Smash 64 Documentary?

[PrestonK]

The idea of producing a Smash 64 documentary has been in the back of my mind ever since the Melee doc was released, but I never really gave it much thought until now. With that being said, producing a documentary is not easy and would take a lot of time. Would there even be enough interest from the smash and gaming community? The Melee doc helped make the game grow, but even without it Melee was still so much bigger than 64 was. Is the history of competitive smash 64 interesting enough? I feel like there's potential. Cobr recently replied to a comment on the smash reddit talking about the different topics that would potentially be in a 64 doc and I think it pretty much covers everything. It included the early online days, the early console tournament days (Genesis), the Japanese scene, the Peruvian scene, and then the more recent growth of 64 now. Of course a successful kickstarter campaign would definitely encourage me to do it, but I wanted some thoughts and feedback from you guys on the general idea of a Smash 64 documentary or web series.

 

[Grahamaglam]

I would be more for a 64 documentary if we too had a film major produce the documentary while the 64 community supplies the topics and history, but I don't think we have that kind of talent in the community right now who will be dedicated enough to go through with the project.

 

[Grizzmeister]

It would be very difficult to compete with the Melee documentary 'The Smash Brothers' and also such an effort might end up coming off as derivative.

My wife and I made a 20 minute documentary about our harassment by the federal government after I became a whistleblower. It's really not too hard to make a documentary if you have a good team and a good subject.

Instead of making a documentary why not do a 45 minute web film about Smash 64? I'll even give you the idea for it. Call it 'The Cult of Super Smash Bros.' and make it a copy of the motion picture Amadeus. That is, make it about a SSB64 players who is so gifted that someone he believes to be his friend betrays him out of jealousy. I'll even write the screenplay for you.

 

[Shears]

Edward Snowden?

 

[Grizzmeister]

Edward Snowden?

Nope but here's a picture of me with his dad Lon Snowden.

I'm the sexy Hispanic guy on the left?

 

[PrestonK]

I would be more for a 64 documentary if we too had a film major produce the documentary while the 64 community supplies the topics and history, but I don't think we have that kind of talent in the community right now who will be dedicated enough to go through with the project.

I guess I didn't explicitly say in my post that'd I'd be producing it, but it would be me who would do it. My friends and I just started a production company as well so I would have help in creating it. Although we are brand new and don't have as much experience, we do have the skills and tools to produce good quality video. I've been a photographer for over 6 years and done some videos here and there so I'm not just some random guy who wants to make a doc.

It would be very difficult to compete with the Melee documentary 'The Smash Brothers' and also such an effort might end up coming off as derivative.

Instead of making a documentary why not do a 45 minute web film about Smash 64?

Good points. I did consider having it as a shorter film or a web series.

 

[Sedda]

I think shalaka is already working on something like this and has recorded some stuff from the tournaments with the Peruvians. I haven't read the other replies, but imo the scene isn't developed enough to warrant a documentary. Even if people have been playing long, a lot of the games history is online until very recently

Edit: just read what grizz said, and I agree. A short film about one future tournament would be better. Not enough history to make an all encompassing documentary

 

[Shears]

Nope but here's a picture of me with his dad Lon Snowden.

I'm the sexy Hispanic guy on the left?

Do they just have some whistleblower convention? Snitch Con 2015?

 

[Grizzmeister]

Do they just have some whistleblower convention? Snitch Con 2015?

If you knew what I know you wouldn't consider it "snitching". You'd appreciate what brave whistleblowers like Snowden are doing and value their actions as a necessary public service. The U.S. has slipped much closer to fascism than many citizens here realize. I'll just leave it at that and try to get back on topic.

Documentaries are cool but there's already been a very good one done about the Super Smash Bros. phenomenon. Instead, I'd rather watch short films that delve deeper in to the lives of the truly remarkable people who pay the price to become Smash masters. I'd recommend the film 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' as a reference to the potential Smash related film I'd like to see produced.

 

[Saltsizzle]

If you knew what I know you wouldn't consider it "snitching". You'd appreciate what brave whistleblowers like Snowden are doing and value their actions as a necessary public service. The U.S. has slipped much closer to fascism than many citizens here realize. I'll just leave it at that and try to get back on topic.

