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Holy LEGO Blocks, Batman!

Posted by timothy on from the in-your-copious-free-time dept.

Decaffeinated Jedi writes "Students at the Digital Animation and Visual Effects (DAVE) School are working on a film that will bring everyone's favorite caped crusader to life through the magic of computer-generated LEGO blocks. 'Batman: New Times' features Adam West as the voice of Batman, Mark Hammil as the Joker, Dick Van Dyke as Commissioner Gordon, and Courtney Thorne-Smith as Catwoman. A rather impressive trailer is available now."

49 of 272 comments (clear)

  1. was by Dr_Banzai · · Score: 5, Funny

    correction: the trailer WAS available.

  2. Direct link to movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative


    ftp://ftp.newtek.com/multimedia/movies/Batman_Net. mov

    1. Re:Direct link to movie by TorKlingberg · · Score: 2, Informative

      I can now get the video by doing

      mplayer -vc qtsvq3 -nosound Batman_Net.mov

      No sound yet though.

  3. Legos? by TomHandy · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's odd, they keep mentioning LEGOs, but these are using the C3 Construction Blocks (they even have a banner link to them). I know "LEGO" as a term has probably gone the way of kleenex and xerox as brand names that are now used to refer to just about anything that is at all like them, but it seems like since they are actually utilizing a specific company's products and model kits here, they would not refer to them as LEGOs.

    1. Re:Legos? by Renaissance+2K · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, if you heard the movie was made with C3 Construction Blocks, would you be as intrigued as if you heard LEGOS? Honestly, to the average joe, C3 Construction Blocks could be little slaps of pressure treated wood that they use in designing models. As usual, it's all marketing.

    2. Re:Legos? by truedfx · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, if you heard the movie was made with C3 Construction Blocks, would you be as intrigued as if you heard LEGOS?

      No. Can you now guess why it'd be nice to know about that in advance?

    3. Re:Legos? by Jay+Maynard · · Score: 2, Informative

      The only difference between the C3 blocks they used and LEGOs is that the former don't have the "LEGO" embossed on the tops of the bumps. They're compatible, and you could build everything in the movie from LEGOs (aside from the characters themselves, which are custom made on the generic LEGO character body).

      --
      Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
    4. Re:Legos? by slim · · Score: 4, Informative
      "Lego" or "Lego Bricks": Not "Legos".
      See the rec.toys.lego FAQ:


      Dear Parents and Children
      The word LEGO(R) is a brand name and is very special to all of us in the LEGO Group Companies. We would sincerely like your help in keeping it special. Please always refer to our bricks as 'LEGO Bricks or Toys' and not 'LEGOS.' By doing so, you will be helping to protect and preserve a brand of which we are very proud and that stands for quality the world over. Thank you!

      Susan Williams
      Consumer Services (Susan's name is a pseudonym for the service dptmt.)



    5. Re:Legos? by SKorvus · · Score: 2, Interesting
      From the About the Film page:
      Earlier this year we were inspired by Spite Your Face's brilliant stop-motion LEGO epic Spiderman: The Legend of Doc, The art direction of Batman: New Times is also based on a popular toy line. Keeping with the "TOY" theme The DAVE School Students have built a vibrant 3D world out of computer generated Lego blocks. Every set, every prop and every character has been precisely modeled according to strict scale specifications. Almost every location, vehicle and character has been, or could be, built out of Legos. To research this project and aid in set design The DAVE School purchased over 100 pounds of Lego Blocks from dealers on E-Bay!
      --
      Live simply, that others may simply live. -Gandhi
    6. Re:Legos? by Anm · · Score: 3, Informative

      Pictures prove the grandparent's argument:
      http://www.toymania.com/toyshows/tf2004/full/tf04p layalong34.shtml
      http://www.toymania.com/toyshows/tf2004/playalong4 .shtml

      This had nothing to do with legos proper.

    7. Re:Legos? by BobTheJanitor · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, C3 blocks (made by PlayAlong) and the Minimates are quite different from their Lego counterparts. I know this because I just wasted money on the C3 Batcave (incorporated into the animated movie), hoping they would integrate easily with my other stuff. They don't at all. The plastic feels much cheaper, and the pieces, while harder to connect to each other, tend to pop apart when even slightly disturbed. Building the set was largely an exercise in frustration, and I'm hesitant to move it much as it has a tendency to spontaneously fall apart.

      The Minimate figs aren't 'custom made on the generic LEGO character body' at all. They're almost twice as tall and aren't interchangeable at all with Lego minifigs. They're interesting as they have a lot of points of articulation, but they're far more delicate, and are made of soft rubber.

      Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like this set. I've enjoyed Lego sets for years, and have long hoped for a Batman franchise. They even used Bruce Timm's Animated Series stylings for the minifigs. In the end, though, poor construction, misleading packaging, and almost indecipherable instructions all demonstrate that there's a gulf between Lego and the vastly inferior C3/Playalong.

