Paintball Films revisited
One of my private passions is snowboarding. I didn't go last year, but I think that has a little something to do with major surgery just before the season started. But that didn't stop me from going to the Warren Miller film last fall.
I just got back from this year's offering from WME, "Higher Ground". All in all, not bad. I hoped for more, but it was a few hours filled with pow, face shots, and scenery that was really cool to see. I hoped for more exotic backdrops, but they went for the usual suspects of high-traffic ski locations. The music was a change of pace, with very little hits and some really high quality stuff.
But a review isn't what I'm here to write.
What I'm here to talk about is the sports film in general, and how it crosses into paintball. Tonight I went to a small theater in a suburb of Chicago. Tomorrow the film goes to Evanston, then Friday night its showing downtown Chicago. Tonight's audience got to see the premiere show, and there were about 200 or so people in the audience. Easily there will be 400+ in later shows.
While watching the slow-motion footage it struck me. If there was a film about paintball, would people even show up to see it in a theater? These weren't professional skiers, we were all pretty much the weekend sliders that dream of these locations and will probably never go to Chugatch or Wiegley or Alaska. We were all there to see a film about a hobby we all enjoy.
So for paintball, what does it mean? It means that if you were to rent a theater and show ANY tournament-driven film, you'd be hard pressed to put people in the seats. Not for lack of skill in editing, or filming, but because the content STILL SUCKS! What's the most exotic tournament location out there now? Disney? Yah, right, it's all airball fields, just like anywhere else. And I've already stated that I can get the same fields the World Cup has with 3 phone calls and some money. So locations, out the window.
Show the action? Ok, they do that. It's all jump-cut montages of the break, and bunkering. Break, bunker, break, bunker, bunker, oh wait a flag run! No, wait, he's bunkering a dude. Ok, you can argue that skiing is the same. Oh wow, he's going down a run again. The lines change, and how it's presented in a storyline makes the difference. Plus between the runs they show you what the athletes go through to get to places.
That's one of the main differences. You see people in paintball videos jumping around like morons to "psyche themselves up", but you don't see anything off the field of play. You don't see the dedication, you don't see the BS they put up with, you don't get to see how they got there. It's just M-TV style "jump cuts" with badly obtained emo-rock behind it. YAAWWWW-NNNN!!!!
You know what would make a good video? Boil a tournament down to one team, follow them, and film what they do. Film the after-game crash. Film the hotel BS. Break the 4th wall; let us see what they do. Even if you set up things for sponsor issues, fine. I want some meat with my eye candy!
We could also use some real "Athletes" in paintball too. I'm not talking physically; paintball really doesn't take much physical exertion to play at a "good" level. I prove that a lot. But let's get some people who know how to work a camera, how to talk to people, how to BE a star. That's what made the movie tonight, the athletes answered questions with more than a "Yeah that kicked ass!"
Paintball is immature as a sport; we need to grow up a LOT before we're taken seriously by anyone else. It's like snowboarding was 20 years ago, except we should know better. Paintball cut its teeth on the X-games generation; you'd think the powers that be would be more savvy dealing with the sound-bite media. Or you'd think that video producers would understand how to at least COPY the skate style.
You know what? I'm going to recommend that you run out and get a few DVD's. "Endless Summer" from the 60's, "Step into Liquid" which is a modern surfer film, and ANY modern skate film. Look at what they did, and you'll understand my personal frustration with the paintball industry and its media practices!
I know that industry people read this blog. I KNOW THIS! Hey! One of you people call me and I'll be MORE than happy to share! You have my number, I know you do.
I just got back from this year's offering from WME, "Higher Ground". All in all, not bad. I hoped for more, but it was a few hours filled with pow, face shots, and scenery that was really cool to see. I hoped for more exotic backdrops, but they went for the usual suspects of high-traffic ski locations. The music was a change of pace, with very little hits and some really high quality stuff.
But a review isn't what I'm here to write.
What I'm here to talk about is the sports film in general, and how it crosses into paintball. Tonight I went to a small theater in a suburb of Chicago. Tomorrow the film goes to Evanston, then Friday night its showing downtown Chicago. Tonight's audience got to see the premiere show, and there were about 200 or so people in the audience. Easily there will be 400+ in later shows.
While watching the slow-motion footage it struck me. If there was a film about paintball, would people even show up to see it in a theater? These weren't professional skiers, we were all pretty much the weekend sliders that dream of these locations and will probably never go to Chugatch or Wiegley or Alaska. We were all there to see a film about a hobby we all enjoy.
So for paintball, what does it mean? It means that if you were to rent a theater and show ANY tournament-driven film, you'd be hard pressed to put people in the seats. Not for lack of skill in editing, or filming, but because the content STILL SUCKS! What's the most exotic tournament location out there now? Disney? Yah, right, it's all airball fields, just like anywhere else. And I've already stated that I can get the same fields the World Cup has with 3 phone calls and some money. So locations, out the window.