Documentaries are cool but there's already been a very good one done about the Super Smash Bros. phenomenon. Instead, I'd rather watch short films that delve deeper in to the lives of the truly remarkable people who pay the price to become Smash masters. I'd recommend the film 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' as a reference to the potential Smash related film I'd like to see produced.

You want a drama film with actors about smash 64?

 

[Grizzmeister]

You want a drama film with actors about smash 64?

I think so because given its deep meta-strategies Smash 64 can probably be likened to chess for modern audiences. Also, some of the grand masters of SSB64 like Isai are easily as interesting in their personal lives as chess luminaries like the late great Bobby Fischer.

 

[Olikus]

documentary would be awesome. there is allot of history in both america, japan, peru and europe that not many people know about. Like the mysterious bear from Europe for example. Problem is who is gonna make it, it would be a heck of a job. Only possibility i see for it now would be if many people contributed on it from various places. And then one person can be in charge on editing it all, and adding voice over narrator or what not.

Its definetly interest for it. But it would take allot of effort from many people. Im gladly contributing if it will happen one day.

 

[Miketastic5]

documentary would be awesome. there is allot of history in both america, japan, peru and europe that not many people know about. Like the mysterious bear from Europe for example. Problem is who is gonna make it, it would be a heck of a job. Only possibility i see for it now would be if many people contributed on it from various places. And then one person can be in charge on editing it all, and adding voice over narrator or what not.

Its definetly interest for it. But it would take allot of effort from many people. Im gladly contributing if it will happen one day.

I'm now picturing a Bear in Europe who sat down to play Smash 64 one day, beat all the top players in the country, and was never seen again.

 

[Kirbstomper]

We could do like a 45 minute film imitating the TV series "hung" from hbo with me as the main character and actor. Except instead of being a coach or something I could be an ok smash player.

 

[B Link]

Ideas:

"The Smash Brothers" was not a full on historical documentary. The documentary was divided by its 7 players and focused on the players primarily. The history was more so on the side.

So, something other than a purely historical theme is probably ideal if the goal is to garner interest. It doesn't have to be divided by players (like Grizz said, we don't want to be copycats).

What about dividing it purely by regions? For example, Part 1: Japan, Part 2: USA, Part 3: Peru...etc. Of course, the "division" (content-wise) does not have to be super strict.

That said, I think the success of the melee documentary was undoubtedly because of its heavy focus on the players themselves. The way they did it resulted in superstars/celebrities to be created (i.e. they made M2K and Mango and stuff have extremely colorful and interesting personalities). It is easy to see why people would be interested in that. Something similar would still need to be in a gaming documentary for it to be successful, I'd say.

 

[Shears]

People want the history though, documentaries almost always give attention to a subjects history. People want direction to see where something started, where it is, and where it is going. Its a way to do a factual story arc and sum things up with a what does this all mean and what happens next conclusion. A documentary shouldn't be a listing of information and details about people or places, its not that interesting, it needs to be flowing and impressionable. The Smash Brothers focused on people but ordered them by their place in smash history and went through the history of each smasher. No one needs to worry about facts or anything to make a documentary, just simply make it an entertaining story. They have documentaries about ancient aliens and conspiracy theories, people don't care about facts and truth anymore.

 

[Olikus]

I'm now picturing a Bear in Europe who sat down to play Smash 64 one day, beat all the top players in the country, and was never seen again.

you pretty much summed it all up. There never been a more mysterious player in any video game scene ever.

 

[Grizzmeister]

I could probably write an AWESOME screenplay for a Smash 64 film. Here's a sample of my work.

During the holiday season of 1997 my local Blockbuster Video had replaced Super Mario 64 in the promotional kiosk with Mario Kart 64. As some of you may be aware, MK64 is my favorite game on the N64 having spent literally hundreds if not thousands of hours playing it with friends. I was in Blockbuster browsing around Christmas time because N64 games were still rather pricey back then so I tended to rent before committing to a purchase.

