World Of Warcraft Movie For WOW Lovers
I've been playing video games since I was a kid and I struggled for years with individuals who thought online games were stupid and action games made you chaotic. I regarded this an opportunity to present some knowledge into what gaming can really cover - passion, camaraderie and experiences you can't get in the real world. ~ Ben Dressler
Let us face it, the gamer way of life is one thing that not many people have an understanding of. /AFK The Movie examines the life of a video gamer told to give up the one thing he has ever loved: World of Warcraft.
To individuals who do not play video games, that's referred to as quitting. For hard-core gamers and MMORPG players worldwide, that's known as "Euthanasia."
The film examines what life is like moving away from the keyboard, to stop the sole thing you adore doing, simply because you realize that it controls all that you do. But, what's the thin line between loving video games and being obsessed with them? Does it make a difference and should we actually care?
The subject matter of /AFK The Movie covers World of Warcraft and online gaming. But you do not need to know the difference between Horde and Alliance in order to connect with the movie. We are all hooked on something, be it cell phones, websites, video games, or chocolates (or a dangerous combination of all 4). Step "away from your mobile phone" for 1 day and see how you react. Is a cellular phone that much different than a video game? Why is one an addiction and the other is simply a habit?
I spoke with Ben Dressler, the filmmaker who made /Afk come to life.
What was the task like making the movie, and from his own point of view, what message was it trying to communicate to gamers and people telling so-called "addicts" they have to stop:
JHS: What motivated you to make the script? Did you feel like you liked to write something which could possibly speak "for all WOW players?"
Two things. First of all, the feeling that no person had ever accomplished this before. I think it's really uncommon that you have a concept that's kinda different and not really available. When I first saw Memento I was just so amazed that after many years of filmmaking, a person could still come up with something so imaginative. And even though we're not the first one to combine real live action and video game video clips, I don't know of any motion picture who achieved it to the level that we did.
Second, I wanted to have a stand for video gaming. I've been playing games since I was a kid and I struggled for years with individuals who considered online games were brainless and action games made you chaotic. I considered this a chance to show a few knowledge into what gaming can really involve - passion, companionship and experiences you can't get in the real world.
JHS: In your opinion, why do people feel the need to put down the "gamer" lifestyle?
I honestly believe that they just don't know better. The lead character in /afk says at some point: "It's not just me sitting in front of a coloured window." But that's exactly what individuals see every time they see someone "game." They don't see what you think, feel or experience as you play. I've had so many individuals that watched me play WoW and considered it was really uninteresting. But when I allow them to play for an hour or so, they would buy the game themselves. Thankfully, people who have gaming experience will grow into important positions like in journalism or politics. So eventually that tendency to look down on gamers will diminish from society, I am pretty optimistic on that.
JHS: You mentioned you generally had no funds because you could not gain from the film, What kind of limitations did that put on you as a filmmaker?
Since I knew there wouldn't be a budget from the start, I could focus on writing a script that would work with few characters and locations. We had five days of shooting for a 25 minute film with a very small crew. And since I did not like to rush the actors too much, there was short amount of time left for the camera and lighting team. We also could not manage to purchase a lot of props so we had to work with everything we got in our homes. The bedroom of the main character is basically made of geek items from ten people combined.
It pretty much came down to pulling lots of favors and using to the best what was already there. I'm sure if you choose to work with that constraint, it'll easily result in new, innovative ways of telling your story. Although I recently read that German filmmakers particularly get into Hollywood mainly because they can make low-cost movies that look like really expensive movies. Well, that's flattering, isn't it?
JHS: What would you say to those who deal with individuals telling them to "quit video games."
It truly is hard to provide a general answer to that one because it depends on the situations. Generally I would recommend to try and make those people understand what gaming means to you. Know why they believe games are stupid and show that you understand them also and take their concerns sincerely. Don't just switch to retaliation mode. When I was in college, I used to speak with my mom and dad about the games I was looking forward to play and what I found fascinating about them. Usually I could make them relate to that somehow.
JHS: Based on the lack of success of a few major motion pictures, it seams very difficult to take the concept of a video game and turn it into a film - with very few movies striving to "get into" the life of BEING a gamer. What was your experience in this matter?
I believe there are 2 types of game movies... Adaptations and Sci-Fi films. Adaptations are almost always awful OR just solid action movies with the game's name in the title... And so yeah, there's almost no movies about real gamers - to be honest I cannot name a single one. And I'm pretty in wonder about that!
But it's difficult, and I do think that the individuals who make it have to know video games as thoroughly as movies....My point is that to really learn from Video Games as a medium, filmmakers have to understand how a game tells its story, what can be translated and what can not.
JHS: Exactly what does WOW present that hardly any other game on the face of the planet offers?
In all honesty - there are a number of video games on earth I haven't played yet! However, I believe that WoW did and does an incredible job at making hardcore gaming available to all kinds of individuals. In EverQuest days, MMORPGs were such an exclusive genre that even most gamers did not know or like. Nowadays you are going to raid with individuals who wouldn't even consider themselves a genuine gamer. And yeah, maybe that is a piece of pioneer work that no other game can do ever again.
