Fan 3D short-movie: The Lord Inquisitor

[eZieweZie]

Hey all,

As many of you might already know, there is a madman out there who is working on a W40k 3D short-movie intitled "The Lord Inquisitor" almost entirely by himself (www.thelordinquisitor.com)

http://nsa19.casimages.com/img/2010/08/30/100830120338871341.jpg

The project has been going on for about a year now and is expected to be finished by the end of 2012.

"The Lord Inquisitor" has been brought to the attention of GW but they have not yet replied.

Anyway, I believe that every W40k fan should be aware that such an immense project is currently underway. The great thing about it is that it's an interactive project where anybody can give feedback and criticism that will be taken into consideration.

Sorry for advertising but it's really for a good cause =D

Thank you.

[StraightSilver]

First of all massive thanks for bringing this to my attention, it had totally passed me by so I hadn't seen or heard anything about this.

It's staggering that somebody off their own back can produce stuff like this, and I really hope the final short movie is of the standard promised by the initial renders.

The Grey Knights are really, really cool, not sure about their very tight bum armour, but the rest of them looks awesome.

And Coteaz looks great too.

But it's the sequence of the Thunderhawk assault ramp that made me gawp, lovely thought processes behind that one, and so beatifully done.

Please, please, please just tell me this isn't being produced in Germany?

I know one of the creators is originally from Germany but there is also an Italian chap in there too.

The only reason I say this is that German copyright laws would prevent Games Workshop ever endorsing this and unfortunately they would have to ensure it was never released, as copyright law in Germany would then mean the creators would have claims to Games Workshop's IP.

That's the only reason they had to be so tough on damnatus, so please let this be produced outside of Germany, and then hopefully we will get to see it finished.

It is looking really good right now though. Could teach Codex pictures a thing or two.....

:)

[eZieweZie]

It is actually being produced in Germany but since it is not a movie per-say but rather an animation, the same laws might not apply. This is not entirely clear yet. The 3D artist has contacted GW but of course they have not replied and in my opinion they never will.
Check GW's website, it stated clearly that they have a problem with movies, but not animations. So the question here is if this short-movie is an animation or a movie.

Anyway, spread the word =)

[HsojVvad]

GW will only respond once they think there i somoney to be made. In other words, they will give him more rope to hang himself sort to speak.

On the other hand if they were notified about it and nothing has been done about it, I can't see a judge siding with GW if they know now and haven't done anything about it. Then again, who knows how GW thinks because alot of things they do doesn't make any sense and they are still around.

[Bridgetroll]

*cough* Damnatus (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/DAMNATUS-ban) *cough*

[wkz]

It is actually being produced in Germany but since it is not a movie per-say but rather an animation, the same laws might not apply. This is not entirely clear yet. The 3D artist has contacted GW but of course they have not replied and in my opinion they never will.
Check GW's website, it stated clearly that they have a problem with movies, but not animations. So the question here is if this short-movie is an animation or a movie.

Anyway, spread the word =)What GW had a problem with (as in Damnatus' case) is the fact German law requires the creation of stuff to be credited to the creators of the movie, not the IP the movie is obtained from (40k).

This causes problems with IP control in the UK, thus GW stepped in.

There are 2 considerations here:
a) Will animations fall under this same German law as movies? If yes, expect GW to step in and stop this project.

b) Instead of EARNING money, stopping stuff such as this (with all the lawyer fees, the bad publicity, etc... and without anything to sell at the very end) will actually be COSTING GW money. It is not "grabbing this movie stuff using bully tactics... and then releasing/reselling it as ours" after all.

One wonders why GW is doing this... oh right, that pesky German law and their control over their IP...

[StraightSilver]

Yeah WKZ has pretty much summed up the problem as I understand it.

German copyright law allows the creator of a movie IP rights to the source material, regardless of whether they initially created it or not.

As the movie contains both Inquisitor Coteaz and Grey Knights this would allow them an IP claim over both properties, not something GW would ever permit, and I don't blame them.