There was a hardcore gamer looking guy of about 19 years old playing Mario Kart 64 and I could tell he had some skills because he was pulling off mini-turbos around just about every corner. He must have noticed me watching him because he arrogantly mentioned that MK64 was also a multiplayer game and would I like to race against him. I hesitated for just a brief moment but instinct got the better of me and before I knew it I had controller number 2 clutched tightly in my hands and I was counter-picking Wario to his choice of Donkey Kong. I guess in the heady moments leading up to our race I reckoned he'd try to bump me off the track if I picked a lighter yet more forgiving character like Toad or Yoshi. I let him pick the track and engine size for our Versus bout - he showed absolutely no mercy by picking Royal Raceway and 150cc so immediately I knew this guy meant business.

We both got the turbo at the start of the race which seemed to take my opponent by surprise and I felt him hesitate ever so slightly as we approached the first turn. He compounded his error further by not getting a full mini-turbo which allowed me to pull ahead as we made our way down to the edge of the lake which rests tranquilly at the center of the track. As luck would have it, I had picked up a single banana as my item and I opted to gamble by dropping it at the bend rather than dragging it behind me. My gambit paid off as I heard DK squeal in distress as he spun out of control and in to the lake. Within ten seconds of the start of the race my opponent standing next to me was already grumbling under his breath. He was far too skilled and hardened a warrior to admit defeat so early as he knew that Mario Kart 64 offers up a wicked level of handicap advantage to those who fall behind, and sure enough his next trip through an item box rewarded him with a deadly red homing shell. By this point I had also been granted a practical implement, given the fact that I was in first place, in the form of a green shell and this time I wisely chose to drag it behind me for defense. Yeah, this guy was quite the tactician as he showed the patience to wait until I was on the other side of the ramp and in the S-turn before launching his homing shell but to no avail as it harmlessly hit the green shell I had in tow.

By this point a small crowd had gathered behind us to take in the spectacle. I never dared look back at them as I knew a victory would take every ounce of concentration I could muster but I was aware of the spectators at a near subconscious level. Besides, they occasionally made their presence known by their guttural gasps whenever they sensed a possible lead change.

Royal Raceway is a very long track and we did jockey for position several times as the slightest error on either of our behalves would cost us the lead. It became apparent the winner of this race wasn't going to be the person with the better driving ability but the challenger with the sharper mind and an edge in luck. Much luck was needed too as Versus also ramps up the excitement by placing yellow bombs on the track which can be, and often are game-changers if one errantly collides with them.

On that day chance was on my side as I was able to lay down a suppressing field of bananas near the end of the track. In fact, there were so many bananas strewn about that we both started to slide on them as we headed down the homestretch. My victory was assured only because I was able to pull myself out of the slide by a deft tap of the brake and regain just enough control to stay on the course. As I did - the half dozen or so people watching erupted in to a roar with some of them even stepping forward to pat me on the back.

Yeah... that was a moment that I'll never forget and part of the reason why Mario Kart 64 will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

[Hentenaar]

I could probably write an AWESOME screenplay for a Smash 64 film. Here's a sample of my work.

During the holiday season of 1997 my local Blockbuster Video had replaced Super Mario 64 in the promotional kiosk with Mario Kart 64. As some of you may be aware, MK64 is my favorite game on the N64 having spent literally hundreds if not thousands of hours playing it with friends. I was in Blockbuster browsing around Christmas time because N64 games were still rather pricey back then so I tended to rent before committing to a purchase.

There was a hardcore gamer looking guy of about 19 years old playing Mario Kart 64 and I could tell he had some skills because he was pulling off mini-turbos around just about every corner. He must have noticed me watching him because he arrogantly mentioned that MK64 was also a multiplayer game and would I like to race against him. I hesitated for just a brief moment but instinct got the better of me and before I knew it I had controller number 2 clutched tightly in my hands and I was counter-picking Wario to his choice of Donkey Kong. I guess in the heady moments leading up to our race I reckoned he'd try to bump me off the track if I picked a lighter yet more forgiving character like Toad or Yoshi. I let him pick the track and engine size for our Versus bout - he showed absolutely no mercy by picking Royal Raceway and 150cc so immediately I knew this guy meant business.