Show the action? Ok, they do that. It's all jump-cut montages of the break, and bunkering. Break, bunker, break, bunker, bunker, oh wait a flag run! No, wait, he's bunkering a dude. Ok, you can argue that skiing is the same. Oh wow, he's going down a run again. The lines change, and how it's presented in a storyline makes the difference. Plus between the runs they show you what the athletes go through to get to places.
That's one of the main differences. You see people in paintball videos jumping around like morons to "psyche themselves up", but you don't see anything off the field of play. You don't see the dedication, you don't see the BS they put up with, you don't get to see how they got there. It's just M-TV style "jump cuts" with badly obtained emo-rock behind it. YAAWWWW-NNNN!!!!
You know what would make a good video? Boil a tournament down to one team, follow them, and film what they do. Film the after-game crash. Film the hotel BS. Break the 4th wall; let us see what they do. Even if you set up things for sponsor issues, fine. I want some meat with my eye candy!
We could also use some real "Athletes" in paintball too. I'm not talking physically; paintball really doesn't take much physical exertion to play at a "good" level. I prove that a lot. But let's get some people who know how to work a camera, how to talk to people, how to BE a star. That's what made the movie tonight, the athletes answered questions with more than a "Yeah that kicked ass!"
Paintball is immature as a sport; we need to grow up a LOT before we're taken seriously by anyone else. It's like snowboarding was 20 years ago, except we should know better. Paintball cut its teeth on the X-games generation; you'd think the powers that be would be more savvy dealing with the sound-bite media. Or you'd think that video producers would understand how to at least COPY the skate style.
You know what? I'm going to recommend that you run out and get a few DVD's. "Endless Summer" from the 60's, "Step into Liquid" which is a modern surfer film, and ANY modern skate film. Look at what they did, and you'll understand my personal frustration with the paintball industry and its media practices!
I know that industry people read this blog. I KNOW THIS! Hey! One of you people call me and I'll be MORE than happy to share! You have my number, I know you do.
What's in Tyger's CD Player?
posted by Rob "Tyger" Rubin at
Thursday, October 20, 2005
6 Comments:
Why limit it to a tourney team? I think that following a scenario team would be awesome, not to mention a little bit more catered to the normal paintball player. An every day player is probably never going to compete in the World Cup, but he or she may get into a scenario once or twice.
Follow a team from their home city, get the road trip, the camp out, and the game... just show what it is like to be a scenario player. To tell you the truth I think scenario players represent the sport in a better way. I have never seen a scenario player throw his gun through the air and cuss out a ref after he gets hit.
By
Anonymous, at Thursday, October 20, 2005 2:11:00 PM
Preach it Tyger!
The paintball show I saw on spike tv awhile back was ok...it showed a little bit of the players outside the game, but only them getting a suv stuck in a ford....
The action was cool, but it jumped around WAY too much. For the final matches though they showed alot more and had an overview of the field with dots for players and indicators for where/when they were shooting. During those moments where you could really feel the flow of a full round it was cool.
The rest was mostly garbage. :|
By
Anonymous, at Friday, October 21, 2005 7:06:00 PM
I've been wanting to see a warren miller style paintball video for a while now. I just haven't been a very strong advocate for it, I guess. If you wanna push for one, or even produce one, I'm more than willing to help any way I can.
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, October 23, 2005 10:39:00 PM
I suppose the closest thing to this type of film would be the work that Patrick Spoher has done with MWAG. (Push, Sunday Drivers, etc).
The next one they are working on is one following XSV around ... should be interesting to see how it pans out.
By
marty, at Tuesday, October 25, 2005 6:53:00 PM
Actually, that's quite an idea you have there, Tyger: instead of trying to make a normal sports program out of paintball (like fishing, football, or the Olympics), make it into a reality show. The sad thing is, with all that's happening in "professional" paintball and trickling down to even the most minor league of teams (violence, cheating, obscenities, etc), you'd be hard pressed to find a team you want to represent the sport. Or maybe you don't, as reality shows thrive on conflict, chaos, and that sort of thing. But that's definitely something to think about.
By
Anonymous, at Monday, October 31, 2005 3:51:00 AM
Sorry to re-comment into an old post, but after reading it, I had to say something.
Absolutely paintball is about the most boring thing you can watch on TV! Especially a tournament where there is so much of the same thing. Sometimes I wonder why thy bother with the flag at all, its all about blowing away the other guy- not achieving any kind of goal.
Hence why scenario is such a more TV friendly subject. Different locales, fields of different types, different weather conditions. The storyline of each game is different. Follow a group of 5 guys around from scenario to scenario. One's the wood-vet, another a freash newbie, another a speedballer, another the stock class player, and some guy's 50 year old dad. First person cameras mounted to some, gun-cams mounted to others, and the usual cameraman following the players.
Film them in the van as they drive to another state and another game, film them eating at a resturaunt and talking over the troubles that plauge paintball. Hear them interact with one another and argue. Then cut to the action of the game. The show follows the storyline of the game, and the overall story of the players.
TV is about Storytelling, not about quick shots of the latest shiny for sale put to a soundtrack- we already have that, its called QVC and its not something you plop down to with a coke to relax for an hour.
By
Anonymous, at Friday, December 02, 2005 6:45:00 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home