Monster Camp
Encyclopedia
Monster Camp is a feature-length documentary
that chronicles a live action role-playing game
organization. Monster Camp looks at the lives of the participants, and considers the pro and cons of escapism through fantastical outlets. Freedom State
director Cullen Hoback documents the fantasy world, following several participants over the course of one year.
The group followed is a Seattle, Washington
chapter of NERO Alliance (now Alliance LARP
), one of many live-action role-playing organizations in the US. Players create their own identities selecting from a variety of races and classes, similar to Dungeons and Dragons or World of Warcraft
. Participants dress up and are involved as either player character
s, non-player character
, or Plot Members.
It premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival
17 in 2007, where it received the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Monster Camp screened at the Seattle International Film Festival
and the Corvallis da Vinci Film Festival. The movie's web site claims that it has screened in approximately 40 film festivals around the world winning four best documentary awards .
in Washington State. While shooting, temperatures in the region dropped below zero degrees. The main weekend chronicled in the film occurred during the coldest temperatures recorded in the Northwest in 50 years. Many of the costumes worn by characters during this filming were abnormal. The lower temperatures during filming made it impractical to wear purely character specific clothing.
The film's score is done by California
band, Speechwriters LLC
.
Reviews
Other articles
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that chronicles a live action role-playing game
Live action role-playing game
A live action role-playing game is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may...
organization. Monster Camp looks at the lives of the participants, and considers the pro and cons of escapism through fantastical outlets. Freedom State
Freedom State
-Plot:The film is the story of a woman Krystal who after some problems with her husband checks into a small mental health home. Some time after the patients wake up and find out that the nurse is not there and they came to the conclusion that the apocalypse has happed...
director Cullen Hoback documents the fantasy world, following several participants over the course of one year.
The group followed is a Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
chapter of NERO Alliance (now Alliance LARP
Alliance larp
The Alliance LARP, formerly NERO Alliance, is one of the larger live action role playing groups in the United States with ten chapters and hundreds of members.- Overview :...
), one of many live-action role-playing organizations in the US. Players create their own identities selecting from a variety of races and classes, similar to Dungeons and Dragons or World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
. Participants dress up and are involved as either player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s, non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
, or Plot Members.
It premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival
Cinequest Film Festival
The Cinequest Film Festival is an annual independent film festival held in San Jose, California. The festival highlights the work of new film makers....
17 in 2007, where it received the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Monster Camp screened at the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
and the Corvallis da Vinci Film Festival. The movie's web site claims that it has screened in approximately 40 film festivals around the world winning four best documentary awards .
Production Facts
The film was shot largely at Millersylvania State ParkMillersylvania State Park
Millersylvania is an 842 acre park 10 miles south of Olympia, Washington. The park has of trails , old-growth cedar and fir trees, and also features camping and 3,300 feet of freshwater shoreline on Deep Lake.Deep Lake is located in Section 3, Township 16N, Range 2W, Willamette.According to the...
in Washington State. While shooting, temperatures in the region dropped below zero degrees. The main weekend chronicled in the film occurred during the coldest temperatures recorded in the Northwest in 50 years. Many of the costumes worn by characters during this filming were abnormal. The lower temperatures during filming made it impractical to wear purely character specific clothing.
The film's score is done by California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
band, Speechwriters LLC
Speechwriters LLC
Speechwriters LLC is an American acoustic pop group from Claremont, California. They began as a two-man coffeehouse act but have expanded to bigger and better venues and a respectable following...
.
External links
Reviews
- "Monster Camp: The Story Of Nero Seattle" by Dennis Harvey in VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
- "Monster Camp" by Felix Vasquez Jr. for Film ThreatFilm ThreatFilm Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
. 4 out of 5 stars.
- "Monster Camp" by Steve Rhodes for InternetReviews.com. 3 out of 4 stars.
- "Monster Camp" by Dennis Schwartz for Ozus' World Movie Reviews. "B" rating.
- "Today schedule" by Moira Macdonald for The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
. 3 out of 4 stars.
Other articles
- "A monster hit for Boston film fest" by Brian Jewell for Bay Windows.
- "They are their toughest critics" by Brandy Hilboldt Allport for the Florida Times Union.
- "Monster Camp: Interview with Director Cullen Hoback" by Jon Bosworth for the EU Jacksonville