[News] Ultramarines The Movie

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first image metrics test!

Bob Thompson talks us through:

I’ve recently been to see Image Metrics to find out how the first tests have gone. They will transfer our actors' performances onto CGI heads which will then be placed inside power armour - as you will have seen in the Image Metrics show reel, the process is a bit like mo-cap but uses no markers. There’s a lot of facial animation in the movie, so getting tests like this right now is good news. I can’t wait to see a finished rendered Space Marine head! Hope to share more of this with you sometime soon.


Check it out here!

[calicojack]

wouldnt it be great if they had some kind of merchandice for this movie, like toys or a game or.....wait a minute.

No, but in all seriousness it looks awesome so far

[draconis]

Feb 14, 2010 0:00:54 GMT 9.5 calicojack said:

wouldnt it be great if they had some kind of merchandice for this movie, like toys or a game or.....wait a minute.

No, but in all seriousness it looks awesome so far

Ah Meg... Allways with the irony ;D

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VOX CASTING!!!
ie some voice actors revealed...

ultramarinesthemovie.com/cast



From the website:

Voice Actors For ULTRAMARINES Movie Announced!

We’re very pleased to announce that Terence Stamp, Sean Pertwee and John Hurt head the cast of actors lending their voices – and their facial expressions - to the Ultramarines movie.

Other key parts are to be played by Steven Waddington, Donald Sumpter and Johnny Harris, with Ben Bishop, Christopher Finney and Gary Martin appearing in supporting roles.

The three lead actors shared their thoughts on working on Ultramarines...

Multi award-winning and Oscar-nominated Terence Stamp confesses that a boyhood love of the science fiction classics attracted him to his role. “Warhammer 40,000 is an incredibly strange world, yet one with rules,” he says. “I felt very comfortable with Ultramarines - in fact, it’s really the culmination of a lot of things I’ve been in.” Stamp’s previous credits include Superman, Superman II, Valkyrie and the Halo 3 video game.

Sean Pertwee, acclaimed for his role in the action horror movie Dog Soldiers, says, “Before Ultramarines, I had no idea about the depth of Warhammer 40,000. I used to be into graphic art, so I find the concepts and architecture and character designs quite extraordinary. This film really is being made for the fans.” Pertwee’s other credits include Event Horizon, Mutant Chronicles and Equilibrium, as well as the video games Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior and Killzone 2.

John Hurt, winner of countless international awards and Oscar-nominated for his performances in The Elephant Man and Midnight Express, has a special feature role in Ultramarines. He says, “I know quite a lot about Warhammer 40,000 because my elder son was into it. I used to take him down to the store in London’s Oxford Street so he could see it in action. It’s a very different world which really teases the imagination.” Hurt’s numerous other film roles include Alien, Hellboy and Hellboy II and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Vanessa Chapman, managing director of the production company, Codex Pictures, is delighted to have attracted such a prestigious cast to Ultramarines. “Our goal has been to give the characters distinctive and authoritative voices, fitting to these superhuman men of war,” she says. “Coupled with the authentic and engaging facial capture provided by Image Metrics, these outstanding actors are going to do so much to bring the Warhammer 40,000 universe powerfully to life on screen.”


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There are some quite well known names in there!

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There has been a whole bunch of new updates over the past week or so:

Some actual concept art for the marines themselves. This art is very nice if a little odd due to some of the scewed proportions. These are done on purpose to exaggerate some of the finer details.

Grey scale 3d work has been posted. This gives a good look at the early 3d models

Dan Abnett bloggs about his time watching a recording session at Abbey Road Studios, his meeting of a few of the voice actors and how to not look like an 'Asshat fanboy'.

And finally a video interviewing the voice actors about their experience with the facial capture technology, recording the movie etc.


All up some very interesting stuff.

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Some textured 3d models have hit the gallery section of the website. This stuff is looking good even though what they are showing is only low res!

ultramarinesthemovie.com/gallery/weapons

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Greyscale Landspeeder, Heavy Bolter and Thunderhawk now up for viewing!

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Here is the link!!!

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Teaser Trailer should be out in the next few hours!

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The teaser has been released and it only gives you the tiniest of glimpses... I mean tiny.

We recieve some narration about the 41st millenium and it's constant war. We see a lone Marine standing there while it closes in on his face to reveal some nice details, textures and animation. The website states this is Captain Severus of the 2nd Company Ultramarines on the planet Mithron. Following this some slamming sound effects with the main stars names accompanying them. We are hit with the movies title then the text 'a warhammer 40,000 movie' next the date '2010' is revealed followed by the website address.

Was cool for what it was and has definitely set a grim mood. Unfortunately it gives no real indication of story, plot or even an expected rating.

My opinion is that the look is satisfactory and it will now come down to the story and ofcourse the age rating of the film. If the rating is set too low (PG/G) then we are not going to recieve the violence the background warrants/demands.

I am eagerly looking forward to this and now that this piece of animation is out there we can now expect more details in fairly quick succession.

[ash]

This maybe nothing but I spotted this in one part of the teaser:



A clue on potential enemy or just some graphical stylings?
There is probably loads of stuff like this but you never know...

[draconis]

Awww...I thought it was Jon Pertwee

Doctor Who playing a Librarian would be cool ;D

[TJ]

Could be good but there yucky Ultramarines.

[majordodo]

If they are using tyranids (I think thats what the artwork was) it would make sense, they can get away with doing alot more to aliens without affecting the film's maturity rating.

[draconis]

And they don't need to pay as many voice actors (dodgy buggers )

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I can not believe how much raging there is over the internet about this. Most of the rage is not directed at the visual style itself (the model or textures) but the complete lack of animation.

There is heaps of animation in there but its subtle. As the camera slowly moves through the fog we can see the shoulders lift and fall as the marine takes breaths this also causes the helmet under his arm to slightly shift along with the rest of the appendage, his eyes slowly scan the field.. the even saccade!

The mouth makes little movements and there is movement in the purity seal.

People should look closer and not expect battle animations too early.

I dare say we can expect another trailer or technology feature soon enough.

[majordodo]

For those of you who aren't suscribed to the updates:

ultramarinesthemovie.com/trailer/?utm_source=Ultramarines%3A+The+Movie&utm_campaign=ea31fa41e7-Email_10&utm_medium=email

New trailer up ^_^

[ash]

Yay!
The trailer is open public now though this is the first time I have seen more than stills from it. It looks epic.

[majordodo]

Yeah, the animation doesn't look as good as I'd hoped from what I saw in the trailer.

[ash]

Just as long as you know that the animation in that trailer is not completely showing the final film quality. Treat it like a game demo in that it does not fully reflect the quality of the final product.