GW doesn't have a problem with fan art or fan movies as long as the creators don't try to profit from them (which I know Damnatus never intended to do, and I'm sure these guys aren't - but GW couldn't afford to lose control of any of its assets just in case).

They allowed things like "Turn signals on a Land Raider" to continue until the creators tried to sell a book of the strips.

And they were quite happy to allow Damnatus to be produced until they discovered the rather odd German copyright clause.

This is why they had to step in, up until that point I don't think they would have ever bothered to intervene.

And to say that this is an animation rather than a movie is unfortunately just wishful thinking, it is an animated movie, even if only a short one and so I assume the same laws would apply.

And just because GW hasn't replied to the makers doesn't mean that they aren't aware of what's going on. They rarely reply to anything like this, they must get emails about hundreds of fan movies every day, most of which come to nothing.

However this one looks like it may actually get made, and quite professionally too. I have no doubt that GW will be seeking legal advise regarding this one and will get it stopped before it is released.

I have to say that is a real shame, as this isn't in the same league as something like Damnatus. This is a well thought out, professional looking animated short, which I would love to see finished.

But I don't doubt we will get a lot of people bemoaning GW if they do halt this, but let's face it they have every right to protect their IP and I would support them on that. That's why I was hoping it was being produced outside of Germany, because I don't think it would then have been an issue.

[ankhcitizen]

GW should hire the guy behind this! After checking out the site I was in awe, the Ultramarines movie was okay but this looks...

[StraightSilver]

I definitely agree, some of the animation is outstanding, and the chara design is spot on, I love the Grey Knights.

[DarkLink]

Problem is, you hire someone you have to pay them. High quality CGI takes time and resources, which costs money. By the time they paid this guy for his work, they'd likely end up with about as much cost as had they done the same thing with the Ultramarines development team. Unless this guy was willing to work for minimum wage or something, anyways.

[wkz]

Problem is, you hire someone you have to pay them. High quality CGI takes time and resources, which costs money. By the time they paid this guy for his work, they'd likely end up with about as much cost as had they done the same thing with the Ultramarines development team. Unless this guy was willing to work for minimum wage or something, anyways.
As I understand it, that pesky German law states that the rights to a movie remains with the artistic team creating the movie even if they're hired to create said movie by an outside third party...

(can someone verify this?)

[ankhcitizen]

He says on his site that he doesn't want to earn a cent for his work...but would he say the same thing if GW approached him though? If he offered them his work for free, I don't see how they could refuse considering the quality.

I guess we'll just have to see what happens and hope that somehow in some way "The Lord Inquisitor" will go through.

[wolflold]

Well lets hope he finishes it! it looks a lot better than that Ultra Marine movie!

[DarkLink]

As I understand it, that pesky German law states that the rights to a movie remains with the artistic team creating the movie even if they're hired to create said movie by an outside third party...

(can someone verify this?)

Whether or not he retains the rights is a little different from whether or not GW has to pay him for his work.

[L192837465]

Whether or not he retains the rights is a little different from whether or not GW has to pay him for his work.

All he needs is to finish it and post it on YouTube and torrents. Once that's done anyone will be able to get a copy for forever.

[eldargal]

Though to be fair Ultramarines went for 72 minutes, how long is this short film expected to go for and how long will it take to produce and how much would it cost if services were not donated?


Well lets hope he finishes it! it looks a lot better than that Ultra Marine movie!

[DarkLink]

Right, you really can't compare a short, fan made video to a professional production. The fan can spend all the time he wants working on the thing and not have to worry about time cards and expenses. A production team can't.


All he needs is to finish it and post it on YouTube and torrents. Once that's done anyone will be able to get a copy for forever.

I'm not saying anything about whether he gets to keep a copy or not. That's a different issue. Literally the only thing I've said is that if GW were to hire him to make a video for them, they would have to pay him just like anyone else, which kinda defeates the purpose of hiring him instead of other people.

[wolflold]

Though to be fair Ultramarines went for 72 minutes, how long is this short film expected to go for and how long will it take to produce and how much would it cost if services were not donated?

