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Indie Game: The Movie (Documentary Feat. Super Meat Boy, Braid, Fez)

Trailer

Indie Game: The Movie is a feature documentary about video games, their creators and the craft. The film follows the dramatic journeys of indie game developers as they create their games, and as they release those works, and themselves, to the world.

Indie Game: The Movie is about making video games, but at its core, it’s about the creative process and exposing yourself through your work.

The film tells the emotional story of a two-man team, Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, as they craft and release their first major game for XBOX, "Super Meat Boy". It follows Phil Fish, the creator of the highly- anticipated game, "Fez", as he shows it for the first time in 4 years at the giant gaming expo, PAX EAST. And, the film tells behind-the-scenes story an independent designer, Jonathan Blow, who made one of highest-rated video games of all-time, "Braid".

Four developers, three games, and one ultimate goal - to express one’s self through a video game.

This looks great! I can't think of too many documentaries that really go into the creative aspects of games.

I don't think there's a release date aside from "2011." But I'm a huge fan of Braid and Super Meat Boy, so I'm there day one.

Did a search, didn't see anything but lock if old, etc.
 

sam27368

Banned
This thread needs bumping and more lovin'
The film looks incredible. Seriously guys, check out the site - http://www.indiegamethemovie.com/

Trailer - http://vimeo.com/25268139

Indie Game: The Movie is a feature documentary about video games, their creators and the craft. The film follows the dramatic journeys of video game developers as they create and release their games to the world.

The film tells the emotional story of friends Edmund McMillen & Tommy Refenes, as they craft their first Xbox game: "Super Meat Boy".

It follows Phil Fish, the creator of the highly-anticipated game: "FEZ". After 4 years of working in near solitude, Phil reveals his opus to the public for the first time.

And, the film tells the surprising story of one of the highest-rated video games of all time:"Braid".

The film is about making video games, but at its core, it's about the creative process, and exposing yourself through your work.

In short: Making fun and games is anything but fun and games.

The music for Indie Game: The Movie is by Jim Guthrie, the Canadian musician behind this year's iOs hit, Superbrothers: Sword and Swocery EP. You can check his soundtrack ('The Ballad of the Space Babies') and more of his great work on Bandcamp.

Indie Game: The Movie was solely funded by personal savings and the support of the gaming community through two successful Kickstarter campaigns.

The project launched in May 2010 on Kickstarter. The film raised its initial goal of $15,000 in 48 hours, ending the campaign with $23,000 of pre-orders to help with travel costs of the production.

In June 2011, the filmmakers reached out to the community again through Kickstarter with another pre-order campaign to help with finishing costs of the film (audio, colour, mastering). The response was overwhelming. This time, the community helped the production reach its goal of $35,000 in just over 24 hours. The campaign closed with over 200% of its goal, at $71,000.

Quotes4.png
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
Don't know how this isn't getting more interest here. I really can't wait to see this. Indie Game Dev is so inspiring.
 
There's another trailer here.

That final shot with a SNES control just hanging is sooo pretentious.
"Shit dude, things are like, so out of control man, all we can do to stay in control is just hang, yeah?"
 

spode

Member
I'm really excited about this movie finally coming out! Read up on it when it was announced and have been keeping track of it's development ever since. Have watched their clips at their Vimeo page several times. The latest one where they're talking to Phil Fish right after he has seen the movie makes me smile :)

I'm hoping this will be a movie I can show to my parents so they can somewhat understand what I'm about. Right now they don't have a clue :p
 

Riposte

Member
There's another trailer here.

That final shot with a SNES control just hanging is sooo pretentious.
"Shit dude, things are like, so out of control man, all we can do to stay in control is just hang, yeah?"

I felt the close up of the shot of the binoculars was very poignant. I could see how developing an indie game would make one feel like he was in a concentration camp. Also the shot of the geek jumping into the pool juxtaposed with his videogame avatar was very beautiful and of meaning.

