DerDer
DerDer, also known as DerDer Productions or DerDer Paintball, is an American paintball video production company based in San Diego, California. It is known for producing tournament paintball films documenting professional and amateur competition during the 2000s and early 2010s.[1][2]
DerDer's productions combined tournament footage, player interviews, music-driven editing and comedy sequences. Its films covered major competitions including the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP), National Xball League (NXL) and Millennium Series, alongside regional American tournament circuits.[2][3]
The company was associated with filmmaker Rob Astamendi, who was documented producing paintball videos under the DerDer name by 2004.[1]
Its best-known releases include 300 FPS, Roadkill, Obscure Influence, Natural Selection, Soldiers of Misfortune, War of Attrition and Progression.[2][4]
History
[edit]Early productions
[edit]DerDer began producing tournament paintball videos in 2003.
Its early releases documented the development of professional paintball during the transition from traditional ten-player tournaments to seven-player airball and X-Ball competition.
The company's first documented productions included 300 FPS and coverage of the 2003 Pan Am Las Vegas tournament.[4][5]
By 2004, DerDer was producing films covering both national professional competitions and regional tournament series.
Contemporary WARPIG reporting identified Rob Astamendi working with DerDer at the March 2004 CFOA tournament in Easley, South Carolina.[1]
The company subsequently released Roadkill: The DerDer U.S. Tour, Seven X, The Euro Tour and The CFOA Experience.
In November 2004, WARPIG reviewed The CFOA Experience, describing DerDer as a San Diego-based production company using handheld professional cameras, high shutter speeds and progressive-scan video to record paintball action.[2]
Expansion
[edit]During 2005, DerDer expanded its coverage of professional and regional tournament circuits.
Its release Obscure Influence premiered at the 2005 Paintball World Cup.
The 105-minute film incorporated footage from NPPL and PSP tournaments, alongside player interviews, team profiles, music and comedy sequences.[3]
Additional productions covered the Carolina Field Owners Association (CFOA) and Xtreme Paintball Sports League (XPSL) regional competitions.
The company continued developing annual tournament documentaries during the following seasons, releasing films including Free Agent, War of Attrition, Progression and Bring Out Your Dead.[4][6]
Business registration
[edit]Der Der Productions, LLC was registered in California on 6 March 2006.
California business records identify Robert Joseph Astamendi as the company's manager and Rob Astamendi as its chief executive officer.
The registered business activities include video production and marketing consulting.[7]
The DerDer name was subsequently registered as a United States trademark in July 2008, covering paintball videos, downloadable recordings and media production services.[8]
The 2006 company registration should not be confused with the beginning of DerDer's production activities, which were already documented several years earlier.
Video production
[edit]DerDer's films generally combined footage from multiple tournament events rather than presenting complete individual matches.
The productions featured professional competition, interviews, player profiles, training sessions and footage from the tournament pits.
The company's editing style was associated with fast-moving action sequences accompanied by punk rock, alternative rock and other independent music.
Contemporary WARPIG reviews documented the use of music-video editing, handheld cameras and footage recorded close to the playing field.[2][3]
DerDer also incorporated comedy segments into its releases.
The recurring Short Bus feature included former and active professional players such as Todd Martinez, Nicky Cuba and Kevin "Catfish" Arcilla.
These segments appeared as bonus material on several DerDer DVDs and were later developed into separately released comedy content.[3][9]
Full-length video releases
[edit]The following catalogue lists independently documented standalone DerDer video releases.
The list includes tournament documentaries, regional season reviews, a full-length instructional film and a separately released comedy feature.
Years identify the documented tournament season or release period where known. They should not necessarily be interpreted as confirmed commercial publication dates.
Compilation packages containing previously released films are not counted as new titles.
2003–2004
[edit]| Year | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 300 FPS | Early professional tournament documentary featuring PSP competition |
| 2003 | Pan Am Las Vegas | Coverage of the 2003 Pan American tournament in Las Vegas |
| 2004 | Roadkill: The DerDer U.S. Tour | Tournament documentary covering eight American events, with professional team profiles |
| 2004 | Seven X | XPSL regional tournament documentary |
| 2004 | The CFOA Experience | Documentary covering four CFOA tournaments in the southeastern United States |
| 2004 | The Euro Tour | Documentary covering European tournament paintball |
These early releases are documented through contemporary WARPIG reviews, historical DVD catalogues and paintball retailer listings.[2][5][10]
2005–2006
[edit]| Year covered | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Obscure Influence | NPPL and PSP tournament documentary, approximately 105 minutes |
| 2005 | Natural Selection | Professional tournament documentary featuring competition, interviews and player profiles |
| 2005 | Insult to Injury | CFOA season documentary |
| 2005 | Running Riot | XPSL season documentary |
| 2006 | Soldiers of Misfortune | Documentary featuring the Hybrid Contract Killers and professional tournament competition |
| 2006 | Free Agent | Professional tournament documentary covering the 2006 NPPL and NXL seasons |
| 2006 | Vendetta | XPSL season documentary |
| 2006 | Sticks and Stones | CFOA season documentary, approximately 35 minutes plus bonus footage |
Obscure Influence was reviewed by WARPIG in November 2005. The review also identified Running Riot and Insult to Injury as forthcoming releases covering the 2005 regional seasons.[3]
The subsequent XPSL and CFOA releases were documented in contemporary DVD advertisements and product descriptions.[6]
2007–2011
[edit]| Year covered | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | DerDer Nation | Regional season documentary combining XPSL, CFOA and NEPL competition |
| 2007 | War of Attrition | Documentary following professional teams through the 2007 PSP and NPPL seasons |
| 2008 | Progression | Professional player and tournament documentary |
| 2008 | Bring Out Your Dead | Professional tournament season documentary with interviews and bonus material |
| 2009 | Dementia | Documentary covering the 2009 PSP season, with professional player commentary |
| 2010 | Malevolent | Professional PSP tournament documentary released on DVD and Blu-ray |
| 2011 | Campaign | Documentary covering the 2011 PSP season, including interviews with professional players |
DerDer Nation covered twelve events across the XPSL, CFOA and New England Paintball League during 2007.[6]
War of Attrition documented the 2007 American professional tournament season, including PSP and NPPL competition.[11]
Progression was identified as a 2008 production in DerDer's preserved film catalogue.[4]
Bring Out Your Dead documented professional competition involving teams including San Diego Dynasty, Los Angeles Ironmen, Philadelphia Americans, Infamous and San Diego Aftermath. The DVD had a running time of approximately 90 minutes.[9]
Dementia covered the 2009 PSP season and included commentary from approximately twenty professional players, while Malevolent was produced in high definition and distributed on DVD and Blu-ray.[12][13]
Campaign covered four PSP events during 2011 and included interviews with professional players. Its main feature had a running time of 67 minutes.[14]
Additional standalone releases
[edit]The following productions were independently marketed as complete DVDs, although their original release dates have not been established with sufficient precision.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Xplained | Approximately 50-minute instructional documentary covering professional X-Ball strategy, drills and tactics |
| Bunker Insurance | Approximately 40-minute standalone comedy production associated with the Short Bus series |
Xplained featured instruction from players including Davey Williamson, Todd Martinez, Rusty Glaze and Glen Takemoto.
