A Lesson in How to do Video Game Movies: DAY 4

Halo The Movie? Maybe....

Director: Neill Blomkamp

This is the clip he directed shortly after he was announced to film it. Then it got canned...then it maybe didn't. It's a mess. But consider that he had no budget for this movie. Then consider all he's ever filmed is commercials. Given the budget and freedom, imagine how cool a Halo movie could be.

Actor: Doesn't matter. The Master Chief is in costume all the time... just get some stunt guy to do it.

Voice Overs: Since most of the big players are CGI or have helmets on just use the voices from the Game it's self.

Battle Sequences: Do the battle sequences like the video above. They look good and are relatively unique. Something new.

Shooting Location: Well Lord of the Rings set a precedent by filming in New Zealand. It has all the elements similar to the games locations. It would work perfectly.

If I find time in my busy schedule tomorrow I hope to do this for Gears of War, but it may be doubtful. Check back for Day 5 sometime this weekend....

A Lesson in How to do Video Game Movies: DAY 3

Make the movie FEEL like a movie. You (yes you in the Hollywood executive desk) are not being witty and clever by making it "feel like a First Person Shooter". Not cool. Just make it feel epic, larger than life, even if it is a small story. That's the feeling you get from Video Games, and that's the feeling you should get from their movie counterparts.

Cast B-list actors. Not Well known top-of-their-game actors, but guys you recognize. Wahlberg as Max Payne was a good choice. If you bring the big dogs in then the movie will get too commercial.

Tomorrow....I make Halo the movie, Casting, what to cut, almost everything...depending on how lazy I feel.

A Lesson in How to do Video Game Movies: DAY 2

How to make a BAD video game movie or how to prevent doing a good one!

• Uwe Boll Can Not Be Attached - C'mon. The man ruins movies. Postal? Far Cry? BloodRayne? House of the Dead? 'Nuff Said.
• Don't Change the already good story from the game - Don't make your own thing. Use what already works. It has potential until Hollywood tampers with it. OR....
• Let Video Game Writers make the story lines if you plan on tampering with it - They know the story better than any other writer. Just let them write it and everyone's happy.
• Make something other than Survival-Horror games - We've already established that those movies don't work (Doom, Alone in the Dark) so why beat a dead horse. Try something more interesting and visually effective like Halo, Gears of War, Fallout, or Metroid Prime.
• Don't make a Guitar Hero or Rock Band movie - Brett Ratner I'm looking at you. It would be like making Almost Famous meets Spinal Tap under the Guitar Hero name.

A Lesson in How to do Video Game Movies: DAY 1

Everyone hated Max Payne critically and fans of the series weren't to impressed either. Regardless the search for a good video game movie starts with day one of my 5 day trek through Video Game Films. I Start with some IP's that need a film counterpart. My picks were all successful games that have a good following...that equals money people.

BioShock - This is one of the greatest games ever. It lends it's self perfectly to a movie. It's a story driven game that focuses around one man whose plane crashes in the ocean and finds the world of Rapture. The game is set in the 60's in an underwater city (Rapture) and has been overrun with Splicers and Big Daddies (pictured left). The game is deep and in the "Are Video Games Art?" argument, I would use this as a reference.

Halo - Not Halo 1, then Halo 2, then Halo 3. The story could be told in one if done right. Recently online there have been shorts by rumored director Neill Blomkamp . They look good. They sound like Halo and they look like Halo. Bring it on Neill, Bring it on.

Grand Theft Auto - Pick your story, Vice City, IV, San Andres, I don't care. If done like a decent Martian Scorsese flick these could be amazing. The stories are amazing and full of popular already circulating story lines. Drug Wars and Car Chases are among a few to note. Also consider letting the people who wrote the VIDEO GAME write the movie with an ORIGINAL CONCEPT.

These are my top 3, but it's equally important to recognize what NOT to do in a game movie. Check that out tomorrow.