Well i was more refering to the graphics! Ultramarine movie graphics makes me wanna play C&C Red Alert, they look that out dated!

[eldargal]

So was I, ten or fifteen minutes of quality cgi costs a lot less than 72 minutes, and as they are donating their time it costs nothing. That is why dedicated fans can produce better quality things than professional outfits, they are donating their time. I bet if you work out how many hours are being put into this project and then work out a total based on even minimum wage it would come to a considerable sum of money. :)

[DarkLink]

Exactly, all you need to have to produce high quality CGI is a computer, lots of time and a skilled worker. A skilled fan can dedicate a lot of time to a personal project and get very good results, but you can't compare the cost of those results to those of a professional team.

[Drunkencorgimaster]

Well i was more refering to the graphics! Ultramarine movie graphics makes me wanna play C&C Red Alert, they look that out dated!

Too funny! I was playing the old Red Alert the other day and got to thinking that the Soviet assembly yard would make a great piece of 40k terrain if you made a 28mm copy of it.

[eZieweZie]

Exactly, all you need to have to produce high quality CGI is a computer, lots of time and a skilled worker. A skilled fan can dedicate a lot of time to a personal project and get very good results, but you can't compare the cost of those results to those of a professional team.

Oh really, that's ALL you need? A high-end computer, most of your free time and years of professional experience?

This discussion is obviously lead by people who have no knowledge of CGI or the details of the Ultramarines movie production (that's because they are undisclosed).

This is the frist time that I hear people actually argue that fans are better at producing stuff than professionals because the poor professionals are under pressure. Guys, have you ever heard of cognitive dissonance? Google it it, it's what you're experiencing. Just accept that Ultramarines the movie failed.

Thanks for raising the quality of the discussion.

[DarkLink]

Actually, I think your point is the same as my point. A highly skilled and dedicated individual can pour a ton of time and effort into a project like this and get very good results. On the other hand, professional productions are limited by how much money the buyer is willing to put into the project.

[wkz]

eZieweZie: you might need to consider 2 points:

- a) The salary. Thanks to that, each month of work done by a professional team keeps costing more and more. Eventually, you'll reach a point where "I better release this movie, or I'll never be able to make back the cost"... thus imposing a time limit on how much polish the team can pump into the work.

Without this constraint, the Fan-work can polish their work until it GLEAMS, effectively throwing tens of thousands of dollars of work into the fan-project (because, as this is a fan work, those tens of thousands... is FREE). You just cannot compare.

- b) The computer needed to render, the time needed to render (if you don't have a dedicated render farm, time is DEFINITELY needed), and most definitely the skill of the person involved... are all included in the sentence you just pointed out as false. True, it is an oversimplification (where's the rendering software in all of these?), but it is still quite true...

- c) The statement in question is about somebody "produce high quality CGI". The end result is STILL a high quality CGI regardless of whether it is or is not better than GW's "Ultramarines".

- d) Last: cognitive dissonance is when you say GW failed, when simultaneously refusing to consider (a) this is still a low quality project with a low budget, (b) the persons involved in making this movie is quite new to making lengthy CGI movies, and (c) this movie's target audience is 40k fans with too much money to spare.

Given that DISNEY of all people have written movie plots as bad as, if not worse, in their multi-million budget CGIs than this venture... and that it takes multi-million budgets to reach the level of quality we're used to seeing in movie theaters...

[Mystery.Shadow]

I know I've posted this before, but it's an amazing piece of work. And produced for the incredible price of FREE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4yCwlDxPtY

Indie groups can make good stuff. Good luck to all involved in the Lord Inquisitor project!

[TheLordInquisitor]

Thanks for all the comments so far!

I would like to inform you that there is currently a poll on our site. Its goal is to get an impression of what Chaos Space Marine legion should appear in the movie. Thanks for sharing your views!

http://www.thelordinquisitor.com/blog/time-vote/

[MarneusCalgar]

I know I've posted this before, but it's an amazing piece of work. And produced for the incredible price of FREE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4yCwlDxPtY

Indie groups can make good stuff. Good luck to all involved in the Lord Inquisitor project!

