Star Wars: The 212th is a new movie I wished was real

The 212th project came about before the creation of Hoplite Studio. It was through our collaboration with the artists on this project that we realised we could embark on the adventure of creating Hoplite Studio.

This project allows us to showcase our expertise in creating game cinematics and trailers, which is a market we’re highly interested in. We hope this project serves as a strong portfolio piece for us.

Moreover, our artists were thrilled to collaborate on this fan film, which is non-profit. Each one dedicated personal time to bring it to life, and we made sure to meet every artistic request, ensuring that everyone had the opportunity to contribute in the way they envisioned.

The 212th project took 1.5 years to complete, which is quite a long time, but it was all done during our personal time, outside of work hours. The biggest challenge was coordinating between artists and managing file transfers. With a six-hour time difference between France and Quebec, we had to coordinate carefully to ensure everyone was available at the same time within their personal schedules.

As for the pipeline, we set everything up via the cloud. The most fun part, I think, was recreating iconic designs and characters from the saga. The majority of the artists are huge Star Wars fans, so producing 3D versions of concept art that had never been used before, and adding as many details as possible to the fan film, became a true playground for them. Everyone really embraced the project, and we formed lasting friendships along the way.

Even in an industry where much of the work is protected by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), a project like 212th can still hold value. Since it’s a fan film, there are no NDAs regarding the creation, which allows the team to freely showcase their work and share their artistic vision.

However, when it comes to our infrastructure and production process, there are aspects we won’t reveal, as that’s part of the magic and uniqueness of our studio. For all our professional projects, however, our artists do sign NDAs, as it’s a standard industry practice, with clients often requesting certain elements to remain confidential.

We will continue developing new projects, but I don’t think we’ll be revisiting a Star Wars fan film. We really want to diversify the styles and skills within our company. We have several leads for our future original productions, in addition to our ongoing professional projects, but we’ll need to wait a few weeks to determine which direction to take. We are, of course, open to any collaboration proposals. You can follow our progress on LinkedIn and Instagram

Our approach combines expertise and flexibility.

At Hoplite Studio, we have placed artists at the heart of our approach, both in our client relationships and in the development of the company. Founded by three artists, Hoplite is led by individuals with a deep understanding of their craft. Our team members have worked on major blockbusters at renowned studios. Yet, what we missed the most was transparency. That’s why we make it a core value of our studio.

We also have the opportunity to partner with Pascal Blais, former founder of Pascal Blais Studio (now Tonic DNA), who brings over 35 years of experience. Specializing in 2D services and complementary technologies, Pascal enhances our offering and plays a key role as executive producer on some of our projects

Our strength also lies in our agile structure: a small, flexible team that can quickly adopt new tools and scale up or down based on project needs

We constantly stay up to date with the latest updates and emerging tools in the industry. As soon as a new technology catches our attention, we conduct thorough research to assess its potential. We then test its integration into our pipeline to evaluate its stability, efficiency, and compatibility with our workflow.

If the tool is not yet fully optimised, we keep it under observation, monitoring its evolution until it reaches a satisfactory level of performance. However, if it proves to be a valuable addition, we integrate it immediately into our processes, ensuring that our clients benefit from cutting-edge solutions.

At Hoplite Studio, our core values are passion, independence, and teamwork. We’ve built a studio that thrives without relying on tax incentives, giving us the flexibility to focus entirely on delivering top-tier VFX.

Passion drives everything we do, creating stunning visuals requires dedicated artists who love their art. And above all, we believe in the power of collaboration. Our success is rooted in the strength of our artist network, working together to bring each project to life with creativity and precision.We are truly grateful to have so many talented people by our side.

There are many emerging technologies right now, from the rise of immersive experiences, real-time rendering, and cloud advancements to AI. These could bring significant changes to our industry. For smaller studios like ours, the innovations around data management through the cloud are an exciting opportunity.

As we collaborate with artists from all over the world, cloud tools are essential for our growth and efficiency. AI tools are also something to keep a close eye on. Some, like MoveAi, have proven to be incredibly useful, enabling us to do motion capture at a much lower cost.

I believe this is an industry that requires both passion and patience. You need to stay attuned to the continuous evolution around you and keep practicing, testing, and learning from failures, just like any other discipline. What’s crucial in our field is the network. It’s important to make time for networking and foster connections. It’s through these encounters that new projects and collaborations come to life.

I’ll be transparent: there will certainly be job losses because of AI, but it’s also important to be realistic about the changes and adapt to the evolving industry. AI will cause job cuts, but it will also create new jobs in areas such as development, research, prompt management, and render farm management.

It’s a powerful tool that we need to learn how to handle. And let’s not forget that AI is not just about image generation; it also includes tools like Move AI (mentioned earlier), which will allow small structures to grow more easily and at a lower cost.

AI will help accelerate the creative process, generating ideas faster and cheaper, especially in pre production for small projects. It can also provide some foundations for the VFX industry.

However, there will always be a need for an artistic vision behind each prompt. What the public looks for most is the human touch, creativity, and the emotion conveyed by an image. AI can be a catalyst, but it will never replace the human element in the creative process.