Cucalorus response 1: Monster Camp

For my first Cucalorus screening, I attended Monster Camp, a documentary about the lives of Seattle NERO players, a real life version of Dungeons and Dragons basically. The whole community documented was a brand new deal for me as I really didn’t know (or want to know) that things like this actually exist, but it was very interesting to say the least. In a nutshell, the filmmaker, Cullen Hoback, followed around a few enthusiasts as they prepared themselves and their costumes for the big showdown of the real-life D&D’ers. The doc was very funny because of how serious the people took the game and how it had basically engulfed their lives. As a filmmaker, I really dug how professional the doc was made and how he let the players do the narration and not himself (see Michael Moore). I also liked the equal coverage of everyone and the balance of their real selves and game selves. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that the guys seemed to get so much into the game that it had taken over their lives. It was almost sad, but I guess its good to have a hobby that one cares so much about.
There was a Q&A afterwards with Cullen, whom I had met a few nights before at Jengo’s, and he was glad to explain how he got the idea and also how the players were in their real lives. A question was asked about whether or not he was trying to exploit or poke fun at the players since the documentary was of a humorous nature. He explained that he was indeed not and it just turned out that way because it was a ridiculous concept to begin with. He also explained that the guys actually were pretty successful in their jobs (although one was a stay-at-home all-day gamer) and social lives and that one of the main guys was actually engaged. I had met Cullen at Jengo’s and somehow he got on an anti-film school rant (could’ve been the free alcohol) about how no one needs film school and that it actually hinders one’s chances in the film world due to the ego that comes out of a film degree. I was split on my feelings because I’ve learned a lot through this 6x1 class and in my other hands-on courses. But I do get what he’s saying because some of my more critical (i.e. paper-writing) courses haven’t taught me much other than the fact that I’d rather make movies than study and write about them. But who am I to judge, right?