Posted on Monday, March 31, 2025

ADAPT ONE EXCLUSIVE

Star Wars The 212th – A Star Wars Fan Film

How Maurine Fauvert and her team built a rising VFX studio from their passion for storytelling, collaboration, and cinematic excellence.

This week, we sit down with Maurine Fauvert, co-founder of Montreal-based Hoplite Studios, whose recent release, Star Wars The 212, a fan film based on the Star Wars Clone Wars saga, has already garnered close to a million views on YouTube. The short film is receiving rave reviews from fans, many of whom say they’d pay to see a full show in this style. 

Fauvert, a young producer with a vision as grand as a Venator-class Star Destroyer, is part of a new generation of creators redefining the VFX and film industries. We explore what it takes to break into this competitive field, think big, and build something extraordinary. With her team by her side, Fauvert is well on her way to making an indelible mark in the industry.

“The 212”, The short film, which features a hyper-realistic digital recreation of Temuera Morrison—the actor who portrayed Jango Fett and many of the clones in Star Wars films and TV shows—is nothing short of mind-blowing. The rendering, executed using Blender and Houdini, is spectacular, achieving a level of realism that matches the highest industry standards. The attention to detail in the visuals has left fans and critics alike in awe, proving that Hoplite Studios is more than capable of creating cinematic-quality work, even within the constraints of a fan-driven project.

Hoplite VFX, a rising studio, is gaining attention for its unique approach to filmmaking and its passion for bringing fan-driven visions to life. Founded by Maurine Fauvert and a group of like-minded creatives, the studio prioritizes artists at the core of every project—a philosophy shaped by their experiences in larger studios. "We didn’t want to be just another cog in the machine," Fauvert explains, emphasizing their commitment to ensuring every team member’s contributions are valued.

Their philosophy was on full display with "The 212", a fan film set in the Star Wars universe. This ambitious project, which predates the studio itself, began as a passion project for one of the co-founders, a dedicated Star Wars enthusiast. What started as individual animations and character modeling evolved into a full-fledged short film, driven by the collaborative spirit of a growing team. "The short film was born, then the studio, because we realized it worked so well," Fauvert notes.

Maurine explains that they made a strategic choice: for lighting and final rendering, and they relied on Blender.

Why this choice? Because of its speed and efficiency. Its rendering engine, Cycles, allows for quick iterations while maintaining high visual quality.

The Blender portion of the project was handled by Vincent Levrero, who tackled several interesting challenges, particularly integrating Houdini’s FX caches and a few unexpected issues with Blender. 

Another challenge was memory management. Facing "Out of RAM" errors due to the large number of characters on screen, Vincent implemented an effective solution: setting up elements in separate scenes and integrating them via the "Link" function in the final render scene.

We used Blender 4.1 throughout production to ensure stability, especially with add-ons for managing render layers.

Blender and Houdini worked together for rendering: Blender handled all the renders except for the face (rendered in Arnold) and the FX. Houdini proved to be the ideal software for FX simulations—combining power and visual quality, making the synergy between the two tools optimal.

"212" wasn't just a passion project; it became a demonstration of Hoplite’s capabilities. The team aimed for a cinematic quality, striving to match the high standards set by official Star Wars productions. While the project was a labor of love (and couldn't be monetized due to licensing), it served as a powerful demo reel, showcasing their talent and technical prowess. The challenges were significant, from navigating the intricacies of different rendering engines (Blender and Houdini) to refining the artistic direction. Yet, the team persevered, fueled by their passion and a desire to create something exceptional.

The reception to "The 212the" has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly from the Star Wars community. Fans have praised the quality of the visuals and the team's dedication, even expressing hopes for future projects. This response has validated Rapelite's approach and solidified their commitment to creating engaging, high-quality content.

Looking ahead, Hoplite VFX aims to specialize in advertising, video game cinematics, and trailers. They dream of working on projects within beloved universes like Warhammer and Baldur's Gate, driven by their genuine passion for these worlds. They also see potential in expanding their social media presence, helping independent game studios connect with their audiences through compelling stories and unique formats.

Fauvert's advice for aspiring independent creators is simple: "Be passionate, be very passionate about your subject." She emphasizes the importance of deep knowledge and dedication, acknowledging the time and effort required to bring such projects to fruition. Hoplite VFX stands as a testament to the power of passion, collaboration, and a commitment to artistic vision.

Quote from Ton Roosendaal, Chairman Blender Foundation
My compliments with the short, it looks stunning! I am very proud of seeing so many talented teams using Blender nowadays.

Quote from Christopher Hebert, Senior Director, SideFX
Wow, what a film. Great work by the Hoplite folks!

The team behind The 212

Directed by Hoplite Studio

Sound & music : Kenny Serane

Animation:
Maxime Beaussant | Alex Bruneau | Arnaud Layé | Sylvain Vermesse | Thibault Verrier

Modeling / Rigging:
Arnaud Layé

CG double:
Ander Humbert

Texturing & Lookdev:
Elisa Drique | Ander Humbert | Vincent Levrero

FX:
Thomas Buscail | Yoan Sender

Lighting & Compositing:
Elisa Drique | Vincent Levrero

CFX:
Yan Detang

Producer & media relation:
Maurine Fauvert

Software Used:
3ds Max, Adobe, Arnold, Blender, Cycles, Davinci, Houdini, Mari, Maya, Nuke, Substance 3D Painter

Partner:
Stromprops3D

Corporate webpage:
https://hoplitevfx.com/