Holy LEGO Blocks, Batman! 272

Posted by timothy on Sunday March 13, 2005 @02:59PM 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."

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Holy LEGO Blocks, Batman!

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was (Score:5, Funny)

by Dr_Banzai ( 111657 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:01PM (#11927084) Homepage

correction: the trailer WAS available.

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- BitTorrent link (Score:5, Informative)
  
  by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:38PM (#11927301) Homepage
  
  http://degreez.net/Batman_Net.mov.torrent [degreez.net]
  
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  - Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)
    
    by yack0 ( 2832 ) writes:
    
    Am I getting "problem getting response info... " errors because there are not enough seeds? (not knowing much about torrent)
    - Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)
      
      by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
      
      What exact error are you getting? The torrent seems to be rolling along just fine...
      - Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)
        
        by v1 ( 525388 ) writes:
        
        I already downloaded the mov and am trying to seed the torrent, but I'm gettinng "problem connecting to tracker - timeout exceeded".
        
        We slashdotted the bittorrent tracker. whoops!
      - Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)
        
        by yack0 ( 2832 ) writes:
        
        problem getting response info - <urlopen error (60, 'Operation timed out')>, (at Sun Mar 13 '05 @ 03:07:45 PM)
        
        Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)
        
        by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
        
        You're not seeing the whole error line then. Let it run, it should connect.
        
        Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)
        
        by v1 ( 525388 ) writes:
        
        BitTorrent app retries every 5 minutes, and continues to timeout. (four in a row so far)
        
        Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)
        
        by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
        
        Just curious, try this torrent [degreez.net] instead...
Direct link to movie (Score:5, Informative)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:02PM (#11927087)

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

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- - Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)
    
    by h4rm0ny ( 722443 ) writes:
    
    Well, I'm still downloading it (75MB) but it's a .mov file, i.e. Quicktime so you should be able to play it if you have the right codec. You can use either Xine [xinehq.de] or Mplayer [mplayerhq.hu] and probably others. Once installed, download the codec for Quicktime (the standard package available from the Mplayer site includes this) and then once in the appropriate directory, you should be ready to go.
    - Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)
      
      by h4rm0ny ( 722443 ) writes:
      
      Well, I was wrong. I've now downloaded it and it wont play at all! Xine just gives me a long string of decoding errors. I've always been able to play other .mov files.
      
      Is anyone aware of any new formats being used or can confirm whether this has worked on their system (and using what). I downloaded the 75MB file from the direct link that was posted earlier.
      - Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)
        
        by uhlume ( 597871 ) writes:
        
        Well, your first mistake was thinking Quicktime was a codec: it's a container format, like AVI. Presumably whatever codec they've used to encode the video and/or audio streams isn't supported under your Linux build of Quicktime.
        
        Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)
        
        by h4rm0ny ( 722443 ) writes:
        
        Okay - I know that Quicktime is a container format. What I was saying is that I have all the codecs I've ever needed before, whatever is in it. So I'm hoping that someone out there can tell me what new (to me) format this one contains so I can get a codec and play this.
        If you can play this, are you able to tell me specifically what you are using? It might help.
        
        Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2, Informative)
        
        by TorKlingberg ( 599697 ) writes:
        
        I can now get the video by doing
        
        mplayer -vc qtsvq3 -nosound Batman_Net.mov
        
        No sound yet though.
Legos? (Score:5, Informative)

by TomHandy ( 578620 ) writes: <<moc.liamg> <ta> <ydnahmot>> on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:03PM (#11927095)

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.

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- Re:Legos? (Score:2, Insightful)
  
  by Renaissance 2K ( 773059 ) writes:
  
  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.
  - Re:Legos? (Score:2, Insightful)
    
    by truedfx ( 802492 ) writes:
    
    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?
    - Re:Legos? (Score:3, Informative)
      
      by Jay Maynard ( 54798 ) writes:
      
      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).
      - Re:Legos? (Score:4, Interesting)
        
        by BobTheJanitor ( 114890 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @06:53PM (#11928485) Homepage
        
        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 [wikipedia.org] 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.
        
