/ barney walking into the tram, and part/most of the ride, and cut's to Shephard at boot camp, w/ the sniper, almost finishing his training. Goes to gordon waking up to his alarm (from the online story file) and realizing his clock's slow, or w/e, and goes like that, some scenes longer for gordon, being he's our main character, and half-life is the longest of the 3 games. I also wouldn't mind a little more input on eli's part, after the whole resonance thing. A book wouldn't be bad either ;)

im serious. I want a book to read entitled Half-Life, and then Half-Life 2, and epi 1 and s fourth (cause I can't play epi 1 till christmas ;( ) if anyone writes the script, it should be laidlaw.
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The Episodes should be part of HL2. Too **** with Gabe's quote they round off the HL2 story arc and have the HL2 name.
 
I still stick by the idea that a mini-series is the only way for this concept to be successful, being a film means it needs to be cut down to 3 hours at the most, and that means cutting bits out that everyone can agree that just cant be done with Half-Life. It can still be as awsome and cinematic as you want it to be, and it can still have all the big actors too, and all the funding. I mean look at series like Lost, 24 and Band of Brothers. Those series have actually be more successful than a shit load of films that comes out of Holywood. I once the Half-Life story finally ends (not for a long time I hope), then they should take up this idea. If the Half-Life story is made into a cinematic programme, and made properly to perfection, then I think will be an television and movie epic, one to sit up with the greats, and trust me, Im VERY hard on films.
 
It's a graduation project of a student. The only mistake is the Nevada Desert, but in my opinion, it perfectly captures the essence of Half-Life.

And films with little dialogue ain't that bad... 2001: Space Odysey?
 
Mesz said:
I think they should just make like a 10 hour long movie, following all the stories of all the main characters at Black Mesa, I mean Dr.Kleiner, Dr.Vance, Barney Calhoun, Adrian Shepherd, Dr.Freeman (obviously), whoever you play in Decay (never played and I don't know the storyline well, but strangely I dreamt about it last night), Otis, those doctors you meet in Blue Shift and then just follow the stories of some other completely random scientists......or a headcrab (bound to be emotional *sniffle* that poor headcrab.....)
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didn't sombody write a fan fiction about a headcrab? XD
 
I am gonna watch that trailer over and over and over again
 
Don't get me wrong it was cool, but the Nevada thing is anoyying. Why do people think it is?
 
Because Area 51 is in Nevada and Black Mesa is essentially an Area 51 analogue.
 
HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT-
Ahem yes, thank you for your explantion *mystriously acts like a goverment entity*
 
Yeah, the Nevada thing needs to be sorted out, but I'm happy with everything else, especially the fact that the guy who acts Gordon Freeman, doesn't look like him to the tee, dunno why but I gotta good feeling about that
 
yeah.. doesnt Gordon have like.. brown hair? and LONGER hair? I like the geiger counter though.
 
Yeah, that cool, you do realize that all sounds of enemies were taken from the actual game, if you listen to the headcrab at the end it sounds exactly the same, even the same quality. The zombies look exactly the same too
 
Wow that looks awsome for a low-budget film, cant wait for that to become available, I can definately see Half-Life hitting either the tv screens or the cinema screens in the future because a lot of film directors seem very interested in the story, just that every script that has been shown to Valve has been a pile of wank, but eventually, someone will get a spot on script ;)
 
I want Marc Laidlaw to write the script for the movie. Thats the only way I'll watch it.
 
I dont care who writes it, Ill write an angry letter to them if its bad.
But I prolly wont.
 
Whoever it was taht wrote that little intro sequence or whatever, that is almost exactly what I was thinking for what would happen. And build from there, follow groups and individuals, but try to avoid getting too deep into them, but- you would want to actually focus on freeman. Why? Because half-life 2, as it is now, would make an excellent movie (imo) and freeman is the focus of that, totally. People would be confused about why he was suddenly the big main guy if he wasn't all that big of a character in the first movie.
 
Obviously they're gonna focus on Freeman as he is THE main character
 
He doens't talk and seeing someone act him will break the immersion so much. We're sopposed to be Gordon, so if someone else is playing him, it won't be the same. New character FTW! (Or maye Barney).
 
I dunno, in all fairness only HL comics work, a HL film following Freeman's story wouldn't work at all, mainly because he doesn't talk, you can't have someone in a movie who says nothing all the way through. A first person view wouldn't work either, it'd be like watching someone play the game but with really good graphics....why bother? No it would have to follow someone else's story, someone who actually talks, like Barney, even though I'm not sure whether he actually speaks at all during Blue Shift. the trailer looks cool, but I don't think the actual film will work. Plus they got the look of the Marines wrong, they look more like Combine soldiers without the camo and the helmets look exactly the same as the Combine troop's helmets. Nope ain't gonna work with Freeman. Sorry
 
Mesz said:
I dunno, in all fairness only HL comics work, a HL film following Freeman's story wouldn't work at all, mainly because he doesn't talk, you can't have someone in a movie who says nothing all the way through. A first person view wouldn't work either, it'd be like watching someone play the game but with really good graphics....why bother? No it would have to follow someone else's story, someone who actually talks, like Barney, even though I'm not sure whether he actually speaks at all during Blue Shift. the trailer looks cool, but I don't think the actual film will work. Plus they got the look of the Marines wrong, they look more like Combine soldiers without the camo and the helmets look exactly the same as the Combine troop's helmets. Nope ain't gonna work with Freeman. Sorry
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In your opinion yeah. In my opinion, if its done right, it would be one of the greatest action/science-fiction films ever. Freeman does talk, its just that in game he doesn't as to create the illusion that we are him and basically everything that we say or think applies. So basically, when he plays in the film, he will speak of what the director will have him say, and that will all be cool as long as one of the big shots down at Valve write Freeman's script, IMO.
 
