mini-series might easier to understand 
Freeman is a cypher - that is he’s a vehicle to show the story and nothing else. There’s no character there. So if there’s a film on HL/2 and he’s not there, people who have played the game won’t be going “hey wtf, where’s freeman?” because they’ll only be seeing what they’ve played before. Freeman has an extraordinarily minor role in the series with the ‘One Free Man’ messianic reputation. However, this can be seen simply as a way of building up the player’s own persona and sense of importance rather than just being a mindless drone as they were in HL.
As I said before, if the film is done right then 90% of the audience won’t know or care about some guy named Freeman anyway. Of the 10% or so who have played HL, if the film is done correctly then I doubt they’ll care at all about him.
I am wondering what a movie from Freeman’s perspective might feel like…? (Perhaps not entirely firstPerson perspective, but at least conceptually from his viewpoint.) Would that lend itself to the cypher paradigm you mentioned?
I remember someone posting a youtube vid someone made entirely firstPerson that was very good quality, and I found it quite watchable. However, we don’t need the entire movie to look like a single long take either, I would think. Cutting to some other viewpoint at times would still work if done carefully.
Sorry - should have clarified. I meant cypher as in he has no character or personality other than what the player puts in.
The first-person perspective could work certainly. There have been several films that take on that approach and it can work quite well. However, because Freeman has no voice in the game, you’d still have to overcome that obstacle. I think taking Freeman out could work the best. Since he’s a cypher (and you can’t deny that), who’s to say that he would be missed?
I don’t see why everyone thinks Gordon Freeman cannot talk in the movie. :meh:
And as for the “Focus on the Black Mesa Survivors” idea, that would be like if you made a Batman movie, based on a pedestrian in Gotham, with only a passing reference to Batman.
Gordon should talk, and be the main character, it’s not bad writing to have the main character of your movie have lines. Yes, Gordon never talks in-game, but that’s because that would break the immersion. The Half Life movie and/or mini-series would simply be a cinematic view on Gordon, and I doubt it would be a bad movie, Valve has undoubtably seen the slew of Video Game Movies, and wouldn’t sell away their baby for some cash.
Yet again, the title isn’t Freeman, it’s Half Life, if we look at Batman his name is in the title… usually, so that means he has to be in it. Freeman does not have to be in it.
Yes, but this is similar to “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. When you think of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” you probably think about Indiana Jones. When you think about Half Life, what is the first thing that comes to mind…? That’s like saying that Raiders of the Lost Ark doesn’t have to have Indiana Jones in it because Indiana Jones isn’t in the title.
And while Gordon doesn’t have to be in it, I think I’d be a lot better if it did. Also, you have to understand that Valve isn’t going to sell out their baby to a terrible Hollywood Movie Producer that will make Gordon a Buff Manly Man with a Chin/Dick that’s Seven Feet long. (:fffuuu 
Gordon Freeman doesn’t have a voice/personality in the game because YOU ARE GORDON. When you are watching the movie of Half Life, You won’t be Gordon, will you? The Half Life Movie would simply have a theatrical take on Gordon’s personality. Probably as a normal human being, or as normal as a Crowbar Wielding Jesus can be. :3
With what you typed here and looking at your avatar, I am now seeing Gordon Freeman being played by Stephen Colbert. And that scares the living daylights out of me.
Egh Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t it Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Gordon can be in it of course, but that doesn’t mean everyone will like him, For example I think of Gordon as a cocky, smart, lovable asshole and others may see him as an idiot or something.
That thing about that you aren’t Gordon Freeman in the movie is also the same in the game, the creators could say that you are supposed be Him but who really has felt that he is Gordon Freeman, especially when they gave him a name and a face .
Nope. That was how it was renamed later for DVD box-sets and such. Watch the film, the title credit is just ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.
I’ve seen the film, just didn’t remember much about the title so I assumed since other films have the “Indiana Jones and” at the beginning, this would too.
So what you’re saying is that when I think of Half-Life, I should automatically think of Gordon Freeman? Then it’s the complete opposite with me. I tend to think of the story, the action, the scenery, music and characters before I think at all of Gordon. The reasoning is that you don’t see Gordon. The success to Half-Life and HL2 is mainly in their excitement, but also alien designs, landscape, architecture and the sheer scale of the story. Tell me exactly what Gordon Freeman delivers and contributes to the story.