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  - Re:Legos? (Score:2)
    
    by TomHandy ( 578620 ) writes:
    
    Fair enough. I am probably looking at this more from the perspective of the company that makes LEGO blocks, but also the people that make the C3 Construction Blocks. I guess the C3 folks are used to people referring to their products as legos or whatever, but even so.
    I wasn't so sure if marketing had much to do with it or not. As near as I can tell from reading the "about the film" thing, it didn't seem like they had any special arrangement with the people that make those Batman toys (which was what I
- Re:Legos? (Score:5, Informative)
  
  by slim ( 1652 ) writes: <[ten.puntrah] [ta] [nhoj]> on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:25PM (#11927219) Homepage
  
  "Lego" or "Lego Bricks": Not "Legos".
  See the rec.toys.lego FAQ [multicon.de]:
  
  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.)
  
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  - Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:4, Interesting)
    
    by fm6 ( 162816 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @04:25PM (#11927586) Homepage Journal
    
    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.
    
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    - Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:2)
      
      by thrillseeker ( 518224 ) writes:
      
      ... 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.
      They do if there is money involved.
      - Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:2)
        
        by fm6 ( 162816 ) writes:
        
        Get real. Nobody's more cynical about silly laws than a lawyer.
    - Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:2)
      
      by slim ( 1652 ) writes:
      
      Hey, I don't care what you call it. Whatever you like.
      
      It's just that I had never heard Lego referred to as "Legos" until a Lego story appeared on Slashot (I think it would have been the C compiler for Mindstorms).
      
      I'm still not sure I understand the thinking behind "Legos". Is an individual brick "a Lego"?
      
      It must simply be yet another US/Europe cultural difference.
      
      If I was really hidebound by corporate dictat, then I'd be insisting on "LEGO" (all caps), but that looks like shouting, and I ain't doing it
      - Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:3, Informative)
        
        by slim ( 1652 ) writes:
        
        (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".
      - Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:3, Insightful)
        
        by KaptajnKold ( 575207 ) writes:
        
        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.
  - - Re:Ha (Score:2)
      
      by slim ( 1652 ) writes:
      
      People will start referring to 'Lego Bricks' as soon as 'GNU\Linux' catches on.
      
      Seriously, throughout my childhood (in Britain), "Lego bricks" was the only way I ever heard them referred to.
- Re:Legos? (Score:2, Interesting)
  
  by SKorvus ( 685199 ) writes:
  
  From the About the Film [daveschool.com] 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
  - Re:Legos? (Score:4, Informative)
    
    by Anm ( 18575 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @05:47PM (#11928109)
    
    Pictures prove the grandparent's argument:
    http://www.toymania.com/toyshows/tf2004/full/tf04p layalong34.shtml [toymania.com]
    http://www.toymania.com/toyshows/tf2004/playalong4 .shtml [toymania.com]
    
    This had nothing to do with legos proper.
    
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This is a (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes:

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.
- - Re:This is a (Score:3, Informative)
    
    by neil313 ( 533504 ) writes:
    
    his name is Jeff Albertson
    a quick search for 'Jeff Albertson' shows:
    Jeff Albertson [wikipedia.org]
    "my name is Jeff Albertson, but everyone calls me Comic Book Guy"
Trailer Down Already? (Score:5, Insightful)

by joel8x ( 324102 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:04PM (#11927101) Homepage

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?

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- Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)
  
  by yack0 ( 2832 ) writes:
  
  How many posts of 'how long will it take before they start mirroring/caching when they do this' before people realize that they won't [slashdot.org].
  
  And the associated replies of "try mirrordot.org" before people continue to try mirrordot.
  - Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)
    
    by joel8x ( 324102 ) writes:
    
    Sooooo, why not include a link to mirrordot.org in the front page article? Isn't that all I'm asking? As an editor, they should know the media file would get killed immediately and provide a solution for the casual reader who does not want to read all of the fanatical replies to find the media that was reported on on the front page. Their current policy is flawed and I for one would like to see steps taken to enhance the reader's experience.
    - Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)
      
      by yack0 ( 2832 ) writes:
      
      Were subscribers able to get the file? I don't know, not a subscriber. If they could, that would be an enhancement. :)
    - Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)
      
      by fm6 ( 162816 ) writes:
      
      As an editor, they should know the media file would get killed immediately ...
      
