I am a storyteller by profession, and my mind naturally drifts into that direction, just can't help it..; hence this train of thought:
In the years I have not painted strangers and friends on some slippery field, this beloved pastime seems to have been relegated to the background. Back in the days it just seemed to be taking off. The tournaments got more professional, some even got televised, Push, the paintball docu was making its circles, the tech got much better and prices dropped... It all seemed to be going much more mainstream, but then it didn't. The airsoft scene had a massive growth though, and I am wondering... and no, I am not interested in a debate why that is so, it just surprised me that it appears so much more popular than paintball; I was just surprised that paintball had not advanced as much culturally. I am also a bit sad; and maybe I am partially to blame - not me personally, but people like me, the Gen-Xers that fell in love with this game, but then left it on the sidelines to tend to other, more "adult" parts of life.
It is not as if there aren't a bunch of good people out there, showcasing this colorful activity, but it still feels somewhat underrepresented. And this thought led me to... what if I made a movie, a paintball movie?
A kind of sports drama, a bit edgy, a bit grunch, a bit of Trainspotting, meets Ballers, meets Push. And I would like to do it with absolute minimal budget, no frills, no glitter, but muddy, sweaty and dirty; hillbilly glamor, with frantic, but authentic gameplay. And only with actual Painballers... so a mostly or even an entire amateurs cast.
And I would like to do with with very little scripting - there will be one, but it's more scene outlines, so it can be shot in a much more natural state - i have done unscripted stuff successfully before, and I feel like this needs a level of grittiness and authenticity that you just cannot fake.
I already have a few ideas for plots, but they are currently a bit too cliche, with the usual "underdog team", with that one starplayer who gets recruited by the antagonist, testing the friendship of the team etc... A bit too basic. But great stories have started at worse places and as my mind churns the idea, it will evolve and change (suggestions are of course welcome, but they are then given freely, and no rights are retained
- unless you wanna write the script with me).
It always bothers me to see paintball as a lasertag-like game, and when it is shown in TV shows and movies, it's usually very inauthentic. And of course the fcking masks! In this movie, they stay on! If the mandalorian can do it with a helmet on for the whole season, then a paintball movie can show the sport as it should be.
And I think this could be done for virtually nothing. Some of the bigger paintball companies could help sponsor it - there will be gear and i would prefer to see a variety and actual real logos represented if possible - after all, the movie would be one big ad for the game as a whole... Otherwise, if the players, the clubs, the teams, the fields, just a fraction of them, would collaborate on this, we could make a nice thing that would promote what we love, to a world that is mostly oblivious to what it is we are really doing. There are many people in this sport that know how to handle a camera, many very familiar with decent game footage, which could spice up the movie, the games can be mostly just real games, while some key scenes can be choreographed. The scenes that do not take place on game fields, can be tailored to what is available, but because it would probably still be some kind of underdog story, the locations don't have to be posh at all.
This movie could also play a little different, make it about a girl getting in to the game..? Because this game could use more female players, and that would be something that could put it ahead of airsoft. But to make it more attractive to women, maybe the story should be about a woman putting on the mask. I also think that it would be best to show that once you have that mask on, and you are on that field, nobody cares what or who you are, just your team color matters...
As I write this, I have this idea of this girl, a young woman, student, working a **** job, trying to get through, taking care of a younger brother, and a mother with diabetes and other health issues. Her older brother died in action (military, afghanistan) - maybe migrant/ethnic background, giving his life for the country. She is angry, frustrated, faces all sorts of problems on a daily basis, and has no outlet for any of that anger. One day, her mother makes her clear of some stuff and she finds her dead brother's old paintball equipment from when he played as a teen. Somehow she ends up on a field, with this old markler, an expired tank and a bunch of old gear. The guy running the place lets her play, although it's one of those rental places and he admits that the sport is not popular enough and that there is not enough money in proper paintball. He makes an exception for her though, because he remembers her brother back from the days, and she falls for it. Not only does she feel free and confident for the first time, she is actually playing surprisingly aggressive and well. when the field owner sees her play, he sees something and sends her to a local team... That team sucks, but they play paintball and she signs up. At first they are reprehensive to let her join, and again, it's the name of her brother that gets her in. And as she gets into the game, she start to learn more about her deceased brother, about his love for the game. The story would lead her to a tournament, even a championship maybe...? But this would be the basic premise of the movie so far.
I am a big fan of collaboration and the aim her is really to tell a story that would showcase paintball as what it is and can be, to promote and further the game, but also tell a relatable story, one that engages with current and persistent topics, but is not afraid to go to the dark side of the soul when it needs to.