We both got the turbo at the start of the race which seemed to take my opponent by surprise and I felt him hesitate ever so slightly as we approached the first turn. He compounded his error further by not getting a full mini-turbo which allowed me to pull ahead as we made our way down to the edge of the lake which rests tranquilly at the center of the track. As luck would have it, I had picked up a single banana as my item and I opted to gamble by dropping it at the bend rather than dragging it behind me. My gambit paid off as I heard DK squeal in distress as he spun out of control and in to the lake. Within ten seconds of the start of the race my opponent standing next to me was already grumbling under his breath. He was far too skilled and hardened a warrior to admit defeat so early as he knew that Mario Kart 64 offers up a wicked level of handicap advantage to those who fall behind, and sure enough his next trip through an item box rewarded him with a deadly red homing shell. By this point I had also been granted a practical implement, given the fact that I was in first place, in the form of a green shell and this time I wisely chose to drag it behind me for defense. Yeah, this guy was quite the tactician as he showed the patience to wait until I was on the other side of the ramp and in the S-turn before launching his homing shell but to no avail as it harmlessly hit the green shell I had in tow.

By this point a small crowd had gathered behind us to take in the spectacle. I never dared look back at them as I knew a victory would take every ounce of concentration I could muster but I was aware of the spectators at a near subconscious level. Besides, they occasionally made their presence known by their guttural gasps whenever they sensed a possible lead change.

Royal Raceway is a very long track and we did jockey for position several times as the slightest error on either of our behalves would cost us the lead. It became apparent the winner of this race wasn't going to be the person with the better driving ability but the challenger with the sharper mind and an edge in luck. Much luck was needed too as Versus also ramps up the excitement by placing yellow bombs on the track which can be, and often are game-changers if one errantly collides with them.

On that day chance was on my side as I was able to lay down a suppressing field of bananas near the end of the track. In fact, there were so many bananas strewn about that we both started to slide on them as we headed down the homestretch. My victory was assured only because I was able to pull myself out of the slide by a deft tap of the brake and regain just enough control to stay on the course. As I did - the half dozen or so people watching erupted in to a roar with some of them even stepping forward to pat me on the back.

Yeah... that was a moment that I'll never forget and part of the reason why the Mario Kart 64 will always hold a special place in my heart.

That's too much scene direction

 

[Kirbstomper]

That wasn't even about 64. Here's a sample of my work

Kirbstomper thought that he was the best 64 player in GA, but he still had to prove himself against the large breasted woman player named idk she's got huge ****. He knew that if he could vanquish her she'd have be immediately betrothed to him. Everyone had heard the rumors about him, and he arrogantly accepted the title of "the guy that plays smash that is extremely hung". While quote long, like his member, the name stuck. She picked someone that wasn't Kirby, her first mistake. Kirbstomper
Knew it was over once he landed his first move, an up tilt. He had practiced this scenario many times in his head before, and he was as prepared to unleash a sick, lethal combo (that takes a lot of skill to do) as he was to finally settle down with this woman so his
Mom wouldn't think he was such an awkward basement dweller. The first move was simple: up tilt. He knew if he reacted fast he could land another move, up tilt, which would chain into an even larger combo. Kirbstomper up tilted a third time, and then a fourth for good measure, before up tilting once more. The woman had never seen such tech skill before, and he could see her
Magnificent chest jiggling like a bag of sand. It was on the sixth up tilt that he decided to use his secret weapon: the up tilt. He up tilted one final time before he broke out his finishing move, the up tilt. He could hear the crowd behind him awing at his smash prowess, and yet he knew there was work to be done; that was merely the first stock of a formal, 7 stock match on hyrule.

If you want more I have a lot of free time on my hands. My mom says having hobbies is good for meeting people, so I'm thinking writing semi erotic smash fan fiction could really help me emotionally.

 

[Hentenaar]

Does semi erotic mean that only certain parts are erotic, or is the entire thing just sort of hot?

I like the second option..it's a long slow burn

 

[Grizzmeister]

That's too much scene direction

Wow, you're a harsh critic.

I’d like to develop a 45 minute long web film very loosely based on the plot of the major motion picture Amadeus. By that I mean that the plot would revolve around a budding young Smash 64 prodigy who elicits the jealousy and ultimately the betrayal of a world ranked competitive player. I’d also borrow elements from other movies I’ve enjoyed such as Searching for Bobby Fischer, Charly and Little Man Tate.