      They don't know that. Believe it or not, there are a lot of servers out there that can handle the Slashdot Effect. Including media servers.
      I'm often critical of the editors myself, but I'm not about to hold them responsible for every inept web monkey they might link to.
  - - Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)
      
      by yack0 ( 2832 ) writes:
      
      Which then leads to the "fuck you, I made a mirror anyway assclown... " :)
- Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:3, Informative)
  
  by X43B ( 577258 ) writes:
  
  How many times will people have to post the FAQ [slashdot.org] before people stop asking that question?
  - Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:3, Insightful)
    
    by joel8x ( 324102 ) writes:
    
    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.
White Stripes (Score:4, Insightful)

by Savatte ( 111615 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:04PM (#11927103) Homepage Journal

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.

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- Re:White Stripes (Score:2)
  
  by Scrameustache ( 459504 ) writes:
  
  Check out the Fell In Love With A Girl video by The White Stripes. Pretty much the same idea
  
  Not really, that video was actual stop motion animated lego blocks, this is just 3D animation given a lego look.
  
  One is an original and amazing way to do stop motion, the other is... I dunno, pointless.
  - Re:White Stripes (Score:3, Interesting)
    
    by TomHandy ( 578620 ) writes:
    
    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.
- Re: (Score:3, Funny)
  
  by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) writes:
  
  Comment removed based on user account deletion
  - OWWW, My freakin' ears! (Score:2)
    
    by Scrameustache ( 459504 ) writes:
    
    Holy shit dude!
    
    Warn us before linking to a flash site that automatically launches loud music! Sheesh!
Forget the trailer (Score:5, Informative)

by FatBobSmith ( 555928 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:05PM (#11927111)

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

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

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- Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2)
  
  by cgenman ( 325138 ) writes:
  
  Direct link [newtek.com] to the trailer, in case it ever comes back up.
- Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2)
  
  by GrAfFiT ( 802657 ) writes:
  
  I double-checked but your link points to the exact same ./ed video as the summary.
- Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2)
  
  by iamlucky13 ( 795185 ) writes:
  
  Holy Mary Tyler Moore, Batman! The movie's got Dick van Dyke doing one of the voices. Plus Mark Hamill! Talk about a must see.
  - Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2, Insightful)
    
    by Anonymous Coward writes:
    
    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.
- Re:Forget the trailer (Score:3, Informative)
  
  by alanjstr ( 131045 ) * writes:
  
  The "Play Movie" link just goes to the trailer
Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:4, Insightful)

by Zangief ( 461457 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:06PM (#11927112) Homepage Journal

Why not some old REAL lego blocks?

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- Re:Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:2)
  
  by Scrameustache ( 459504 ) writes:
  
  Why not some old REAL lego blocks?
  
  Because that would be hard!
- Re:Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:2)
  
  by FreeLinux ( 555387 ) writes:
  
  The purpose of the project was to demonstrate the students newly learned CG animation skills. Real Lego blocks would require stop motion animation rather than CG animation.
  
  Why Legos at all? Why not? Do you have a theme for a mini movie that will demonstrate your 1337 CG skillz?
- Re:Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:2)
  
  by STrinity ( 723872 ) writes:
  
  I don't think real legos would get a passing grade at the Digital Animation and Visual Effects school.
- Ok (Score:2)
  
  by iamlucky13 ( 795185 ) writes:
  
  Contrary to the talk of the naysayers, real lego movies in stop-motion do exist.
  
  Hopefully I got this set up right. Be gentle on my connection.
  