Atomic_Piggy said:
He doens't talk and seeing someone act him will break the immersion so much. We're sopposed to be Gordon, so if someone else is playing him, it won't be the same. New character FTW! (Or maye Barney).
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How would it break the immersion? As long as he doesn't talk much, there's no reason for it to ruin anything- As long as he looks like the art that we have accepted is what gordon looks like. Besides, that's like saying that playing deathmatch with someone ruins the immersion, because you can see someone else playing, or even watching the speedrun videos- walking around on thin air sort of ruins the immersion more for me than seeing an actor dressed up and looking exactly like gordon freeman. Besides, the movie sets and what they show is gonna be totally different from the game anyway- you think they'e gonna show him doing Xen jumping puzzles? It wouldn't bel ike watching someone play the game.
 
Actually I now recall there being films where the main character does not talk and the film does really well. Looks at Edward Scissor Hands with Johnny Depp, he didn't speak at all in that and it was that out of a few others also that people started to notice his awsome acting talent.
 
It would do good I guess but nobody famous is to be mentioned at all during the film, no famous actors/directors..............nuttin'
 
you know... I don't accept the theory that valve wants me to feel like gordon.

#1 My name is not gordon.
#2 i'm not a theoratical physisist... hell, i don't even think I spelled that right...
#3 I have never seen a real life headcrab, or anything of the sort.
#4 I wouldn't make a good gordon, id run away from the combine, and hide behind boxes and shit ^^

those good enough?

I think that the story will work if he says simple things, and is kindof a smartass, because the scientists ask very obvious questions, probly thinking that they are the only ones that understand, because they are apparently so smart.

I do hope a hl movie is made, bcause it will budget future hl games if it hits big, and there are a TON more movie watchers than gamers. (just the older generations) I think the movie will kick ass if they stick to the original story, and if they make the guy stratigic, the FPS view would work fine. RAWR!
 
It's interesting to see how long this thread as been going on.
I think it's a great idea to make a movie that is at least based on the HL2 setting. And seeing as how each of us has the tools already available to actually make the movie(!), it makes perfect sense. Granted, we don't have a Gordon model to work with, but I agree with a great many on here that we should create a pretty unique story that fits into the HL2 environment, rather then recreating the actual game.
To heck with hollywood! We have the demoui and export movie options.. we have characters who can lip-synch whatever we want! We have sets(althought would probably need to make several). We have action potential out the ying yang!
Of course having said all that it still comes down to the story. I'm an aspiring script-writer who also loves games and is familiar with the built in tools and hammer. I'm going to seriously think about a storyline and the workflow pipeline.
Perhaps in the future I will ask for help.
Maybe a trailer is the first step to approach valve with.. But why not make something using the tools already available?
:bounce:
 
Yep.. the one problem they will ALL face.. even the Valve writer guy.. -forget name- Is screwing it up. If they screw it up, it will bomb the entire series and valve will get bashed bigtime.
 
I certainly wouldn't want it to suck, but i'm not sure that a movie featuring a particular rebel dealing with oppression/privacy issues and suffering(current events?), would really threaten the game itself.
Animatrix is an example of unique stories that were based on the Matrix concept, but unique in their own right.
And if it is done with the game tools it would not require investment on Valve's part. Maybe it will only make it to youtube, but i'm gonna try to make something using film techniques and voice acting.(i'm caretaking for a couple who are former actors who would be happy to read some lines..)
I keep seeing the g-man giving newscasts on the tele about world/city events.. not sure if that's feasible.. anyway, there are SO MANY possibilities that use the tools/models available but are completely divergent of the game itself.:frog:
 
You wouldn't be able to make films just based on the Half-Life series without first releasing the Half-Life stories as films, people wont have a clue what is going on.
 
Sorta like I had no clue what you said in your post... you said they couldn't make movies unless they made movies. Did you mean books? Because that's not true, they're certainly able to tell the story of half-life in a movie. Did you mean a prequel movie? Also wrong, for the same reason. If it was really necessary, they could have a sort of intro movie while the credits rolled- almost like it was in the game. Sort of fade in and out in the corner, while the story is going on, or somethign to set the mood, such as the train ride.
 
No i meant, you need to first have movies showing the storyline that we play in the games, before you can go off and make movies related to the half-life story, if you catch my drift, which you probably dont lol
 
Uh, not really... do you mean like, movies made from the actual games? Like fraps or whatever? because we don't need those either- they have been summarized, and even gone into detail so many times, and even scripted and perhaps even novelized, it'd be easier and smarter to just use those.
 
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