Now excuse me as I go murder someone.
 

boutrosinit

Street Fighter IV World Champion
I love the idea of this, but the trailer seems to make all the Phil Fish segments super-hipster wanky.

Other than that, the Ed McMillen bits look great. I may just watch this for Team Meat.
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
I felt the close up of the shot of the binoculars was very poignant. I could see how developing an indie game would make one feel like he was in a concentration camp. Also the shot of the geek jumping into the pool juxtaposed with his videogame avatar was very beautiful and of meaning.

Now excuse me as I go murder someone.

I feel like we're crossing some kind of threshold with the release of this documentary, and I'm not sure if I'll be as enthusiastic about "indie games" on the other side of it.
 

Jasoco

Banned
That trailer seems more pretentious than an Apple product release video. And I'm a Mac user. It makes indie game developers look smug... though I know some of them are, but still. "Look at me, I made a game and millions of people play it! Worship me! I'm better than you! I entertain you! You owe me!"

And the non-console versions of Super Meat Boy are terribly coded. They have nothing to be smug about.
 

desu

Member
That trailer seems more pretentious than an Apple product release video. And I'm a Mac user. It makes indie game developers look smug... though I know some of them are, but still. "Look at me, I made a game and millions of people play it! Worship me! I'm better than you! I entertain you! You owe me!"

And the non-console versions of Super Meat Boy are terribly coded. They have nothing to be smug about.

I agree on the first part, it's exactly what I have been thinking when watching the trailer.

As for the second part, you know that it's terribly coded where from ...?
 

Atomski

Member
That trailer seems more pretentious than an Apple product release video. And I'm a Mac user. It makes indie game developers look smug... though I know some of them are, but still. "Look at me, I made a game and millions of people play it! Worship me! I'm better than you! I entertain you! You owe me!"

And the non-console versions of Super Meat Boy are terribly coded. They have nothing to be smug about.
Uh the PC version of Super Meat Boy is perfect.. actually a ton better than the xbox version. They are not Apple developers so they had to hire someone to port it to mac.

Also if you slaved over what you considered a piece of art you would be probably be pretty smug as well. Lots of artist are like that.
 
I am sure the full film will be have interesting interviews but man this trailer - the pretension is through the roof. I think a large part of it is the music choice.
 
I think people are reading way too much into a movie based on a trailer. Photography and editing looks like many urban stories and documentaries. The design trilogy with Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized looks and sounds like this. Lots of white space, narrow depth of field, and graphic composition. Apple and Microsoft, and everyone else uses this style to storytell now.
 

Utako

Banned
This thread proves once again that nerds hate emotions. We get it guys, you prefer cargo pants to skinny jeans for their practicality and modesty WE GET IT GUYS.

As for the film... the message is spot-on, while the cinematography drives the point home. Real game creation is oddly about denying yourself and spilling your guts. There are thousands of facets to even the most minuscule pieces of content, so there is plenty of room for expression, and an endless number of ways to burn time and accumulate hardship.

It is all at once suffocating and unfathomably exciting.
 
Looks like an emotional rollercoaster of a movie. Sensitively shot and scored to expose the tender beating heart of the experience of making a game. This is just what the medium needs to move it forward to the next level of art as an experience of living for feeling and reaching for the unreachable.
 

Jasoco

Banned
As for the second part, you know that it's terribly coded where from ...?
Also if you slaved over what you considered a piece of art you would be probably be pretty smug as well. Lots of artist are like that.
There's plenty of people in the official SMB thread complaining about all non-console versions. Mac is just the worst. But I've had plenty of problems with the Windows version.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
A friend showed me a trailer of this, it looks like it could be interesting but (unsurprisingly) came across a tad pretentious.
 

Chavelo

Member
I... think I'm going to watch it first before making an opinion for the movie. I'll then write a post on this thread if I think if it's good or pretentious.

I know. I'm a crazy motherfucker, GAF. :O
 
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