  Lego Star Wars Trailer [nweci.org]
MIRROR (Score:3, Informative)

by ghoda_x ( 808190 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:08PM (#11927122)

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

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- Re:MIRROR (Score:2)
  
  by joel8x ( 324102 ) writes:
  
  That one died faster than you posted it! Anyone have a torrent?
  - Re:MIRROR (Score:2)
    
    by Jay Maynard ( 54798 ) writes:
    
    I've got the movie, and will be happy to help with a torrent if someone wants to tell me how to go about it.
    
    The folks at the DAVE School are really good, and they do great work. They're also nice guys.
    - Re:MIRROR (Score:2)
      
      by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
      
      http://krypt.dyndns.org:81/torrent/maketorrent/v1. html
      Use "http://tracker.degreez.net:8080/announce" as the announce URL. Click "File" and select Batman_Net.mov as the file. Then hit the "create torrent" button. It'll create a torrent file. Post it up on the net, and then run it, and save over a complete copy of the .mov file. It'll give an error 'til I authorize it on my tracker, but I'll do that ASAP, and the software will automatically retry.
      - Re:MIRROR (Score:2)
        
        by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
        
        Well, if you don't mind, please download the torrent I posted (http://degreez.net/Batman_Net.mov.torrent) and help seed; it's going okay, but could be faster.
        
        Re:MIRROR (Score:2)
        
        by Jay Maynard ( 54798 ) writes:
        
        Done. I got connections from 25 peers within 10 seconds of starting it, too...
        
        Re:MIRROR (Score:2)
        
        by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
        
        Welp, it's running quite nicely now. Thanks for helping.
    - Re:MIRROR (Score:3, Informative)
      
      by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
      
      n/m I was able to download the file and put up a torrent [degreez.net] myself.
- Re:MIRROR (Score:2)
  
  by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
  
  That mirror refers to the same ftp download, so it's useless.
Pow! Blam! Thwock! (Score:5, Funny)

by Deep Fried Geekboy ( 807607 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:14PM (#11927152)

Holy slashdot effect, Batman!

Blam!

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- Introducting the new character, The Barrister (Score:2)
  
  by SuperBanana ( 662181 ) writes:
  
  Holy Cease and Desist, Batman(TM)! is more like it. Seriously- I wonder how long it takes until these guys get the pants sued off them...
- Torrent (Score:2)
  
  by cgenman ( 325138 ) writes:
  
  http://degreez.net/Batman_Net.mov.torrent [degreez.net], courtesy of TheSHADOW [slashdot.org].
  
  Please help seed.
Proofread please! (Score:5, Informative)

by hellfire ( 86129 ) writes: <deviladv@gmail.RABBITcom minus herbivore> on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:17PM (#11927175) Homepage

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.

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Lego Star Wars videogame (Score:2)

by slim ( 1652 ) writes:

This brings to mind the inspired idea that is Lego Star Wars: the videogame [legostarwa...eogame.com].

I'm quite excited about it, and I'm not even a Star Wars fan...
- Re:Lego Star Wars videogame (Score:2)
  
  by Coolfish ( 69926 ) writes:
  
  demo available at yahoo!
  http://gamesdomain.yahoo.com/ps2/lego_star _wars/fi les/66054
  
  downloading now, wish they had a torrent...!
Lego? Batman? (Score:2, Funny)

by flumps ( 240328 ) writes:

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

Robin: Holy bump on the head, Batman!
What Effect? (Score:2)

by Metteyya ( 790458 ) writes:

Congratulations, dudes. Posting almost-direct link to the trailer on main /. will surely... oh damn, wait! The site's still up! Are they a part of OSTG too?
- Re:What Effect? (Score:2)
  
  by GQuon ( 643387 ) writes:
  
  The site is still up. However, the trailer itself was on an ex-ftp server. It is no more.
Computer generated? (Score:5, Funny)

by sdo1 ( 213835 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:22PM (#11927204) Journal

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

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Doesn't say. How much? (Score:5, Interesting)

by FreeLinux ( 555387 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:22PM (#11927208)

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?

