‘GAMELOADING: RISE OF THE INDIES’
15 MINUTE ‘SNEAK PEEK’ OF INDIE GAME DOCUMENTARY RELEASED
GameLoading: Rise of the Indies is a feature documentary exploring the world of indie game developers – their craft, their games, their dreams, and how they have forever changed the landscape of games culture. Filmmakers Lester Francois and Anna Brady are currently crowdfunding the project through Kickstarter to help complete post-production.
A 15-minute Sneak Peek has been released of GameLoading: Rise of the Indies, which captures the mood and message of the final film. It focuses on the passion, innovation and inclusiveness of the indie games scene, and offers a heart-warming positive message about developer culture, despite the recent negativity in the industry.
“We’re really excited to release our Sneak Peek and share a glimpse of what the finished film has to offer,” said Lester Francois, producer/director of GameLoading. “Being embedded in the indie game community has rubbed off on us as filmmakers. Our 15-minute clip feels like a game demo.”
The Sneak Peek is framed around a journey both physical and metaphorical, as developers take part in “Train Jam”, a challenge where participants try to create a working game within the 52-hour train ride from Chicago to San Francisco.
“Train Jam had over a hundred game devs crammed into a few carriages for more than two days, working to a strict deadline while travelling across the country. It’s intense, but really inspiring.”
“It really shows how dedicated this creative, vibrant community is to their craft,” said Anna Brady, producer/editor of the film. “Their innovation is what excites us the most. It’s fueling video games culture.”
Indie filmmakers Lester and Anna have been working on GameLoading for over two years. During the primary block of filming, they couch-surfed their way across the US, Europe and Japan, interviewing dozens of game creators while living off $1 slices of pizza and sleeping on floors and couches.
During production, the filmmakers adopted the work practices of the indies they were documenting: they’ve embraced open development by sharing their journey with their audience, posting over an hour of extra video content online.
The Sneak Peek features Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable), John Romero (Doom), Rami Ismail (Vlambeer), Alex Preston (Hyper Light Drifter), Zoe Quinn (Depression Quest), Steve Gaynor (Gone Home), Nina Freeman (Code Liberation), Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone) and more.
The 15-minute clip can be seen on GameLoading’s Kickstarter page, along with the trailer, which has inspired audiences across the community. The Kickstarter campaign, which launched two weeks ago, aims to raise $50,000 to fund post-production.
GameLoading: Rise of the Indies will be released in March 2015 on leading digital platforms, Blu-Ray, DVD and in selected theaters.
Make sure to check out their website, donate to the Kickstarter, follow them on Twitter, and LIKE them on Facebook. It’s documentaries like these that recognize the voices that may otherwise not be heard. Let’s support some independence!
