Paintball film

A paintball film is a film or video production primarily concerned with the sport of paintball. Paintball films include tournament documentaries, player and team profiles, instructional productions, historical documentaries and fictional films centred on paintball.

Specialist paintball filmmaking developed alongside organised tournament competition, with VHS recordings and television productions appearing during the 1990s. The release of PUSH in 2000 helped establish a more cinematic approach to tournament documentaries, combining competitive footage, player interviews, music and behind-the-scenes material.[1][2]

During the 2000s, production companies including Monkey With A Gun Productions and DerDer Productions released commercially distributed paintball films, particularly on DVD.[3][4]

History

Early paintball videos

Paintball tournament footage was being commercially distributed on VHS by the 1990s.

Traumahead Sportz produced recordings of major professional tournaments, including National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) events. Its footage included tournament action, player interviews, equipment demonstrations and behind-the-scenes material.[1]

The WARPIG website also developed an early online video service called PigTV, which began broadcasting paintball footage in 1997.

Its initial productions included coverage of the 1997 Las Vegas tournaments and the 1997 Paintball World Cup, alongside recreational and scenario paintball events. The World Cup programme ran for approximately 104 minutes.[1]

PigTV initially distributed its productions through low-bandwidth RealPlayer video streams. Its archives also document the contemporary availability of VHS tapes produced for commercial sale and television distribution.[1]

PUSH and the development of paintball documentaries

A significant development in paintball filmmaking came with the release of PUSH in 2000.

Produced by Patrick Spohrer and Bryon Benini, the documentary followed leading professional teams during the 1999 tournament season.

The film combined tournament footage with player interviews, music-driven editing and coverage of the professional paintball lifestyle.

PUSH premiered during the 2000 Paintball World Cup in Florida. Contemporary reporting by WARPIG described a packed premiere screening and enthusiastic audience reception.[2]

Spohrer and Benini subsequently produced Sunday Drivers, which premiered during the 2002 Paintball World Cup. The second production placed greater emphasis on tournament action and less on interviews.[3]

Monkey With A Gun Productions

Patrick Spohrer subsequently established Monkey With A Gun Productions, which developed a series of paintball documentaries.

The company's productions included:

Cereal Killerz
Heroes for a Day

Cereal Killerz premiered during the 2004 NPPL San Diego tournament at the La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas, California.[5]

Heroes for a Day, also titled Heroes for a Day: The XSV Story, followed XSV through its development as a professional tournament team.

The film combined competition footage with interviews, team meetings and off-field activities. Its DVD release included a photographic booklet and soundtrack information.[6]

DerDer Productions

DerDer Productions became an established producer of tournament paintball DVDs during the 2000s.

Its productions covered professional leagues including the National Professional Paintball League and Paintball Sports Promotions, as well as regional circuits such as the Xtreme Paintball Sports League and Carolina Field Owners Association.

DerDer films typically combined tournament highlights, player interviews, music-driven editing and behind-the-scenes footage.

Notable productions included:

A November 2005 review by WARPIG described Obscure Influence as a 105-minute production featuring extensive tournament coverage and music-driven highlight sequences.[4]

DerDer Productions also developed recurring bonus features, including the comedy and behind-the-scenes series On the Short Bus.

Types of paintball films

Tournament documentaries

Tournament documentaries record competitive paintball events, including match action, player interviews, tournament results and the experiences of participating teams.

Productions may focus on a single tournament, an entire competitive season or a particular team.

Examples include PUSH, Sunday Drivers and numerous releases from DerDer Productions.

Player and team documentaries

Player and team documentaries examine individuals and organisations involved in competitive paintball.

These films may cover player careers, team formation, training, competition, personal relationships and the challenges of professional play.

Heroes for a Day is an example of this format, following XSV through its competitive development.[6]

Instructional films

Instructional paintball videos provide training in playing techniques, tactics and equipment use.

An example is One with the Gun, an instructional DVD featuring Swedish professional player Maximus Lundqvist of Joy Division. Produced by SPLAT Magazine, it covers techniques including snap-shooting, movement, breakout shooting and marker handling.[7]

Historical documentaries

Historical paintball documentaries examine the development of the sport through archival footage, interviews and contemporary records.

The Complete History of Paintball, produced by John Amodea and Paintball.Media, was released for streaming on 21 April 2020.

The documentary has a runtime of approximately two hours and 51 minutes and covers the sport's origins, equipment, tournaments, businesses and international development.[8]

Paintball.Media subsequently produced These Kids Can Ball, a documentary covering youth competition at the NXL World Cup, including tournament preparations, interviews and matches.[9]

Fictional films

Paintball has also been the central subject of fictional feature films.

The Spanish thriller Paintball, directed by Daniel Benmayor and released in 2009, depicts a group of recreational players whose paintball game turns into a deadly pursuit involving live ammunition.[10]

Such productions are distinct from the tournament documentaries and instructional films produced specifically for paintball audiences.

Music and soundtracks

Music has been an important component of paintball films, particularly productions built around edited tournament highlights.

The use of rock, punk, electronic and alternative music became associated with tournament films during the late 1990s and 2000s.

WARPIG's PigTV documented licensed music used in its tournament coverage, including:

"Clover" by The Benjamins, used in Gettysburg 2001 footage.
"Greg's Last Day" by The Starting Line, used in Challenge Cup 2001 footage.
"Jimmy's Dream Girl" by Allister, used in Ultimate Madness 2001 footage.
"Direction" by Midtown, used in Mardi Gras Open 2001 footage.[11]

Commercial DVD productions also incorporated licensed music.

DerDer's Obscure Influence featured numerous independent rock and alternative artists, while Monkey With A Gun's Heroes for a Day included a soundtrack discography in its accompanying collector's booklet.[4][6]

Distribution and preservation

Early paintball films were distributed primarily through VHS recordings, followed by DVDs and later digital video services.

During the late 1990s, WARPIG made tournament coverage available online using RealPlayer, demonstrating an early form of internet-based paintball video distribution.[1]

DVDs remained an important distribution format during the 2000s, with paintball films marketed through specialist equipment retailers and tournament vendors.

Subsequently, older productions became available through online video archives and streaming platforms.

BKi Paintball maintains a collection of classic DerDer films, while Paintball.Media has made historical tournament recordings and documentaries available online.[9][12]

These surviving recordings provide visual documentation of tournament formats, equipment, players, teams and events from earlier periods of the sport.

References

External links