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- Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:2)
  
  by STrinity ( 723872 ) writes:
  
  I was looking through the site last night, and the tuition is just under $30k for one year, and that covers all supplies and texts. Even figuring in the cost of instuructors and equipment, that leaves a pretty decent chunk of money for production.
  - Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:3, Interesting)
    
    by Reziac ( 43301 ) * writes:
    
    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.)
- - Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:4, Informative)
    
    by Jay Maynard ( 54798 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:47PM (#11927338) Homepage
    
    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...
    
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  - Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:4, Funny)
    
    by STrinity ( 723872 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @04:46PM (#11927720) Homepage
    
    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.
    
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- - Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:4, Informative)
    
    by Jay Maynard ( 54798 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @07:09PM (#11928557) Homepage
    
    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.
    
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Forget Lego... (Score:5, Funny)

by ShawnDoc ( 572959 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:26PM (#11927223) Homepage

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

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Different movie from the same site (Score:2)

by yack0 ( 2832 ) writes:

They had another version of the movie (which I haven't even seen yet) but I grabbed it and it is here [talker.com] now

Could be pr0n for all I know, but was going to post first, then view it. Enjoy
- Re:Different movie from the same site (Score:2)
  
  by yack0 ( 2832 ) writes:
  
  Oh, it wasn't pr0n, but a small version of the movie.
  
  They had two others in the ftp directory.
  
  Here is low2.mov [talker.com]
  and here, socalled old version [talker.com].
  
  Yesterday we were pushing 8Mb/s with the Honda advert, today only 4. Oh well.
Not a mirror, but here are some "stills shots" (Score:4, Informative)

by Nova Express ( 100383 ) writes: <lawrenceperson.gmail@com> on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:38PM (#11927298) Homepage Journal

Still shots from the film can be found here. [spinquad.com] Although, are they really "still shots" if they're not technically shots...

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Dick Van Dyke, actor and Lightwave 3D user (Score:2)

by Kurt Gray ( 935 ) writes:

No joke. Dr. Sloan is a bonified Lightwave 3D user [jimhillmedia.com] and has even self-produced a few effects shots for his show Diagnosis Murder.
Not playable under Linux? (Score:2)

by Florian ( 2471 ) writes:

Has anyone managed to play it under Linux? I had no luck with mplayer, xine, vlc and the newest w32codecs. The best thing I get is the sound and error messages "[svq3 @ 0xb32f36ec]error in B-frame picture id".
- Re:Not playable under Linux? (Score:2)
  
  by h4rm0ny ( 722443 ) writes:
  
  Same problem here but I haven't got as far as sound. Recent codecs, trying in Xine, can play .mov files normally.
  
  I have no solution, but it isn't you. Can anyone confirm they've been able to view this and if so on what please?
More Legomation (Score:2, Informative)

by cdmafoa ( 82170 ) writes:

Legomation has a long and storied history. Check out some old school work at WDLN.tv [www.wdln.tv].
Dick Van Dyke? Courtney Thorne-Smith? (Score:2)

by fm6 ( 162816 ) writes:

I wish animators would resist this "all star cast" crap. It's sort of lame in this case anyway, since these aren't really "stars" -- they're people who used to be big and/or are "famous" for being on bad TV shows. But even when you have the money to hire "real" stars, it's kind of a waste. When I see a favorite actor doing animation work, I'm usually disappointed. They just don't add anything special to the role. Better to hire real voice actors, even if nobody knows who they are.
Which is not to say that
Other Good Batman Fan Films (Score:3, Informative)

by JMPrice ( 598519 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @07:44PM (#11928744) Homepage

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

The first three minutes of Batman: Dead End [theforce.net] 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. [theforce.net] 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.

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- Re:Wikipedia and Legos (Score:5, Funny)
  
  by yotto ( 590067 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:17PM (#11927173) Homepage
  
  There's also one one Karma Whoring [wikipedia.org] if anybody's curious to learn more.
  