AMAZING!!!

Hope to see the 40K movie soon!!!

[sangrail777]

Thats really cool. Good job, can't wait to see how this comes out.

[Deadlift]

Thanks for all the comments so far!

I would like to inform you that there is currently a poll on our site. Its goal is to get an impression of what Chaos Space Marine legion should appear in the movie. Thanks for sharing your views!

http://www.thelordinquisitor.com/blog/time-vote/


I was just blown away by the quality of the animation, what sort of time frame are you working to, I only ask because I am really looking forward to the end result :)

[MarneusCalgar]

Hope we can see a teaser soon!!

[TheLordInquisitor]

Hey guys, thanks alot for all your comments! Your input is greatly appreciated.
As you might know there is some great new footage on the site (e.g. WIP video of a Thunderhawk landing). We also have a youtube channel now. Also, check out the new wallpapers!
Thanks for your support and don't hesitate to share your comments, they are important to make the animation as enjoyable as possible!

[MarneusCalgar]

Thank you also for advices!!!

Hope you advance slowly but safely...

[TheLordInquisitor]

Hey all,

The fanbase has yet another chance to contribute and shape the animation!

I’m looking for designs for an old and mysterious artefact. Yes, this can be anything. You don’t have to know what powers lie hidden in the artefact or what it’s all about, but you can help me with the design. I need a design for this object as soon as possible, and I would be very happy if you could post links, ideas as well as your preferred personal drawings of a cool looking artefact. I'm imagining something like an abstract form, or maybe a kind of geometric symmetrical object, a statue, etc. Something like “the marker” of Dead Space, or the “Soulcube” from Doom. Designs like the marker would be awesome - it doesn’t have to be complex, it should just look like an interesting object that makes you wonder what it's about =)

Links of cool looking forms, objects, artefacts and the likes would be helpfull, which I could use for inspiration. The best would be to send me your own scribbled down ideas: I would actually model this in 3D then and you can see your design later on in The Lord Inquisitor. By the way, the teaser will hopefully come out in september and it should make you drool =)

Your help is wanted now! If you have any questions visit the homepage and do not hesitate to ask.

[TheLordInquisitor]

Hear ye, hear ye!

On Friday November 11th 2011, at 11:11, the trailer for the short animation The Lord Inquisitor will finally be released! The Inquisition has chosen a sacred time indeed: II.II.II II:II

Cometh to the website of The Lord Inquisitor and witness the action, the gore, the excitement! The time has finally come! Tell your Warhammer-loving friends and see for yourself what the (approximately 2 minute long) trailer holds in store.

The Emperor be praised!

[TheLordInquisitor]

Hey everybody,

as you might already know (visiting the website and Facebook page), the project has been approved by Games Workshop, despite all the scepticism on this forum and elsewhere!

More and more people are becoming aware of The Lord Inquisitor, including some Warhammer big shots who are willing to help out. That is why it is so important for there to be a lot of enthusiasm for this project. Thank you for your continuing support, and don't forget to like the Facebook page where information regarding the development of the animation is posted regularly. The more people encourage The Lord Inquisitor, the better it will get - and that is a fact my friends =)

Stay tuned!

The Lord Inquisitor

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

It's interesting GW let this project go through. This can only be a good thing - I wonder why they let it happen though? I did aquire Damnatus and found it to be pretty poor - while this on the other hand reeks of professionalism and looks -very- good, so it makes me wonder maybe GW allowed this because it meets their high standards? if so, that's very encouraging. I am for fan-films but often times they are done very badly and it's rare you will get good ones - if GW act as a "filter" to ensure only the good ones are allowed then that is a good thing IMO.

Nothing I could really contribute to this project myself, unless they wanted some some really dark and creepy electronic ambient or hard-edged mechanical industrial music.

[woodenronin]

Looking forward to see it.Great job! I loved the trailer.
ALL HAIL THE EMPEROR!!!