We want to create the most awesome larp documentary yet

There are plenty of larps out there that not only change people’s lives, but also look amazing and demonstrate how larp can take its place among the next wave of entertainment and personal adventure.

We don’t need to ask ourselves whether larp can be considered a serious art form or a meaningful hobby. We already know that. But we want to ask ourselves this question:

“Can we make a film that shows how cool larp is, so that we may show it to others?”

That is the premise of ROLEPLAYERS - the documentary.

It’s a feature length film made by pros

The main story in ROLEPLAYERS is about three first-time larpers who try three high-profile international larps. We follow the three both before, during and after the larps, and are with them throughout their journey. During the film, many questions about larp are both raised and answered, including (but definitely not limited to!)

- Where does one get into larping and how does it work?

- How does larp compare to theater and cinema?

- What is the future of larp in terms of both hobby and art form?

This is a film that takes larp seriously. The footage is selected to convey the real emotions and reflections of the three new players. We’re not here to paint yet another picture of larp as a weird subculture, because we do not see that as being representative.

We’re doing this to change perceptions

Our team consists of larpers, who also happen to work professionally with film. The reason we’re doing this is that we believe our hobby is missing a powerful, international documentary that showcases what’s possible. There are good larp documentaries out there, but none of them follow the journey of new larpers into the wonderful realm of collaboratively created stories that is larping.

It’s almost impossible to give people who’ve never larped a clear idea of what it’s like, but with this film we’re going to do our very best to try. We want to give the viewers an idea of what larp is and how it works, but also show the emotional impact and power of the medium.

The project is already ⅔ done

We have been filming at larp events for three years already, using our own resources. Earlier this year, we ran an Indiegogo campaign that didn’t completely pan out, but did give in an influx of cash for the project. Since then, we have added more team members, expanded the scope and ambition of the film, and have gotten new partnerships in place that will make it pretty damn awesome in the end.

The film has grown from a local Czech project to an international feature documentary that shows off larps in several countries. And while we’re part of the way already, we need your help to get to the finish line.

We need money to finish this

There are three important milestones we need to pass in order to finish production of the film.

The first one is filming at a third larp. This larp will be Raven Crew, an Italian pirate larp with international participants. It takes place on April 19-22, 2018.

The second is to facilitate the meeting of all three first-time players and have them share their thoughts on larp.

And the third and last thing we need money for is for conducting interviews with psychologists and sociologists who have done research on larp.

And then there’s the stretch goals!

17,000$ Finishing the film In April 2018, we'll do the last larp filming, and then shortly after that the final shooting overall. Then it's off to post-production and a release date in Fall 2018! 

22,000$ Soundtrack. We have found a composer who is willing to produce an original soundtrack for the film, which we feel would make it even more engaging!

27,000$ Second filming at Witcher School. Even though it’s providing you a sneak peek behind the curtain, we can tell you that one of our first-time larpers is now returning to the Witcher School larp that he started at. We’d like to film that, but it requires a crew!

32,000$ Celebrity visit. It’s an old dream to take established celebrities and make larp ambassadors out of them. We’re going to give that a shot if we get the funds for it, by having our third player be a relevant celebrity, who gets to experience larp for the first time! Of course, we're confident that this person will then become an ambassador for our hobby - it's not that we're going to pay someone to give lukewarm support!

42,000$ Behind the scenes. Producing serious backstage material is a major task in its own right, but if we hit this stretch goal, we’ll add 20 min of unused material supported by interviews on how the film came to be and what choices were made during production.

You can even be in the film!

We’ve filmed two of our three first-timers already. That means that we have one last larp to film, and YOU have the opportunity to be part of it.

We know that our third main character will be a woman. That's all we know right now. 

And if you are a player at Raven Crew in Italy, you get a chance to be in the film!

So let’s talk about what you get for a moment

ROLEPLAYERS is a professional level documentary about larping that shows off the variety and depth of the experience. It talks about where larp is going, and what it means to larp - covering both positive and negative angles.

