Obscure Influence

Obscure Influence is a 2005 tournament paintball film produced by DerDer Productions. Released on DVD during the 2005 Paintball World Cup, the 105-minute production documents professional tournament paintball across the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) and Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP) circuits.[1]

The film combines tournament footage, team profiles, interviews, comedy segments and a soundtrack featuring independent rock, punk and alternative music.

Content

Obscure Influence features footage from major paintball tournaments held during the 2005 season, including events in Las Vegas, San Diego, Huntington Beach, Orlando, Chicago and Pittsburgh, alongside footage from Amsterdam and the Paintball World Cup.[1][2]

Rather than presenting complete matches, the film uses fast-paced editing and music-driven highlight sequences. Tournament sections are accompanied by humorous introductions and commentary, including narration by Matty Marshall.[1]

Featured teams

The film includes dedicated interview and highlight sections featuring four professional teams:

Each section combines player interviews with footage of the team's tournament performances.[1]

Bonus features

Additional DVD content includes:

Footage from Nemacolin and Bunkerfest.
A profile of the New York Raiders.
The Short Bus, featuring commentary from Kevin "Catfish" Arcilla and Nicky Cuba.
Tournament bloopers and humorous incidents.
Segments documenting the emotional intensity of tournament competition.

The DVD also includes previews for two other DerDer productions, Running Riot and Insult to Injury.[1]

Soundtrack

Music is a central element of Obscure Influence, with tournament footage edited into sequences accompanied by independent and alternative music.

A contemporary review published by WARPIG in November 2005 identifies the following soundtrack artists:[1]

End 7
ASG
Dirt
The S**t Sister
Strike Anywhere
Another Damn Disappointment
Victory Mansion
Uptown Creepers
The Waking
Mnemonic
The Empire State
Belles in Monica
Soap Box Revolt
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Goldrush

A complete verified list of individual song titles and their placement within the film has not been established.

Release and reception

Obscure Influence was released during the 2005 Paintball World Cup.

In November 2005, Bill Mills reviewed the DVD for WARPIG. The review highlighted its camera work, rapid editing and extensive tournament coverage. At 105 minutes, the film was considerably longer than the approximately one-hour paintball DVDs commonly released during the period.[1]

The film was subsequently marketed alongside DerDer's Natural Selection as part of a double-disc DVD package.[2]

References