Can you explain what that Halo short movie was about? Was it real time?

It was live action. What you saw was a short film that’s not related to any movie. Neill Blomkamp is the director, with Peter Jackson as executive producer, and he wanted to work on the Halo movie. The Halo movie is not in production. The studios that were involved, for whatever reason decided to back out of it, but we’re still very interested in talking to people in Hollywood about it.

In the meantime, we’re going to use these film shorts to help promote the Halo universe and get the world super excited and crazy for Halo 3. Neill did an amazing job on that short film. I’m a huge fan of the Halo universe, and watching that short film sent goosebumps all over. That’s Halo coming to life in a way that I think I lot of people can really get into it, even if they’re not videogame players. We think Halo can be one of those epic stories like Star Wars. We still have work to do, there’s no question about that, but we believe that Halo has the potential.

Source: GamePro

From the official press release,“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.“This is our first official look at the creative brilliance that comes about when you combine the innovative thinking of Neill Blomkamp and the artistic talent of WETA. Just imagine throwing Peter Jackson into the mix. The Halo movie, if it ever gets going again, will be something truly special.

A vision of The Halo Movie…

Download Large HD versions

And, if you some how missed it, the newest Halo 3 trailer:

The Halo motion picture will be helmed by Neill Blomkamp, making his feature film debut. Blomkamp is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and original artists currently working in short films and commercial advertising. — Xbox.com

So who is this Neill Blomkamp I hear you say. Well his IMDB profile doesn’t reveal too much (IMDB). But given some further inspection we can find some truly stunning pieces that he is responsible for:

A native of South Africa, Blomkamp directed the acclaimed 2005 short film, Alive in Joburg, that depicted a future in which extraterrestrials have become refugees. Last year, Blomkamp also received three Clio Awards and a Visual Effects Society Award for his television commercial Citroen-Alive with Technology. See videos below

It is plain to see this man has an eye for originality and has almost perfect execution. Now all he needs do is transfer his talents to the world of motion pictures. My only concerns are his inexperience in coaxing and enthusing the best out of actors and a possible lack of leadership skills that a make a good director legendary. Though I am sure he will do just fine and with Peter Jackson and Weta behind him I can think of no one better to guide him through this transition. If his early work is anything to go by the Halo movie WILL be perfect. Let’s all cross our fingers; another great step has been taken.

His personal biography can be found here:
http://www.spyentertainment.com/director_03.html
A new breed of director, Neill Blomkamp has harnessed the powers of technology, art and creativity to bring the world imagery never before possible. Garnering his exceptional CG skills in an intelligent and specific manner, his forte is creating pure photo-real visualizations of concepts that not only can’t be photographed, but exists only in his imagination.

Recognizing that filmmaking is as organic as it is artificial; Neill has merged the two seamlessly, making a hybrid which feels unexpectedly authentic. He enjoys creating atmosphere in a spot where the concept is not only unique, but slightly bizarre.

From our forums:
I think choosing a director like Blomkamp is an excellent decision which has given this film the best possible chance of being the first truly worthwhile video game adaptation. After watching those shorts I’m very impressed with his naturalistic directing style, the way everything seems to give off the appearance on of an almost documentary-like rawness. This roughness and mixture of the real and the fantastical I think is necessary to keep the Halo movie’s story from turning into a bloated Star Wars-esque space opera, much like Halo 2’s did. What made the original Halo’s world so fascinating to explore was the juxtaposition of the familiar within an alien environment, the way that the Halo both felt similar to Earth and at the same time completely foreign, and I’m hoping Neill can recapture this atmosphere. With him on board I’m now genuinely looking forward to watching how this film develops. — Legion

Alive in Joburg

An earlier piece of work that has made its way around the internet is this little gem:
Tetra Vaal

And for those wondering what the Citroen ad looks like, it’s the one that makes us wish Transformers will be this good. We can only hope.

Citroen ad part 2:

Here is another short by him entitled “Yellow”.

Edit: Bobby also sends me this link to another of his movies, “Tempbot”:
http://www.transbuddha.com/mediaHolder.php?id=1301

EDIT: More Adverts for you:

Nike:

Gatorade:

Music Videos

Live on Release “Let’s Go” (according to IMDB, this song is shit)

Bif Naked “Tango Shoes” (this is like a poor tank girl rip off in a song about Tango Shoes)