Besides the possibility of a digital download of the movie with English subtitles in full HD or 4K quality, we also have a Collector’s Edition on Blu-Ray.

Then, of course, there are various other perks for those who wish to support the project either a little or a lot. You can send a few dollars our way to help out, buy a t-shirt or even get an Executive Producer credit (it costs a bit more, though!).

And in case you still have questions, we’ve tried to answer some here

When will the film be released?

UPDATE: Since we'll be filming in Spring 2018 (at the Raven Crew pirate larp in Italy), we will be done with the film for a Fall 2018 release. We're hoping it'll be ready for one of the big larp festivals in the fall, but we don't have a precise release date yet.

Our original plan was to have it done for the Knutepunkt 2018 conference in March, but due to us ending up shooting at a larp in April, that will be hard to manage. ;-)

What about subtitles?

The film is almost exclusively in English, with subtitles in English, German, French, Italian, Danish, Polish and Hungarian.

Which larps are featured in the film?

Our focus is on European larps with high production value. Among these are Legion: Siberian Story, De la Bete, Witcher School, Battle of the Five Armies and Raven Crew.

Who are the three first-time players in the film?

Michal is an amateur actor and high school student from Czech Republic. We filmed him at Legion: Siberian Story.

Eugene is a programmer from Germany, with a wife and children. We filmed him at Witcher School in Poland.

The third one might be you, if you’re a female first-time larper! :-)

What about dramatic moments that don’t get caught on film?

For the purpose of the documentary, we are allowing ourselves the luxury of reconstructing especially memorable scenes that we didn’t catch. We found this to be less invasive than having cameras on our protagonists 24/7.

What about the film’s future?

Our main distribution channels are digital and blu-ray, through our own extensive networks. However, after the premiere, we will be doing our best to get the film out in any way possible. This means that we’ll be working on cinema distribution, airing on TV channels and film festivals. We’re also giving things like Netflix and Amazon Prime a shot, but we know that it’s not easy to get picked up there.

But who are we, who believe we can do this?

To make a movie on this scale, many people are involved. The core group behind the project is small, though, and consists of people who all work professionally with film.

Michal Matulík (Writer/Director) made his first breakthrough film in high school. It was a feature length retro sci-fi epic, Tři dni na Měsíci (Three Days on the Moon). He is a graduate of Zlín Film School and has gone on to found the film studio Mion Films. He has been a larper for seven years, and produces educational larps for students from primary and secondary schools through the civic association Eduludus.

Pavel Gotthard (Screenplay/Dramaturgy) works as a freelance screenwriter. He is probably most famous for creating the screenplay for the viral internet movie Interande (Interdate), and his current film projects include an upcoming mini-series on Maria Theresa. He has been active in the larp association Court of Moravia for many years, and is the author of the novella Léky smutných (2013) (Meds for the sad).

Jitka Chocholatá (Film Editing) won her spurs on something as strange-sounding as a series called Vinaři II (Winemakers II). She works for the film post-production company UPP, and has played in several of the larps that appear in ROLEPLAYERS.

Jiří Hloušek (Sound Editing) is not a larper, but has solid documentary experience from projects such as The Elements and Záhada lokálek (Mystery of Omnibus Trains). He also worked with Jitka on Vinaři II (Winemakers II) and is a skilled amateur musician.

Andrew Douwe (Director of Photography) has worked with Michal since film school, and is also part of Mion Films. His documentary experience includes Hernychova vila (Hernych's Villa), and while he so far has avoided the temptation to go larping, he has agreed that it’s about time once this project is over.

Claus Raasted (Crowdfunding) runs Dziobak Larp Studios, the world’s largest larp production company. He’s the author of 22 books on the subject, has lectured on the merits of larp for companies like Disney and IKEA, and is behind larps such as College of Wizardry, Road Trip and Fairweather Manor. Claus also has a past as a reality TV star, but these days, who hasn’t?