The Sport of Paintball - A Short Film

[weedave]

I created a short film on our favourite sport for my major project at University. This is the first draft of it, I still need to touch up a few things and create the overlay graphics (players names etc).

If you could give it a watch (720p) and answer the few questions for me below, I would be forever grateful. Be as honest as possible, I can take constructive criticism. Most of the time anyway.

• Does the film give a good representation of the sport of paintball?
• Do you feel films like this are necessary to try and educate the public about the sport?
• Is the film a) too short, b) too long or c) an appropriate length?
• Do you feel there could be more talking or more playing footage? If so, which?
• Is the soundtrack appropriate for the subject?
• As a player, do you feel this film answers some of the questions that you regularly get asked about the sport?
• Any other comments about the film.

 

[Tony Harrison]

I think this is a very good short film, but you should have interviewed less Mancs and Scotsmen and more Southerners. (Joking)

Oh, and the MS or CPPS should hire you to film their events. Seriously, I think you have a future in this.

• Does the film give a good representation of the sport of paintball? YES
• Do you feel films like this are necessary to try and educate the public about the sport? YES
• Is the film a) too short, b) too long or c) an appropriate length? JUST RIGHT
• Do you feel there could be more talking or more playing footage? If so, which? NO -YOU HAVE THE RIGHT BALANCE
• Is the soundtrack appropriate for the subject? NO, YOU SHOULD HAVE MORE DUBSTEP IN IT. JOKING.
• As a player, do you feel this film answers some of the questions that you regularly get asked about the sport? YES
• Any other comments about the film.

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1048766

 

[Tom]

The downer side:
Very down at the start on the public perception of paintball. You are not going to attract too many people for criticising the first thing they see about paintball, which is what brings them the fun and makes them want to play more.
Big up the fact that paintball is much more than stag dos in the woods,

My usual question on the disassociation of 'war' style paintball - Is that realy a problem in the UK? This is not liberal America, we do not have the major contradiction of support the troops, but anything to do with soldiers is bad. (This point of view originates from the survivalists - not the military)
Is the problem more of the tournament side not feeling recognised so have a need to put down that element?

Also in putting down the 'fun' side of paintball and showing it as competitive and aggressive you can scare people off. In the same way that the brothers still play but the father does not. What is to prevent bringing up walkons etc and showing that dad may not be up to the competition but he still kicks the kids butts at walkons.

Even if you just briefly cover the publics first view of paintball, add getting your own gear and playing walkons, other types of paintball and then into the sport element of tournaments.

The 'is paintball a sport' element is superfluous and counterproductive. You have titled the film as 'The sport of paintball', you have introduced the competitive element and shown tournaments etc, Then it gets bogged down with everyone justifying calling it a sport, I believe this in itself loses the argument, leave it out, keep the title and discuss the competion and show it as a sport.

 

[Jay Ford]

Tommikka I think one of us is missing the point.

When I watched this I didn't see an invite to play paintball, I didn't see it as a requtment drive more educational. This is tourniment paintball this is what we do and why we do it, it's tough at the top level but rewarding you make sacrifices and work hard and are rewarded.

I liked the premise and the interviews but was a bit let down by the game footage. It was saying paintball isn't all about the army and crawling around in the mud and then showed the muddiest event I have ever seen. The length was appropriate and it seemed to convay the correct message (if my assumptions are what was intended)

 

[Ainsley]

First thing....good work!

My initial thoughts as a paintballer were that I like it, I understand it.....however, if I was a member of the public with no prior knowledge, I still wouldn't fully understand it. There's no explanation of what tournament paintball really is compared to woodland paintball. Yes we see bunkers and people dressed differently, but perhaps a short section breaking it down would help the average joe understand things more clearly. I agree, it's more educational, so let's throw some facts in there as well as thoughts and feelings.

Good point by Jay regarding the mud....while the actual footage is good, it's that the conditions don't do much to "glorify" the game....obviously that couldn't be helped as you'd only got one day to film.

Still think Fish deserves an Oscar though for his haunting performance.

 

[weedave]

Thanks for the responses so far.

Jay is pretty much spot on with it not being a recruitment video, more as a tool for us players to show people to show them that it's not just playing rambo in the woods.

I completely agree with the muddy footage comments, unfortunately I only had the equipment for one weekend to film at the CPPS which decided to get pissed on all weekend. When Stoney mentions how big it is all over the world at the start, I'd have loved to been able to have shot footage at a couple of Millenniums to show the grand stand in the sun for example but unfortunately it wasn't feasible.

 

[Tom]

As its aimed at showing tournament paintball as a sport I still say limit the number of justifications of calling it a sport, concentrate on the competitiveness and let the sport side speak for itself

 

[Jay Ford]

...

 

[weedave]

Video updated (lost all my views and comments ) with quality touched up, overlay graphics (player names and logos) and credits.