Inside A Documentary About Video Games Pt 2

Last month, I was filmed for a documentary film on the down side of video games and the rapid integration of technology into modern culture. The movie is titled Your Computer is Killing You: The Side-Effects of a Techy Lifestyle, a labor of love by filmmakers Brian Bentow and Solomon Rothman. I was asked to contribute my thoughts on video game addiction.

For this week’s (month’s?) Robot Punch!, I’ll share my experience from the other side of the screen to give some insight on its progression.

I talk with my hands.

Two weeks after my previous encounter, the footage taken was deemed unwatchable. The method we’d used to record the video feed from our conversation was ineffective; my footage barely played at 5 frames per second. Not something you want to sit in front of with a tub of popcorn.

Here’s where the movie magic comes in! With Brian’s half already in the can, all that was needed was for me to repeat my responses. Only this time, with a dash of performance art. I now had the chance to clarify my points more succinctly with the emotional emphasis that they were due. Both the producer and I understood that my time on screen would be incredibly short, so some editing of my “dialog” would have to be done as well.

Director Solomon Rothman, behind the scenes of his independent film,
'The Boy Who Never Slept'.

There were three topics that we wanted to make sure were covered: My introduction, my thoughts on video game addiction, and sticking it to World of Warcraft. That last item was at the request of Solomon, to which I was happy to oblige.

You see, Solomon is the driving force behind covering video game addiction for this project. As you’ll see in the video clip below, he’s had personal experience losing someone he loved because of an addiction to an online video game. (Though it’s not really a game; it was Second Life.) It was by this heartbreak that Solomon embarked on a mission to expose the dangers of video game addiction so that others may be saved from sharing his pain. Also to subtly tell the world that his ex-girlfriend got fat.

Each section took several takes. The first few were usually to break me of stumbling over my own words until I’d figured out exactly what I wanted to say. From there, each take was given a direction by Brian; usually, “Faster!”, “Sound more exciting!”, or “Just cut that part out.” Working with editors, I am familiar with these cues.

Eventually, my three sections were recorded to satisfaction. It took 3 hours to record 30 seconds of footage. Sounds insane, but very normal for how movies are actually made.

But here it is, kiddies! The project may not make it to a full theatrical release, but in the meantime, it’s being revised into an episodic online series. Not only am I in the first episode, but I’m also in the first segment! Whether I’ll be in future installments is unknown, but not impossible. It’s the kind of series that we should all watch and consider, as you may be or know someone whose life is being hindered by gaming irresponsibly.

For your pleasure…