Unplug Yourself is always excited to see games being utilized in new and original ways. It was the use of Dungeons & Dragons in a video entitled Paladins and Prejudice which caught our attention.
Paladins and Prejudice was created by a group of geeks who have found a way to make their love for Dungeons & Dragons part of a short film. The short film was created for an online filmmaking challenge presented by Light this Location. The rules were simple: They needed to produce an original film that was under five minutes and shot in one location. The short film puts into perspective what it’s like for a group of friends coming together to heck it out in a world built up from the imagination of everyone at the table.
You can head to the Light this Location website to watch the video.
Link: http://lightthislocation.com/entries/paladins-prejudice/
The team
The team from Atree Sound & Film, a production company based in Cape Town, were the master minds behind Paladins and Prejudice. Their love for playing Dungeons & Dragons combined with their technical skills and creativity was the driving force which saw Paladins and Prejudice place first in the Africa region with voting for the grand prize still underway.
Crew:
- Jurgen Bosman (JC) (director, production designer/manager, script supervisor, editor)
- Josua de Vries (DOP, gaffer, editor)
- Jan Adriaan Basson (Key grip, 1st assistant cam, gaffer, editor)
- Wynand Fourie (boom operator, sound engineer, editor)
- Luan Kleingeld (Scriptwriter, 1st AD, actor)
- Francois Taljaardt (Game Master)
- Lana Scott (Gonad the Barbarian)
- Luan Kleingeld (Aridane Lightbringer)
- Beth Fleming (Jasmine Sparklepants)
- Semere Ntshangase (Zalendria Morninglow)
LIGHT THIS LOCATION
“Light this Location is an online filmmaking challenge presented by the most legendary cinema technology brands. The rules are simple. Produce an original film that is under five minutes and shot in one location with an included BTS video and floor plan to show us how you lit and shot it.”
Utilizing one location and a limited budget, how do you differentiate yourself from the other entries and compete on a global scale? *Dungeons & Dragons rolls in* As JC puts it, Dungeons & Dragons was able to tick all the right boxes. One location, One table and everyone’s imagination. It’s no secret that great stories and epic battles are had around the role-playing table, for JC and his crew it was just a matter of helping the audience engage with story.
THE RISE IN POPULARITY OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS?
With more and more mainstream media making references to geek and pop-culture, its no surprise that the hobby is growing rapidly. JC mentioned a few table-top streams and series that inspired him. From Wil Wheaton’s TableTop, a web series about games, a D&D stream called Critical Role, to television series like Stranger Things and The Big Bang Theory. This exposure to Dungeons & Dragons has become a bridge between the two worlds and made it less daunting for people who have always wanted to play but have always felt overwhelmed by the number of rules and books.
WHATS NEXT?
JC let us know that due to the great feedback on their short film and the ever growing fan base hungry for gaming based content, there are plans in the works to create a local tabletop gaming series called TableTop Mountain. JC and crew will play not only Dungeons & Dragons, but a range of board games too. Seeing as the group are based in Cape Town, the name couldn’t be more fitting. TableTop Mountain is set to release in January 2020 with a Patreon account set up for anyone who wants to become a patron for the production of this awesome project.
Be sure to check out their social media pages to keep up with future work and more info on TableTop Mountain, their channel for streaming an Africa inspired D&D game, other tabletop RPG’s and many other board games. You can also email Atree sound and film for any queries.
Email: info@atree.capetown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtreeSoundandFilm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atreesoundandfilm/