Bunker Insurance featured professional players and comedy sequences associated with the recurring Short Bus characters.[15][16]
Catalogue scope
[edit]The release tables include 23 documented standalone titles.
They exclude individual trailers, short online tournament edits, isolated Short Bus episodes and compilation packages made up of previously released films.
The later The Reckoning project was released as an episodic series and is therefore not counted among the standalone films.
The catalogue is based on surviving contemporary reviews, historical retail records and preserved video collections. It should not be treated as proof that no additional DerDer productions existed.
Soundtracks
[edit]Music formed a central part of DerDer's filmmaking style.
The company regularly used independent rock, punk and alternative music to accompany tournament montages and player profiles.
WARPIG's 2004 review of The CFOA Experience identified recordings by artists including The Bouncing Souls, Love Me Destroyer, The Gambits, The Fairlanes, Homemade, Bombshell Rocks and Stereotyperider.[2]
Obscure Influence featured recordings by Strike Anywhere, Goldrush, Mnemonic, Victory Mansion, Soap Box Revolt and other artists.[3]
The soundtrack for Bring Out Your Dead was supplied by Victory Records, with featured artists including Taking Back Sunday, The Audition, Thursday and Aiden.[9]
Where track information can be verified, individual film articles document the relevant soundtrack recordings.
Distribution and preservation
[edit]DerDer distributed its productions through paintball equipment retailers, DVD packages and digital video releases.
Several titles were subsequently sold together in compilation packages.
A six-film collection marketed by ANSgear included Natural Selection, War of Attrition, Free Agent, Soldiers of Misfortune, Progression and 300 FPS.[10]
DerDer also released selected productions in high-definition formats, including Malevolent.
Historical DerDer films have subsequently been preserved through online video archives.
BKi Paintball maintains a collection of classic DerDer productions and identifies Rob Astamendi, also known in paintball media as Rob DerDer, with the films' production history.[4]
The preserved collection includes Natural Selection, Free Agent, DerDer Nation, Progression, War of Attrition, Malevolent, Dementia, Campaign and other releases.
DerDer's films remain useful records of professional teams, tournament fields, playing styles and equipment during the development of modern speedball competition.
See also
[edit]- Rob Astamendi
- Monkey With a Gun Productions
- Paintball Sports Promotions
- National Professional Paintball League
- National Xball League
- Millennium Series
- Carolina Field Owners Association
- Paintball media
- History of tournament paintball
References
[edit]- WARPIG, "CFOA March 2004". Contemporary report identifying Rob Astamendi of DerDer Productions.
- WARPIG, Bill Mills, "CFOA - DerDer Style", November 2004. Review of The CFOA Experience and DerDer's filming techniques.
- WARPIG, Bill Mills, "Obscure Influence", November 2005. Contemporary review and information about DerDer's 2005 releases.
- BKi Paintball, "DerDer Productions Classic Paintball Videos". Preserved film catalogue with original tournament documentaries.
- Paintballshop.com, "DVDs". Historical retail listings for DerDer's early tournament films.
- "Paintball DVD and Videos", 10 January 2008. Contemporary retail descriptions of DerDer Nation, Free Agent, Vendetta, Sticks and Stones and other productions.
- Bizprofile, "Der Der Productions, LLC". California business registration information, filed 6 March 2006.
- Justia Trademarks, "Der Der Productions, LLC". United States trademark records.
- ANSgear, "DerDer DVD - Bring Out Your Dead". Film description, tournament coverage, soundtrack and running time.
- ANSgear, "DerDer 6 Pack DVD". Historical collection identifying six standalone films.
- YouTube, "DerDer Productions - War of Attrition Full Paintball Video". Preserved documentary and description of the 2007 professional tournament season.
- ANSgear, "DerDer Dementia DVD". Historical product description documenting 2009 tournament coverage.
- ANSgear, "DerDer Malevolent DVD". Historical product listing.
- ANSgear, "DerDer Campaign DVD". Historical product description documenting the 2011 PSP season.
- ANSgear, "DerDer Xplained". Instructional DVD description and running time.
- ANSgear, "DerDer Bunker Insurance DVD". Standalone comedy DVD description and running time.