A Modest Proposal (On the Subject of a Paintball Movie)

[spantol]

This (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77696) thread got me seriously thinking about the feasibility of a paintball movie. In it, one person opined that "You really can't put a good story on paintball." I agree, to a point. I'd definitely agree that tournament paintball doesn't lend itself towards a cohesive, interest-maintaining, cliché-free storyline. It's been attempted (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0327940), and I don't think it needs to be revisited any time soon. A paintball game just isn't all that interesting, particularly in a vacuum.

That doesn't mean, though, that a good story involving paintball qua paintball isn't out there, waiting to be told. A strongly character-driven story focusing on a group of people and their interactions, interactions that happen to involve paintball. A story about paintball's appeal to these characters, about what they bring to it, and what they get out of it. A story that seeks to bottle the magic of the game, and present it in a way such that even the uninitiated can lose themselves in it. I envision a finished product in the same vein as Clerks-—a light-hearted look at what makes the people involved in our sport tick.

This idea captivates me and I intend to continue to develop it, and to do so to completion if at all possible--I've been aching for a creative project for quite awhile, and this would fit the bill nicely.

What do you folks think? Is this the right direction--is it even close? Your thoughts and input would be greatly appreciated.

[Carbon]

Your heading the right way. Digressing, i think what makes a good sci-fi is the characters in the story, the tech and future sci stuf is there to serve as a vehicle to get the plot rolling. I think what you should explore is the interactions between characters of the paintball team, on and especially of the field. and a little less of what paintball is. Furthuremore i think you should put in a parody sceene in there or two. I think whats important too, is not to write to a demographic, in terms of audience.

Clerks is a funny movie, and that general direction is sounds llike the way to go, its all about dialogue. Hey i know make it an Indie flick.

[joeyjoe367]

Originally posted by spantol
In it, one person opined that "You really can't put a good story on paintball." I agree, to a point. I'd definitely agree that tournament paintball doesn't lend itself towards a cohesive, interest-maintaining, cliché-free storyline. It's been attempted (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0327940), and I don't think it needs to be revisited any time soon. A paintball game just isn't all that interesting, particularly in a vacuum.

I believe that was me :D .

Anyway, I do believe that this is a step in the right direction.

I saw the movie "In your Face" and the horrid acting wasn't the only thing that made the movie bad, and bad is an understatement. It lacked anything and everything that a non-paintballer would care about.

[314159]

just go the route of a cheesy hong kong action flck, like shaolin soccer. mmm, shaolin paintball. ;)

[spantol]

Very interesting. I agree totally--characters are everything. Good Sci-fi isn't about futuristic settings, it's about the characters in those situations. Similarly, my project wouldn't be about paintball, it would be about people that play paintball, with some focus on why they do so. The field will be a setting, certainly not the only one.

There will definitely be a parody or two involved. Also, one of the goals would be to develop a story that appeals to paintballers and non-paintballers alike. At the end of the day, this would be a movie featuring paintball, not a paintball movie. Regarding the "Indie Flick" suggestion, that's exactly what I had in mind. I'm not sure that I made that clear in the initial post--I fully intend to do this.



Originally posted by Carbon
Your heading the right way. Digressing, i think what makes a good sci-fi is the characters in the story, the tech and future sci stuf is there to serve as a vehicle to get the plot rolling. I think what you should explore is the interactions between characters of the paintball team, on and especially of the field. and a little less of what paintball is. Furthuremore i think you should put in a parody sceene in there or two. I think whats important too, is not to write to a demographic, in terms of audience.

Clerks is a funny movie, and that general direction is sounds llike the way to go, its all about dialogue. Hey i know make it an Indie flick.