Please don’t think that borrowing plot elements from classics is unprecedented. In fact, the highly successful movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? is just a stylized retelling of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey.

 

[Olikus]

any contribution would be awesome frankly. Even a medicore documentary is better than nothing. I think Most people prefer to watch than to read about videogame history. There arent much information on the internet about our scene outisde of smashboards. And on this forum 80 percent are regulars.

 

[Grizzmeister]

There's money on the table for people who want to make films in my home State of North Carolina.

NC FILM GRANT TO GET BIG INCREASE

A big boost is coming to the North Carolina Film Grant Program.

Today, the North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House agreed to increase the film grant to $30 million dollars annually over the next two years. This is an increase of $20 million dollars compared to the previous budget cycle.

My generous offer to write a screenplay still stands.

 

[Grizzmeister]

The late great Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."

The only thing I would add is that the street sweeper should pursue his calling with as much passion as Isai plays Smash 64, for surely then even the Angels up in Heaven would be moved to tears.

 

[th3kuzinator]

i personally think a doc would be awesome. I have tons of info to contribute from 2009 onward, but if you wanna go fully through with it we'd absolutely need Isai's input, which I foresee possibly being a problem

I know other vets like frogles and boomfan would probably be down.

 

[Shalaka]

https://www.facebook.com/smash64documentary

 

[PenTheNinja]

a doc would be sweet!
64 never gets the credit it deserves

 

[PrestonK]

https://www.facebook.com/smash64documentary

I've seen this before, but is there any update? The last post was almost 6 months ago.

I don't think I'll be making a full on documentary (at least not in the near future), but I like the idea of shorter videos that showcase our community like major tournament highlights, player profiles, etc. So lemme know if you have any ideas for stuff like that and hopefully expect something at the next major that I go to, starting with EGLX in November in Toronto if enough of you go.

 

[Nishifue]

aaaaaaaaaa

 

[Combo Blaze]

64? Nah. I feel like a documentary for Brawl would actually work. There's a lot of history in Brawl.

You must be lost. This is the 64 section. Here, let me link you to where you're trying to go. http://smashboards.com/forums/brawl-general-discussion.121/

Have a nice day! and stay out

 

[Nishifue]

aaaaaaaaaa

 

[Surri-Sama]

Would be interesting to see, hard to imagine though. Plus it'd be essentially thankless work so who ever does it would have to be very self motived.

 

[B Link]

Would be interesting to see, hard to imagine though. Plus it'd be essentially thankless work so who ever does it would have to be very self motived.

he's alive

 

[Grizzmeister]

The ultimate Smash 64 documentary would have to include an in-depth interview with Masahiro Sakurai.

I'd also like a portion of the documentary to detail the past, present and future of Smash 64 both for casual and competitive play. Taking in to account that PC emulation is so refined nowadays we can reasonably predict that the future of SSB64 resides on that platform rather than on the archaic N64 hardware.

 

[Shears]

Dude grizz, the consoles aren't going anywhere anytime soon and no documentary will ever feature casual wii vc gameplay. Stop trying to bury the og console.

 

[Grizzmeister]

Dude grizz, the consoles aren't going anywhere anytime soon and no documentary will ever feature casual wii vc gameplay. Stop trying to bury the og console.

Many people are still playing competitively games older than Smash 64 but they're not doing so on the original hardware that those games were released on. What makes you think that SSB64 can escape this same fate?

 

[Shears]

Many people are still playing competitively games older than Smash 64 but they're not doing so on the original hardware that those games were released on. What makes you think that SSB64 can escape this same fate?

Magic.

 

[Fireblaster]

Many people are still playing competitively games older than Smash 64 but they're not doing so on the original hardware that those games were released on. What makes you think that SSB64 can escape this same fate?

Remember how I posted that video of people playing ssf2t at evo on the original arcade motherboard?

Yeah shut the **** up

 

[Grizzmeister]

Remember how I posted that video of people playing ssf2t at evo on the original arcade motherboard?

Obviously you've never heard of MAME and what people are doing with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8t54KCr5iU

Check out this MAME cabinet.

Back on topic: a good Smash 64 documentary would cover every facet of the game including on-line.