Editing Rob Astamendi


'''Rob Astamendi''', also known as '''Rob DerDer''', is an American filmmaker, video producer and media entrepreneur associated with [[DerDer]], a company specialising in professional and amateur [[paintball]] films. His work documented tournament paintball during the 2000s and early 2010s, including competitions organised by [[Paintball Sports Promotions]] (PSP), the [[National Professional Paintball League]] (NPPL) and regional tournament circuits.[1][2]

Astamendi was a central figure in DerDer's video productions, which combined tournament footage, player interviews, music and edited action sequences. The company's catalogue includes ''[[300 FPS (paintball film)|300 FPS]]'', ''[[Roadkill (paintball film)|Roadkill]]'', ''[[Natural Selection (paintball film)|Natural Selection]]'', ''[[War of Attrition (paintball film)|War of Attrition]]'' and ''[[Progression (paintball film)|Progression]]''.[2][3]

== Paintball filmmaking career ==

=== Early DerDer productions ===

Astamendi was involved in producing tournament paintball films by the early 2000s.

DerDer's earliest documented releases included ''300 FPS'', a film covering PSP tournament competition during 2003.

Contemporary WARPIG trade-show reporting identified the production as a new DerDer release at the [[2003 Paintball World Cup]].[4]

By March 2004, Astamendi was travelling to paintball tournaments to record footage for DerDer productions.

At the [[Carolina Field Owners Association]] (CFOA) season opener in Easley, South Carolina, contemporary WARPIG correspondent Joshua Silverman identified Astamendi as representing DerDer Productions.

Silverman reported that Astamendi had travelled to the event to produce a DVD documenting the regional tournament series.[1]

The resulting production, ''[[The CFOA Experience]]'', combined footage from competitions in Easley, Atlanta, China Grove and Greensboro.

WARPIG's November 2004 review described DerDer's use of handheld professional video cameras, high shutter speeds and progressive-scan recording to capture tournament action.[5]

=== Documentary productions ===

During the mid-2000s, DerDer expanded its catalogue of tournament films.

Productions associated with the company during this period included:

* ''[[Roadkill (paintball film)|Roadkill: The DerDer U.S. Tour]]'' — 2004 tournament coverage.
* ''[[Obscure Influence]]'' — 2005 professional tournament documentary.
* ''[[Natural Selection (paintball film)|Natural Selection]]'' — 2005 tournament film.
* ''[[Soldiers of Misfortune]]'' — documentary featuring professional paintball competition.
* ''[[Free Agent (paintball film)|Free Agent]]'' — coverage of the 2006 professional tournament season.
* ''[[War of Attrition (paintball film)|War of Attrition]]'' — coverage of the 2007 professional tournament season.
* ''[[Progression (paintball film)|Progression]]'' — 2008 tournament documentary.

These productions are documented in contemporary paintball publications and surviving DerDer video collections.[2][3][6]

DerDer subsequently released additional films including ''[[Dementia (paintball film)|Dementia]]'', ''[[Malevolent (paintball film)|Malevolent]]'' and ''[[Campaign (paintball film)|Campaign]]'', documenting professional competition through the early 2010s.[3]

A fuller catalogue of the company's productions is maintained in the [[DerDer]] article.

== DerDer Productions ==

Astamendi was involved in the management of Der Der Productions, LLC, a California business registered on 6 March 2006.

Business registration records identify him as chief executive officer and Robert Joseph Astamendi as manager.

The company's registered business activities included video production and marketing consulting.[7]

DerDer had already been producing paintball films before the 2006 registration, with its earlier work documented at the 2003 World Cup and during the 2004 tournament season.[1][4]

== Filmmaking style ==

Astamendi's DerDer productions became associated with fast-paced tournament footage, music-driven editing, player interviews and humour.

Contemporary reviews of DerDer films described footage recorded near the playing field, the use of high shutter speeds and editing that emphasised rapid movement, eliminations and close-range competition.