Let us face it, the gamer way of life is one thing that not many people have an understanding of. /AFK The Movie examines the life of a video gamer told to give up the one thing he has ever loved: World of Warcraft.
To individuals who do not play video games, that's referred to as quitting. For hard-core gamers and MMORPG players worldwide, that's known as "Euthanasia."
The film examines what life is like moving away from the keyboard, to stop the sole thing you adore doing, simply because you realize that it controls all that you do. But, what's the thin line between loving video games and being obsessed with them? Does it make a difference and should we actually care?
The subject matter of /AFK The Movie covers World of Warcraft and online gaming. But you do not need to know the difference between Horde and Alliance in order to connect with the movie. We are all hooked on something, be it cell phones, websites, video games, or chocolates (or a dangerous combination of all 4). Step "away from your mobile phone" for 1 day and see how you react. Is a cellular phone that much different than a video game? Why is one an addiction and the other is simply a habit?
I spoke with Ben Dressler, the filmmaker who made /Afk come to life.
What was the task like making the movie, and from his own point of view, what message was it trying to communicate to gamers and people telling so-called "addicts" they have to stop:
JHS: What motivated you to make the script? Did you feel like you liked to write something which could possibly speak "for all WOW players?"
Two things. First of all, the feeling that no person had ever accomplished this before. I think it's really uncommon that you have a concept that's kinda different and not really available. When I first saw Memento I was just so amazed that after many years of filmmaking, a person could still come up with something so imaginative. And even though we're not the first one to combine real live action and video game video clips, I don't know of any motion picture who achieved it to the level that we did.
Second, I wanted to have a stand for video gaming. I've been playing games since I was a kid and I struggled for years with individuals who considered online games were brainless and action games made you chaotic. I considered this a chance to show a few knowledge into what gaming can really involve - passion, companionship and experiences you can't get in the real world.
JHS: In your opinion, why do people feel the need to put down the "gamer" lifestyle?
I honestly believe that they just don't know better. The lead character in /afk says at some point: "It's not just me sitting in front of a coloured window." But that's exactly what individuals see every time they see someone "game." They don't see what you think, feel or experience as you play. I've had so many individuals that watched me play WoW and considered it was really uninteresting. But when I allow them to play for an hour or so, they would buy the game themselves. Thankfully, people who have gaming experience will grow into important positions like in journalism or politics. So eventually that tendency to look down on gamers will diminish from society, I am pretty optimistic on that.
JHS: You mentioned you generally had no funds because you could not gain from the film, What kind of limitations did that put on you as a filmmaker?
Since I knew there wouldn't be a budget from the start, I could focus on writing a script that would work with few characters and locations. We had five days of shooting for a 25 minute film with a very small crew. And since I did not like to rush the actors too much, there was short amount of time left for the camera and lighting team. We also could not manage to purchase a lot of props so we had to work with everything we got in our homes. The bedroom of the main character is basically made of geek items from ten people combined.
It pretty much came down to pulling lots of favors and using to the best what was already there. I'm sure if you choose to work with that constraint, it'll easily result in new, innovative ways of telling your story. Although I recently read that German filmmakers particularly get into Hollywood mainly because they can make low-cost movies that look like really expensive movies. Well, that's flattering, isn't it?
JHS: What would you say to those who deal with individuals telling them to "quit video games."
It truly is hard to provide a general answer to that one because it depends on the situations. Generally I would recommend to try and make those people understand what gaming means to you. Know why they believe games are stupid and show that you understand them also and take their concerns sincerely. Don't just switch to retaliation mode. When I was in college, I used to speak with my mom and dad about the games I was looking forward to play and what I found fascinating about them. Usually I could make them relate to that somehow.
JHS: Based on the lack of success of a few major motion pictures, it seams very difficult to take the concept of a video game and turn it into a film - with very few movies striving to "get into" the life of BEING a gamer. What was your experience in this matter?
I believe there are 2 types of game movies... Adaptations and Sci-Fi films. Adaptations are almost always awful OR just solid action movies with the game's name in the title... And so yeah, there's almost no movies about real gamers - to be honest I cannot name a single one. And I'm pretty in wonder about that!
But it's difficult, and I do think that the individuals who make it have to know video games as thoroughly as movies....My point is that to really learn from Video Games as a medium, filmmakers have to understand how a game tells its story, what can be translated and what can not.
JHS: Exactly what does WOW present that hardly any other game on the face of the planet offers?
In all honesty - there are a number of video games on earth I haven't played yet! However, I believe that WoW did and does an incredible job at making hardcore gaming available to all kinds of individuals. In EverQuest days, MMORPGs were such an exclusive genre that even most gamers did not know or like. Nowadays you are going to raid with individuals who wouldn't even consider themselves a genuine gamer. And yeah, maybe that is a piece of pioneer work that no other game can do ever again.
About the Author:
If you're looking for a unique video game show which brings Holywood and video game industry together, then The Jace Hall Show is the best for you. It features movies like World of Warcraft movie as well as the discussion of World of Warcraft fans.
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