What do you think? Would you like to see a paintball movie? Would you like to be involved in making one?
In the years I have not painted strangers and friends on some slippery field, this beloved pastime seems to have been relegated to the background. Back in the days it just seemed to be taking off. The tournaments got more professional, some even got televised, Push, the paintball docu was making its circles, the tech got much better and prices dropped... It all seemed to be going much more mainstream, but then it didn't. The airsoft scene had a massive growth though, and I am wondering... and no, I am not interested in a debate why that is so, it just surprised me that it appears so much more popular than paintball; I was just surprised that paintball had not advanced as much culturally. I am also a bit sad; and maybe I am partially to blame - not me personally, but people like me, the Gen-Xers that fell in love with this game, but then left it on the sidelines to tend to other, more "adult" parts of life.
It is not as if there aren't a bunch of good people out there, showcasing this colorful activity, but it still feels somewhat underrepresented. And this thought led me to... what if I made a movie, a paintball movie?
A kind of sports drama, a bit edgy, a bit grunch, a bit of Trainspotting, meets Ballers, meets Push. And I would like to do it with absolute minimal budget, no frills, no glitter, but muddy, sweaty and dirty; hillbilly glamor, with frantic, but authentic gameplay. And only with actual Painballers... so a mostly or even an entire amateurs cast.
And I would like to do with with very little scripting - there will be one, but it's more scene outlines, so it can be shot in a much more natural state - i have done unscripted stuff successfully before, and I feel like this needs a level of grittiness and authenticity that you just cannot fake.
I already have a few ideas for plots, but they are currently a bit too cliche, with the usual "underdog team", with that one starplayer who gets recruited by the antagonist, testing the friendship of the team etc... A bit too basic. But great stories have started at worse places and as my mind churns the idea, it will evolve and change (suggestions are of course welcome, but they are then given freely, and no rights are retained
- unless you wanna write the script with me).It always bothers me to see paintball as a lasertag-like game, and when it is shown in TV shows and movies, it's usually very inauthentic. And of course the fcking masks! In this movie, they stay on! If the mandalorian can do it with a helmet on for the whole season, then a paintball movie can show the sport as it should be.
And I think this could be done for virtually nothing. Some of the bigger paintball companies could help sponsor it - there will be gear and i would prefer to see a variety and actual real logos represented if possible - after all, the movie would be one big ad for the game as a whole... Otherwise, if the players, the clubs, the teams, the fields, just a fraction of them, would collaborate on this, we could make a nice thing that would promote what we love, to a world that is mostly oblivious to what it is we are really doing. There are many people in this sport that know how to handle a camera, many very familiar with decent game footage, which could spice up the movie, the games can be mostly just real games, while some key scenes can be choreographed. The scenes that do not take place on game fields, can be tailored to what is available, but because it would probably still be some kind of underdog story, the locations don't have to be posh at all.
This movie could also play a little different, make it about a girl getting in to the game..? Because this game could use more female players, and that would be something that could put it ahead of airsoft. But to make it more attractive to women, maybe the story should be about a woman putting on the mask. I also think that it would be best to show that once you have that mask on, and you are on that field, nobody cares what or who you are, just your team color matters...
As I write this, I have this idea of this girl, a young woman, student, working a **** job, trying to get through, taking care of a younger brother, and a mother with diabetes and other health issues. Her older brother died in action (military, afghanistan) - maybe migrant/ethnic background, giving his life for the country. She is angry, frustrated, faces all sorts of problems on a daily basis, and has no outlet for any of that anger. One day, her mother makes her clear of some stuff and she finds her dead brother's old paintball equipment from when he played as a teen. Somehow she ends up on a field, with this old markler, an expired tank and a bunch of old gear. The guy running the place lets her play, although it's one of those rental places and he admits that the sport is not popular enough and that there is not enough money in proper paintball. He makes an exception for her though, because he remembers her brother back from the days, and she falls for it. Not only does she feel free and confident for the first time, she is actually playing surprisingly aggressive and well. when the field owner sees her play, he sees something and sends her to a local team... That team sucks, but they play paintball and she signs up. At first they are reprehensive to let her join, and again, it's the name of her brother that gets her in. And as she gets into the game, she start to learn more about her deceased brother, about his love for the game. The story would lead her to a tournament, even a championship maybe...? But this would be the basic premise of the movie so far.
I am a big fan of collaboration and the aim her is really to tell a story that would showcase paintball as what it is and can be, to promote and further the game, but also tell a relatable story, one that engages with current and persistent topics, but is not afraid to go to the dark side of the soul when it needs to.
What do you think? Would you like to see a paintball movie? Would you like to be involved in making one?