I can believe that, and certainly think that a film with Gordon in it could work, but the odds of it failing would be incredibly high even before people would see the film - Gordon is the lead character in a suit out to fight hundreds of bad guys and save the world. The story sounds shit beyond belief, suitable only for a summer blockbuster-style film for 12 year olds. I guess we have different ideas for what would work as a film.
What so many people seem to want is more or less a straight port to film, where you have Gordon the invincible hero fighting bad guys. I personally think that it’s unoriginal, cowardly even, because it’s doing precisely what other videogame-to-film conversions have done before and tried to get the same feelings across to the audience watching as the players do when playing it. The reality is that films and games are two completely different medias. Even if the film is great, people are going to be put off the film before they even see it because it ticks so many cliches that are present within the video game genre.
If you want a successful film (and most of you do), it seems logical and best to steer away from the video-game cliches and try and address the heart of the game and what would best transfer to film. The biggest issue is probably the characters. Get rid of the cliche of Freeman and you suddenly open up to a whole plethora of possibilities and realistic characters.
If you do that, then who do you have roll the xen crystal into the beam? Just some guy?
Who would give a shit? Does it really matter? I should warn you that I’m talking more about HL2 as a film as I feel that it has far more potential in terms of story. Half-Life has about as much story as a twig.
What does Gordon Freeman deliver and contribute to the game?
Oh, you know. Just being the center character and protagonist. Nothing much. :meh:
Gordon doesn’t present much in the game, no. But in the movie he would be the main character, central protagonist, and all that. No, I don’t mean for it to turn into a “saev teh warld for teh aleians” film. If you really want to go down that path, you can make every game/film ever made into “save teh world from evals”. Half Life 1 has a great storyline, but not much of it could be told due to the limits of the era. A Half Life film would be much more about horror/action, with the story put in there for the Half Life Fanboys. A Half Life 2 Film would be more about story, you’d probably be able to watch Half Life 2 without watching the Half Life Movie, since it would be referencing Black Mesa.
The Half Life film would be an orgy of CGI, Gore, horror, and Scifi action, there's no doubting that. But that would be good. Half Life was that exact premise, but the film would be able to build up on the Half Life 1 Storyline. Most people (like myself) didn't give a rats ass about the story when I first played it. (probably because I was eleven at the time.) When I played it much later on, I actually noticed the storyline of it. In the Half Life Mini-series/Movie, you'd see the same plot points ; Dr. Breen in passing reference, Nihilanth's nonsensical riddles waiting to be unwraveled, and, ofcourse, several unexplained appearances by the G-Man.But it really doesn’t need to focus on gordon.
Yes, he slotted the carrier into the beam. Yes, he fought his way out of Black Mesa.
But he’s not the only one who escaped. Pick a random scientist not featured in any of the games, and go with him. Tell HIS story of excape.
Also, Full CG is not needed. I can see a live-action scene of a scientist being dragged into a vent, with sweat beading on his forehead as he fights and screams the the protaginist that something’s got his leg, before his grip on the front of the vent gives out and he’s dragged, screaming in terror and pain, into the vent and devoured by a bullsquid.
Well, ofcourse, it would ALL be CG.
And it doesn’t need to focus on Gordon, but it should.
If it does focus on Gordon, it would have to be a mini-series.
Also, first person perspective would be best in this situation.
Scene: Black Mesa Inbound
TITLE SEQUENCE
(Fade to black)
An alarm sounds, and Freeman’s eyes open. with vision blurred, you see his arm fumble around until it hits the alarm, and picks up his glasses. he puts on the glasses, and the vision is cleared. Fast-forward to shower. Running water, freeman picks up some soap. fast forward back to bedroom. Freeman puts on a rediculus tie, and glances at the clock. Furiously, he throws it across the room, and runs out the door. you see the dorm pass by, and he runs through the airlocks and into the first tram to go by.
he sits down, and you hear the ‘outbound from Sector B dormitories’ speech. Freeman’s eyes close as the camera slumps down.
Inbound part II
A large bang. freeman’s eyes snap open and look out the window. A forklift has dropped it’s load, a large metal crate. Abreviated form of the intro from the game.
Ta da…?
(The subject info flashes at the bottom of the screen in a generic military type fashion)
I already talked about a Miniseries for half life, take a look at my post on the last page.
Now, the First Person perspective would be nice for an intro, it would have to change after got into the actual parts of the series Freeman talks, but as a normal person would, and it is a “thirdperson” view for most parts of the miniseries.
All CG is just a cop out for dumbass directors who can’t place cameras.