The company also incorporated blooper reels and comedy sequences into its productions.[5][6]

These techniques distinguished DerDer's films from conventional recordings of complete tournament matches.

== Influence and preservation ==

Astamendi's work with DerDer was influential among later paintball filmmakers.

In a 2026 interview published by Paintball Dirt, videographer Nick Champion of Stealth Media identified Rob DerDer and Patrick Spohrer as early influences on his filmmaking.

Champion recalled repeatedly watching ''300 FPS'' before beginning his own paintball video production work in 2005.[8]

DerDer's productions have also been preserved through digital distribution.

In April 2021, [[PbNation]] published the complete ''300 FPS'' film on YouTube.

PbNation administrator John stated that permission to distribute the film online had previously been obtained from Astamendi.[9]

The BKi Paintball video archive subsequently made a collection of classic DerDer films available to viewers, crediting Astamendi under the name Rob DerDer.

Its collection includes ''Natural Selection'', ''Free Agent'', ''War of Attrition'', ''Progression'', ''Dementia'', ''Malevolent'' and ''Campaign''.[3]

The surviving films document professional players, teams, equipment and tournament competition during a period of substantial changes to organised paintball.

== See also ==

* [[DerDer]]
* [[300 FPS (paintball film)]]
* [[Roadkill (paintball film)]]
* [[Obscure Influence]]
* [[Natural Selection (paintball film)]]
* [[War of Attrition (paintball film)]]
* [[Progression (paintball film)]]
* [[Patrick Spohrer]]
* [[Paintball media]]
* [[History of tournament paintball]]

== References ==

# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/cfoa/2004/march/index.shtml WARPIG, Joshua D. Silverman, "CFOA Season Opener Shatters Records", March 2004. Contemporary report identifying Rob Astamendi of DerDer Productions and his work filming the CFOA tournament.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/resources/videos/derderobscure/index.shtml WARPIG, Bill Mills, "Obscure Influence", November 2005. Review documenting DerDer's professional tournament video productions.]
# [https://www.bkipaintball.com/course?courseid=derder BKi Paintball, "DerDer Productions Classic Paintball Videos". Collection of historical DerDer productions identifying Astamendi as Rob DerDer.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/tradeshows/worldcup03/index3.shtml WARPIG, Bill Mills, "PSP World Cup 2003 Trade Show Photo Gallery, Page 3", October 2003. Contemporary documentation of DerDer's new ''300 FPS'' film.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/resources/videos/derdercfoa/index.shtml WARPIG, Bill Mills, "CFOA - DerDer Style", November 2004. Review describing DerDer's filming techniques and ''The CFOA Experience'' production.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/resources/videos/derderobscure/index.shtml WARPIG, Bill Mills, "Obscure Influence". Historical documentation of DerDer's film production and editing techniques.]
# [https://www.bizprofile.net/ca/san-diego/der-der-productions-llc Bizprofile, "Der Der Productions, LLC". California Secretary of State business record identifying Rob Astamendi as an officer, with registration dated 6 March 2006.]
# [https://paintballdirt.substack.com/p/weekly-newsletter-ft-nick-champion Paintball Dirt, "Weekly Newsletter ft. Nick Champion (Stealth Media)", 2026. Interview discussing the influence of Rob DerDer's films on later paintball videography.]
# [https://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=6035449 PbNation, "DerDer 300 fps - Watch the Full DVD", 22 April 2021. Announcement confirming permission from Astamendi for the online publication of the film.]

== External links ==

* [https://www.bkipaintball.com/course?courseid=derder DerDer classic film archive, BKi Paintball]
* [https://vimeo.com/derderpaintball DerDer Productions on Vimeo]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOHqP9SgN78 ''300 FPS'' — complete film, PbNation Paintball]
* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/resources/videos/derdercfoa/index.shtml Contemporary DerDer documentary review, WARPIG]

[[Category:Paintball people]]
[[Category:Paintball filmmakers]]
[[Category:Paintball media]]