    8. Re:Legos? by stanmann · · Score: 2, Informative

      And of course, in point of fact, and I've tried the minimate, the megablok, and several other "knock off/compatible" and none match the strength and flexibility of Lego.

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
  4. This is a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Joke-r, right? It's a riddle-r to me why anyone who do this. Maybe it's just to demonstrate the penguin power of Linux.

    1. Re:This is a by neil313 · · Score: 3, Informative

      his name is Jeff Albertson
      a quick search for 'Jeff Albertson' shows:
      Jeff Albertson
      "my name is Jeff Albertson, but everyone calls me Comic Book Guy"

  5. Trailer Down Already? by joel8x · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can get the page to load, but the movie itself times out. Man that was quick. How many posts of "Make sure there is a mirror before putting a story on the front page" will it take before the editors get it?

    --
    Sound waves should be free!
    1. Re:Trailer Down Already? by X43B · · Score: 3, Informative

      How many times will people have to post the FAQ before people stop asking that question?

    2. Re:Trailer Down Already? by joel8x · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Fine and dandy, but WTF is the point of posting a story that is soley based around a media file that no one can see before even a single comment is posted? It seems like an interesting concept and its too bad no slashdot readers can see it today.

      If this happens as often as it does and and enough people complain about it, than maybe the process will change, regardless of what the FAQ states.

      --
      Sound waves should be free!
  6. White Stripes by Savatte · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Check out the Fell In Love With A Girl video by The White Stripes. Pretty much the same idea, but guaranteed to have better music than this Batman project.

    1. Re:White Stripes by TomHandy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I remember seeing something on the "making of" that White Stripes video (actually, I think it might have been that VH1 "Pop-Up Videos" thing), and they pointed out that there were a couple of sequences in that video that were actually done with some type of animation other than stop-motion with real legos.

    2. Re:White Stripes by glimmy · · Score: 3, Funny

      Or see the http://www.rathergood.com/punk_kittens/ version with cats

  7. Forget the trailer by FatBobSmith · · Score: 5, Informative

    The movie is already done and it's quite good.

    http://www.daveschool.com/BATMAN/index.html

    1. Re:Forget the trailer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Hamill did the voice of the Joker in the animated series, that's why he was casted.

      As for Adam West, well, you can't have Batman unless you have Adam West. That's just the rule.

    2. Re:Forget the trailer by alanjstr · · Score: 2, Informative

      The "Play Movie" link just goes to the trailer

  8. Computer generated lego blocks?! by Zangief · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why not some old REAL lego blocks?

  9. MIRROR by ghoda_x · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.daveschool.com.nyud.net:8090/projects/B ATMAN/assets/pages/DS_BATMANTRAILER.html

    --

    Give me but one firm spot on which to stand, and I will move the earth.
    - Archimedes
    1. Re:MIRROR by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 2, Informative

      n/m I was able to download the file and put up a torrent myself.

  10. Pow! Blam! Thwock! by Deep+Fried+Geekboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Holy slashdot effect, Batman!

    Blam!

    --

    I'm not wrong. You haven't thought about it hard enough.

  11. Re:Wikipedia and Legos by yotto · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's also one one Karma Whoring if anybody's curious to learn more.

    --
    Pulp Audio Weekly - Geek News and Reviews
  12. Proofread please! by hellfire · · Score: 4, Informative

    I personally hate when someone misspells my own name, especially when my name is right in front of their friggin nose. I also hate when slashdot doesn't even proofread their own articles, when the correct spelling of other people's names is right in front of them.

    Mark Hamill people...Hamill!! It's right there on the front page of the link! Lazy lazy lazy... sheesh.

    --

    "All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"

    1. Re:Proofread please! by Bill+Hayden · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, now we know conclusively that hellfire is Mark Hamill. Some people can't help but blow their own cover...

      --
      Protect your browser with the Force Safe Search add-on
  13. Lego? Batman? by flumps · · Score: 2, Funny

    Joker: hahahah.. now we can see the face behind the mask of Batman!! ...

    Robin: Holy bump on the head, Batman!

    --
    "So there he is, risen from the dead. Like that fella, E. T." - Father Ted Crilly
  14. Computer generated? by sdo1 · · Score: 4, Funny
    through the magic of computer-generated LEGO blocks

    Computer-generated?!?!? Hang on a second. That's CHEATING!

    You're supposed to BUILD something (physical) with Lego's. Take a picture of it. REBUILD slightly. Repeat. String together pictures into movie.

    Computer-generated LEGO's are for wusses!

    -S

    --
    --- What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
  15. Doesn't say. How much? by FreeLinux · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How much did it cost to produce this "little" student project?

    3D computer graphics animation.
    Professional sound and scoring.
    Real life movie stars for voices.

    All this stuff costs Disney millions of dollars for a 90 minute movie. How much did it cost for this little project?