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- Re:Torrent (Score:2)
  
  by krray ( 605395 ) * writes:
  
  Well -- THAT would be a direct download :)
  
  For the torrent version try:
  http://209.242.6.124/Batman/Batman_Net.torre nt
  - Re:Torrent (Score:2)
    
    by GrAfFiT ( 802657 ) writes:
    
    This .torrent is not correctly made. The tracker URL points to the direct download link you posted earlier (which is dead by now)
    Read this [dyndns.org]
  - Re:Torrent (Score:2)
    
    by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) writes:
    
    That's not a moon... It's a space station!
- Re:Torrent (Score:2)
  
  by GrAfFiT ( 802657 ) writes:
  
  You better prepare an extinguisher. NOW!
- Re:West? Hammil? Van Dyke? (Score:4, Informative)
  
  by Jay Maynard ( 54798 ) writes: on Sunday March 13, 2005 @03:52PM (#11927369) Homepage
  
  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.
  
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- Re:West? Hammil? Van Dyke? (Score:2)
  
  by STrinity ( 723872 ) writes:
  
  The school's run out of the Universal Studios, Florida theme park, so likely they have Hollywood connections not available to regular colleges. Note that one of the earlier student projects was based upon Ghostbusters [daveschool.com], which is a Universal property.
- Re:Saw this yesterday (Score:2)
  
  by STrinity ( 723872 ) writes:
  
  This is one of the best short animations I've seen.
  
  Not only that, it's better than the last two Batman films combined.

There may be more comments in this discussion. Without JavaScript enabled, you might want to turn on Classic Discussion System in your preferences instead.

was (Score:5, Funny)

BitTorrent link (Score:5, Informative)

Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)

Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)

Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)

Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)

Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)

Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)

Re:BitTorrent link (Score:2)

Direct link to movie (Score:5, Informative)

Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)

Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)

Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)

Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2)

Re:Direct link to movie (Score:2, Informative)

Legos? (Score:5, Informative)

Re:Legos? (Score:2, Insightful)

Re:Legos? (Score:2, Insightful)

Re:Legos? (Score:3, Informative)

Re:Legos? (Score:4, Interesting)

Re:Legos? (Score:2)

Re:Legos? (Score:5, Informative)

Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:4, Interesting)

Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:2)

Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:2)

Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:2)

Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:3, Informative)

Re:Legos! Legos! Legos! (Score:3, Insightful)

Re:Ha (Score:2)

Re:Legos? (Score:2, Interesting)

Re:Legos? (Score:4, Informative)

This is a (Score:2, Funny)

Re:This is a (Score:3, Informative)

Trailer Down Already? (Score:5, Insightful)

Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)

Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)

Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)

Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)

Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:2)

Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:3, Informative)

Re:Trailer Down Already? (Score:3, Insightful)

White Stripes (Score:4, Insightful)

Re:White Stripes (Score:2)

Re:White Stripes (Score:3, Interesting)

Re: (Score:3, Funny)

OWWW, My freakin' ears! (Score:2)

Forget the trailer (Score:5, Informative)

Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2)

Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2)

Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2)

Re:Forget the trailer (Score:2, Insightful)

Re:Forget the trailer (Score:3, Informative)

Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:4, Insightful)

Re:Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:2)

Re:Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:2)

Re:Computer generated lego blocks?! (Score:2)

Ok (Score:2)

MIRROR (Score:3, Informative)

Re:MIRROR (Score:2)

Re:MIRROR (Score:2)

Re:MIRROR (Score:2)

Re:MIRROR (Score:2)

Re:MIRROR (Score:2)

Re:MIRROR (Score:2)

Re:MIRROR (Score:3, Informative)

Re:MIRROR (Score:2)

Pow! Blam! Thwock! (Score:5, Funny)

Introducting the new character, The Barrister (Score:2)

Torrent (Score:2)

Proofread please! (Score:5, Informative)

Lego Star Wars videogame (Score:2)

Re:Lego Star Wars videogame (Score:2)

Lego? Batman? (Score:2, Funny)

What Effect? (Score:2)

Re:What Effect? (Score:2)

Computer generated? (Score:5, Funny)

Doesn't say. How much? (Score:5, Interesting)

Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:2)

Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:3, Interesting)

Re:Doesn't say. How much? (Score:4, Informative)