The BNW Movie Shoot

Posted on 18:17, July 3rd, 2007 by Matt Forbeck

This past Sunday, I drove down to Chicago for the final day of shooting for the pilot (proof-of-concept short) for the Brave New World movie that Reactor 88 Studios is working on. I can barely begin to tell you how much fun I had and how impressed I was with everyone involved.

The pilot brings to life the 8-page comic book that opens up the original Brave New World RPG core book. In it, Lisa Stanski (played by the lovely and talented Natalie Victoria) is on the run from the government supers known as Delta Prime. As she dashed through an alley, she literally runs into Patriot (played by the rugged and talented Chuck Wagner), once a Delta Prime hero and now a leader of the rebellion known as the Defiance. They try to escape, but Charge (played by the handsome and talented Zachary Laoutides) corners them in a helicopter that Patriot blasts out of the sky.

As you can imagine, this is an ambitious, action-packed sequence to tackle, but as a proof-of-concept, it’s perfect. If the team can handle this, they can handle anything, and from everything I saw they’re doing a bang-up job.

I’ve rarely been part of such a polite, respectful, gracious, and grateful group of people. Besides the tremendous amount of skill and talent they brought to the project, I never saw or heard of a cross moment all day long, even on the third, long day of a rigorous weekend shoot. They all treated me with such kindness that I instantly felt like a part of this family that had coalesced around this project.

While many people thanked me for creating the game that’s the basis for the film, I told them they should talk to Darren Orange, Reactor 88’s president, instead. The kind of vision and passion that he and his team displayed for this film would have to find some way to express itself, and I’m just thrilled that it happened to focus on Brave New World.

I took these photos here from a distance, mostly trying to stay out of the way, but the material they captured on for the shoot is utterly stunning. I actually got chills watching the playback on the monitor for the scene in which Patriot shoots down the helicopter. The actors did such a wonderful job reacting to things that only existed in their heads, like the explosions and such, which will be added in post-production with computers.

Chuck, in particular, looked perfect as Patriot. He seemed like he’d leaped off the cover of Ravaged Planet. Seeing a character I’d created walking around and even chatting with me was surreal.

Director Joe Martin even insisted on giving me a Stan Lee moment in the film too. When the pilot is ready later this summer, you’ll see me crossing the street in front of Dearborn Station just before the big battle goes down. I’m in a suit and tie, so no one will be able to recognize me, I’m sure.

I can’t wait to see the final production when it’s ready. As soon as I can share more, you’ll know about it too.

Posted in Brave New World | print

October 26th, 2009: BNW Proof-of-Concept Trailer Online Now (0 comments)
October 12th, 2009: The BNW RPG Character Sheet PDF (3 comments)
August 26th, 2009: Brave New World RPG by PDF (2 comments)
August 10th, 2009: Gen Con, BNW: Revolution, and Parties (1 comment)
June 30th, 2009: Brave New World Show at Gen Con (6 comments)

7 Responses to “The BNW Movie Shoot”

Joe Martin on July 4th, 2007 at 3:16 am

Matt,

I had a wonderful time directing you in your cameo role. I had an amazing cast and crew to work with while directing and producing this project. We are all lookng forward to seeing you this weekend at Origins. As the feature pre-production goes into full swing, we are all working so very hard to bring Brave New World to life on the big screen.

Sincerly,

Joe Martin
Director / Producer
Brave New World

gnome on July 4th, 2007 at 4:53 am

Excellent write-up! And you got a cameo too…

Michelle Ford on July 4th, 2007 at 12:16 pm

Matt,

You’re an excellent writer (old news)—Entertainment Weekly couldn’t have done a better job! Just as you felt “surreal” seeing your character come to life, I am grateful I got to watch a portion of the story being filmed. What a privilege.

Wayne on July 4th, 2007 at 9:46 pm

Sweet Matt. I look forward to seeing the movie. It is one of the best RPGs I’ve ever read. Coming up to TC for the Cherry festival this year?

Matt Forbeck on July 4th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

Thanks, Joe! I’m looking forward to seeing you and the crew again soon.

Thanks, Gnome!

Wayne, I haven’t been up for the Cherry Festival in many years, although I still have several relatives in the area. I was planning to be up that way in August, but that’s tentative at the moment. Thanks for the kind words about the game.

Michelle Ford on July 5th, 2007 at 9:53 pm

Really enjoyed reading this and the pictures make the entry even more exciting AND Sunday was amazing!