    1. Re:Doesn't say. How much? by Jay+Maynard · · Score: 3, Informative

      The stars were recruited for the project, and the voices were all done specifically for it. Mark Hamill was, as I understand it, quite pleased to finally do the Joker opposite Adam West. I'm told the actors all had a good time. Adam West certainly left his usual toothmarks all over the (virtual) scenery...

      --
      Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
    2. Re:Doesn't say. How much? by STrinity · · Score: 3, Funny

      uh, I kind of assume that they just ripped soundbites from the stars and put them in the movie.

      WTFV. Unless Van Dyke's been in a movie where he references Batman and Joker in the same sentence, it's original voice work.

      --
      Les Miserables Volume 1 now up with my reading of
    3. Re:Doesn't say. How much? by Jay+Maynard · · Score: 3, Informative

      You weren't paying attention, were you? The scoring is original (done by Sound-o-Rama specifically for this project), the voice acting is original for this project, and the scripting is original for this project.

      The school worked with the designers of the LEGO-style blocks (I was told they were LEGO-compatible, but I'll take a previous poster's word that they're not), and it wouldn't surprise me at all to hear that WB decided they liked it and decided to leave them alone.

      Your paranoid ravings are just that.

      --
      Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
    4. Re:Doesn't say. How much? by Reziac · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Also, having worked in the arse end of the film/TV industry, I'd estimate that 80-90% of the average budget is sheer waste.

      Witness: I worked on one show where everything came out of the producer's own pocket, rather than being financed by a studio, hence he wouldn't stand for any waste. That show cost $80k per episode -- when similar studio-backed productions were costing around $500k per episode (and SF was around $1M/ep.)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  16. Forget Lego... by ShawnDoc · · Score: 5, Funny

    Forget Lego's, I want to see a Batman movie made using nothing but Eggo's! Delicious.

  17. Not a mirror, but here are some "stills shots" by Nova+Express · · Score: 3, Informative
    Still shots from the film can be found here. Although, are they really "still shots" if they're not technically shots...

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/

  18. BitTorrent link by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://degreez.net/Batman_Net.mov.torrent

  19. Re:West? Hammil? Van Dyke? by Jay+Maynard · · Score: 3, Informative

    William "Proton" Vaughn is, in addition to an instructor at the DAVE School, the official Lightwave Evangelist for Newtek. As such, he's been to Dick Van Dyke's house to teach him the finer points of using Lightwave, and became friends with him. He asked Van Dyke if he'd be interested in doing the project, and got an enthusiastic "yes!". After that, they just asked the other actors if they'd be interested, and they all signed on.

    --
    Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
  20. More Legomation by cdmafoa · · Score: 2, Informative

    Legomation has a long and storied history. Check out some old school work at WDLN.tv.

  21. Legos! Legos! Legos! by fm6 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When you work for a company, you have to insist that all your trademarks are adjectives, because there's a lot of silly case law that penalizes you if you don't. But the rest of us are free to use language that actually makes sense. Sure, you'll get letters reminding you that you're "misusing" the trademark. But that's just "due diligence" -- not even the person who wrote the letter takes it serious.

    1. Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! by slim · · Score: 2, Informative

      (Is a Lego brick "a lego"
      What else would it be?

      "A Lego brick": but at least you've clarified to me the usage that Americans have somehow adopted (I wonder how it happened).

      If it helps you understand, calling a Lego brick "a Lego" is, to a European, kind of like calling a grain of sugar "a sugar".

    2. Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! by KaptajnKold · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Originally, Lego = Lek Godt. That's Norwegian, directly translated "Play Well".

      Actually LEGO is a danish acronym for "Leg godt". Which means the same thing. It's bad enough that the norwegian usurpers have stolen our North Sea oil. But they won't get away with stealing our beloved LEGO! As a dane a can only take so much from a former colony of ours.

  22. Re:Not playable under Linux? by serverleader · · Score: 2, Informative

    I recommend you to install mplayerplug-in for mozilla or firefox ... works great... http://mplayerplug-in.sourceforge.net/

    --
    - - - - - . .. . - Get Counted!
  23. trailer? by bbkingadrock · · Score: 2, Informative

    trailer? it is 12 minutes long, including credits. this IS the movie.

    also, the credits do say "based on C3 Batman", for those wondering

  24. Other Good Batman Fan Films by JMPrice · · Score: 3, Informative

    While we're on the subject, let me point out two other excellent fan films.

    The first three minutes of Batman: Dead End capture the grittiness of Batman and Gotham better than any Warner Brothers film. After three minutes it goes nutso, but then it still looks really good.

    Also, check out the "trailer" for Grayson. The guy spent $18,000 of his own money to produce the trailer. Maybe if he can convince the powers that be to finance the project, he could get a whole movie made.

  25. Blocky. by TLSPRWR · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yea, the trailer's pretty good, but man, the graphics are so blocky!